Author: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

language of health care, learning disabilities, patient6 Comments

Being Human: getting round the ‘them and us’ of clinical practice

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Last week I popped into the optician’s to make an appointment for a routine eye test and I was asked if I was a patient there. Well, was I? A patient? Not before I stepped over the threshold, I thought, and I wasn’t ill. There were goods on sale, it looked like a shop and I wasn’t entirely convinced that I could be a patient in a shop. Maybe that sounds a little touchy – what’s wrong with being a patient if you’re receiving health care? Well the word, for a start. It implies passivity and dependence and not an … Continue reading Being Human: getting round the ‘them and us’ of clinical practice

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Lancaster university, MA, writingLeave a comment

‘Dance to the Wild Ice’

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

‘When Izzy’s eyelids got burned off, she had to watch all the time without blinking – apart from the frog-lick that slides across side-to-side, but you can see through that so there’s no escape and she’s been watching since Jinty started making the dance. ‘ In Lancaster university’s 2013 anthology of MA creative writing. Contributors are part time and distance students. ‘Dance to the Wild Ice’ is set in the same world as ‘All the Birthdays‘ and it’s on P5. Go on, unsettle yourself! Continue reading ‘Dance to the Wild Ice’

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academic, Internet of everythingLeave a comment

Wired reality: living in a networked world

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

  This is the inaugural lecture given by Professor Gillian Youngs, Brighton university. No flashing gadgetry, just a thoughtful analysis of how digitalisation has shifted us towards horizontal modes of communication and away from top down vertical ones. What this means for the ways organisations have traditionally worked – Gillian talks about universities but we are, in the UK, currently confronted by some critical issues in our health service – is a change of focus that allows for more collaborative cross-border working. For an industrial and commercial ethos that favours boundaried, competitive, intellectual silos, this is likely to be difficult. … Continue reading Wired reality: living in a networked world

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Speckles in the Sky

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Speckles in the Sky is a tiny piece of magical realism I wrote for a friend’s retirement, because, obviously, I’ll do anything to get out of trying to think of something witty to say in three square millimetres on a card. It starts like this: ‘Coming on nicely,’ said the man jogging by. ‘Nearly there.’ Lynda turned to check out the source of this odd intrusion. Her heels spun and she almost lost her balance; damn council, leaving the pavements in disrepair. She twisted back again and found herself rotating the other way, like a rapper’s disc on a concrete turntable. Maybe it … Continue reading Speckles in the Sky

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New website

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

A while ago, I put up a website detailing my professional activities because, at the time, Google had no knowledge of me beyond a couple of papers and articles about animals with disabilities. This confused people who were looking for something a little more, well, psychological. It was long before LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and, for all I know, a popular reality TV series on Alpha Centauri, the population of which I hope are not about to vote me off . The site was a little outdated and so, unfortunately, was my software. I had been using Dreamweaver which, expensive and nerdy, requires some investment and I had … Continue reading New website

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New website

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

A while ago, I put up a website detailing my professional activities because, at the time, Google had no knowledge of me beyond a couple of papers and articles about animals with disabilities. This confused people who were looking for something a little more, well, psychological. It was long before LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and, for all I know, a popular reality TV series on Alpha Centauri, the population of which I hope are not about to vote me off . The site was a little outdated and so, unfortunately, was my software. I had been using Dreamweaver which, expensive and nerdy, requires some investment and I … Continue reading New website

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How many characters can a short story accommodate?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

      Some people had trouble downloading the report on PDF (How many characters can a short story accommodate 2 pdf) and some quite rightly don’t trust documents from the internet, so here it is in glorious WordPressy HTML! For the (obviously erudite and entertaining) preamble, go here.       How many characters can a short story accommodate?       Introduction       We have all read novels in which entire dynasties of personnel are detailed, each individual with their own plot arc from the tiniest bit player to the central character. The theory goes that a novel has time … Continue reading How many characters can a short story accommodate?

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Itty bitty survey – results are in!

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

On April 3rd, I asked for some help with a survey and an astonishing sixty six of you took part. In fact this was not a survey so much as an experiment aimed at teasing out a bit of evidence relating to that oft-quoted rule regarding the number of characters a short story can accommodate [three, evidently]. In a recent tutorial piece of around 5000 words, I had four characters and I was challenged to consider whether I could lose one by giving his actions to another. Well, I rather liked ‘Eric’ even though [maybe because] he is a vulnerable little weasel who takes out on others the injustices he … Continue reading Itty bitty survey – results are in!

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Itty bitty survey needs your help please

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Can you help with a very short survey? No pain involved and a whole lot of lovely gooey altruistic wonderfulness to gain by helping with my MA. Also the chest broadening feeling of having contributed to devastatingly original research when I post the results. You’ll do it? Oh WOW! Thank you! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NWPS69X Thank you everyone who took part, this survey is closed now, results up soon. Continue reading Itty bitty survey needs your help please

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