About

I’m Jon Petre, and this is my blog. Here you’ll find my thoughts about what I’ve been reading or what I’ve been seeing, either at the theatre, cinema or in exhibitions. In practice it’s mostly books. I work as a Development Assistant for Koestler Arts, a fantastic charity which encourages people in the criminal justice system to engage with the arts. It’s really rewarding to be use my love of art and culture to work for a charity that helps other people enrich their lives in the same way.

I studied English at the University of Nottingham as an undergraduate, before completing study for an MPhil in Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Cambridge. I graduated in July 2019. My thesis was a study of the aesthetic practice of painter and poet David Jones; using trauma theory, I contextualised Jones’ working methods as a form of therapeutic self-reflection, looking especially at his epic poem In Parenthesis (1937).

The point is that I write about things that entertain me, stuff that I wouldn’t otherwise have a place to share. If I find something interesting and I have the time I’ll talk about it here. Often you’ll find me in an article still thinking through the things I think need thinking through. The general style and the tone of the blog have changed since I was a student

I’ve been running the blog for about two and a half years now and it’s one of my favourite things to do. I like searching out stories when I visit galleries and I like taking about whatever’s creating a buzz at the moment.

I’ve also written (sporadically!) for SPAM, and do get in touch if you’d like to commission me for anything or you’ve got something you’d like me to review or gush over on the blog.  Welcome again – I hope you enjoy the stuff here as much as I do.

— Jon

Header Image: Detail from David Jones’ ‘Ship off Ynys Byr’ (1927), watercolour on paper. ©️ The Estate of David Jones.