Art & History

Who Was Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson, in St Louis, Missouri, in 1928. Her brother could not pronounce her name properly and called her Maya, the name that she came to be known by.
She had a difficult childhood – after suffering abuse when she was eight years old, she stopped talking for five years.  She later wrote her autobiography, describing overcoming her childhood trauma, and growing up in the segregated south of USA – when people of colour and white people were not allowed to mix. She was committed to the civil rights movement, which aimed to break the segregation and allow people to live freely.

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Language & Literature

My Favourite (Favorite) Book

Writer Susannah Leigh was born in Canada and moved to UK when she was eight years old.  Jump! asked her about her favourite children’s book.

One of the nicest things about being an author (apart from being able to go to work in your pyjamas) is being invited to talk about books in schools. I love chatting to enthusiastic pupils about all things bookish. Usually the questions I am asked are ones I can answer easily.

‘How long does it take you write a book?’

‘Where do you get your ideas from?’

‘When did you write your first book?’

But at a school last week a student asked: ‘What is your favourite book?’

Now that’s a tough one.

I’ve read so many good books, how could I possibly choose my favourite?

And what if I haven’t read my favourite book yet? Indeed, what if it hasn’t even been written?

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Science, Nature and Tech

Under the Sea with the RRS Discovery

Last month the The RRS Discovery, the most advanced research ship was launched in Southampton.
At £75 million it is one of the most expensive research ships ever commissioned. It measures at  just over 100 metres long, with seven main laboratories and a bridge like the Starship Enterprise! It has just begun expeditions around the British Isles, currently examining the UK’s continental shelf, a band of sea floor around 50m-100m deep.

“These shelves are really very important,” says Dr Sanders from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. “There is a lot going on in the shelf seas and we need to understand how they work so we can safeguard their future.”

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