University Centre Peterborough Hosts Inspiring Literary Celebration

University Centre Peterborough recently welcomed students, staff and members of the local community to a special literary celebration, marking the publication of two remarkable new works by acclaimed writers with strong links to the region.

The event celebrated the debut novel of Fenland-based, prize-winning poet Elisabeth Sennitt-Clough, alongside the latest poetry collection from Andrew McDonnell, Course Leader for the BA English Literature and MA Creative Writing degrees at University Centre Peterborough.

Shadow Sister – Elisabeth Sennitt-Clough

Elisabeth’s first novel, Shadow Sister, is a haunting and atmospheric literary crime thriller set against the stark beauty of the Fens. The story follows archaeologist Abi Rollinson, who expects a straightforward excavation of a Roman burial site. Instead, she unearths a modern girl buried in a Roman-style grave. The murder appears to have been staged with expert precision and insider knowledge by a killer with deep ties to the area.

As the land’s history reveals itself to be murky, Abi’s search for answers drags her into the orbit of shady local politician Nick Neale. As cover-ups begin to surface, Abi realises the dead girl was not the only one silenced. To expose the truth, she must confront secrets that run generations deep.

Author Lee Weatherly praised the novel, describing it as:

“Shadow Sister is rich with lyrical, vivid prose and a haunting sense of place. Sennitt-Clough writes with a poet’s precision, drawing the reader into a world that lingers in the mind.”

55 Devotionals (Against Erasure) – Andrew McDonnell

In his second full poetry collection, 55 Devotionals (Against Erasure), Andrew McDonnell turns his attention to the overlooked and everyday milk floats, dead hedgehogs, Anglo-Saxon skulls and suburban patios, revealing within them the textures of class, memory and belonging.

Structured as a sequence of secular prayers to the material world, the collection insists upon the presence and value of working-class experience in a society shaped as much by what is erased as by what is remembered.

Spanning Kentish lanes and East Anglian flatlands, the poems trace a journey from working-class childhood into uncertain adulthood and tender fatherhood, exploring inheritance, place and identity with clarity and emotional depth.

Poet John McCullough described the collection as:

“Andrew McDonnell’s 55 Devotionals (Against Erasure) is a charged and tender evocation of working-class experiences which centres on what’s revealed through intimate acquaintance with weight and texture, with a grandfather’s buttons, woodlice, iron bridges.”

The evening highlighted the strength of literary talent connected to University Centre Peterborough and reinforced the institution’s commitment to nurturing creativity, critical thinking and contemporary writing.

For students studying English Literature and Creative Writing, the celebration offered a powerful reminder that the journey from classroom to publication is not only possible, but actively supported within the University Centre Peterborough community.