Katrine Lynn Solvaag's Blog

We started our explorations, as most literary fanatics arriving at St Pancras do, by exploring the British Museum.

We wandered along perilous fields and hilly roads in search of a famed pumpkin patch in order to summon the spirit of Halloween.

Happy Anniversary to my silly study buddy Calum The past two years have been incredible, and I look forward to many, many more xx

I always love autumn - partially due to the onslaught of colour as the leaves shift from green to yellow to orange to red alongside the calm rainy days - but mainly how it always represent a chance to start afresh (even more so for me than New Years Eve). ⠀
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It's a new academic year, with new responsibilities, new friends waiting to be greeted, and new projects waiting to be embarked upon (or in my case new phases of the same ongoing project).⠀
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It's the perfect time to be excited for what lays ahead, but also take time to appreciate everything which has led me to be where I am. The past year has been difficult in numerous different ways, but I got through it. I've made progress despite the difficult days. I am here, my mental health is finally in check, and life is good ⠀

Here's for a day of teacher training, Q&A's and talks on how to tackle this mystical responsibility of being a seminar leader. I guess I'm now officially an assistant lecturer! Wish me luck xx

A lot of people ask me on a pretty regular basis why I chose to focus on Moby Dick for my PhD project, and while I often list how incredibly poetic the language is as one of my reasons, the main facet of my fascination can easily be summarized in this little quote presented at a lecture I attended on the novel four years ago. ⠀
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"Of course he is a symbol. Of what? I doubt if even Melville knew exactly. That's the best of it."⠀
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Because imagine - a novel written over a century ago, analysed to death, and still there exists no consensus on its meaning. And maybe, just maybe, that's part of it - the lack of a single interpretation giving way to a multitude of personal interpretations, leaving the novel free to mean whatever it wants to mean to each individual who reads it xx

Guess who gets to teach as part of Amy Sackville's module Reading and Writing the Everyday this coming autumn at the University of Kent? xx

Road trip exploring the astounding landscapes surrounding Bergen, Norway.

Not only did we complete the 10 km race in 1 hour and 6 minutes, but we both reached beyond our fundraising goals for UNICEF, raising a total of £461,87 combined Thank you so much to everyone who contributed! This was best way to mark my 24th birthday I could possibly imagine.
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Growing up I was never good at running. I’d always be along the back of the class, and usually struggling to breathe as our main running tests always coincided with pollen season. So when Faiaz suggested we sign up to the Vitality 10,000 race I was simultaneously excited and terrified. ⁣
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However it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. There were march-bands playing at each kilometer and strangers cheering us on around every corner. Even among the runners we’d all smile and joke and look after one another as we made our way towards the finish line. ⁣
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This was my first ever race, and while we didn’t quite make the time we were aiming for, it couldn’t have been more magical ✨

The days are slowly ticking down until my first ever 10 km race! I will be running in the London Vitality 10,000 as part of #TeamUNICEF on the 27th of May. Me and my friend Faiaz are both fundraising for UNICEF as part of our race, and so far I got £113 out of £200 raised! As a thank you to everyone who donates between now and then race I am offering to write a 5-10 line poem for anyone who donates £5 or more. You may specify as little or as much as you want in regards to what you want the poem to be about. So far I've gotten requests to write about everything from the sea to sisters to pink shorts (inspired by a wrestling match). At the moment me and Faiaz are running around 7,5 km on a regular basis, and we got two weeks to get that up to 10 km! Anyone else feeling excited? xx Link to fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraisin...