This term, Somerville's Sunday evening Choral Contemplations have the title "Soul Food". Although it consists of a reading with music from the choir they don't describe it as a traditional evensong, as most colleges have. Instead they emphasise the non-denominational nature, the inclusivity, and the warm welcome to everyone, town and gown alike. They have also booked a varied and prestigious set of speakers, different every week.
Next weekend of course Oxford Uni gets all Christmassy (with the short terms, carol concerts often take place in November!) but this weekend it's the turn of Professor Elizabeth Frood. She's a fellow of St Cross, and an Egyptologist, working on graffiti in the temple of Amun-Re at Karnak amongst other projects, and how individuals wrote with different voice in different spaces. And as someone who uses prosthetic legs, she has also written in the Guardian about the joy of forgetting a physical disability through work.
Her talk focuses on birds and representations of the soul in Ancient Egypt. Ba-birds were thought to come back and feed with the dead nightly, so they're especially apt for the theme of the term.
