Remediating Stevenson

A bout the event

Join the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh for an unforgettable night of music, poetry and literary history as we remember the legacy of famous author, Robert Louis Stevenson, in Scottish, Hawaiian, and Sāmoan performance cultures.

As part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council project, ‘Remediating Stevenson: Decolonising Robert Louis Stevenson’s Pacific Fiction through Graphic Adaptation, Arts Education and Community Engagement’, renowned Polynesian poets Selina Tusitala Marsh, Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard and R. Keao NeSmith will be performing works inspired by Stevenson's Pacific writing for the very first time. They will be accompanied by esteemed flageolet expert and music historian, Douglas Macmillan, performing the unique pieces Stevenson composed in the South Pacific upon his emigration there towards the end of his life.

Commentary on Stevenson’s relationship to Sāmoa and its musical heritage will be provided by Professor Emma Sutton (University of St Andrews), as well as the ‘Remediating Stevenson’ research team, who are excited to welcome you to this landmark event.

A reception including food and drink will follow the event at 8pm.

About the research strand

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the 'Remediating Stevenson' research project aims to decolonise Robert Louis Stevenson's Pacific fiction through graphic adaptation, arts education and community engagement.

A team from the Universities of Edinburgh and Chester, over the course of the three-year project (2022 to 2025), will explore the legacies of Stevenson's Pacific writing, specifically the three short stories published in his 1893 collection ‘Island Nights' Entertainments’.

In investigating the Scottish writer’s relevance to contemporary readers in Samoa and Hawai'i, as well as Scotland itself, the team will work in partnership with educators, non-profit organisations, artists and writers on a multimodal programme of community-based participatory research.

The project’s Principal Investigator is Professor Michelle Keown of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC), working alongside Dr Shari Sabeti (Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh), Alice Kelly (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, English Literature) and Dr Simon Grennan (University of Chester).

Access and recording

Please note that this is a free, in-person event held in St. Cecilia's Hall. It will not be live streamed - tickets are for access to the venue.

However, the performances will be filmed and photographed for the final research project, and may be added to LLC social media afterwards. If you would prefer not to appear in any photographs or recordings, please contact us in advance or speak to us on the day. It's not a problem.