Paul Rand
BA History and Politics 1983
A University of Sunderland graduate has recently released his first solo debut book. Paul Rand has published a book of poems entitled ‘Limericks for Life’. He began making up limericks, a form of poetry in five-line, in the mid 1980s and he has been playing with words ever since.
His first limerick was published in a Penguin Collection entitled ‘A Dashing Young Tiger Named Jack’, and followed two years later by a contribution to a ‘Friends of the Earth’ anthology called ‘Great Green Limericks’. However ‘Limericks for Life’ is his first solo effort.
Asked about what inspired him to write about his latest book, he said: “I had a couple of Limericks included in earlier collections and this book should appeal to people whether they get all the references or just enjoy the wordplay. I also wanted to find ways of going beyond the traditional Edward Lear rhyme, always having to keep within the confines of the Limerick model.”
Having this book published and qualifying as a lawyer have been amongst Paul’s greatest achievements to date.
Paul, originally from South West London, had always been interested in history and was attracted to the University of Sunderland because of the spread of subjects available but also the interdisciplinary aspects of the course.
“The course also gave me a good frame of reference for putting contemporary events in context, for example current commemoration of First World War and my studies with Peter Liddel, or attitude of different countries to European Union in light of their particular histories,” he explained.
The Sunderland graduate is currently involved in providing legal assistance and equal opportunities training and is also a member of management committees.
His advice to any current students is to recognise that the skill sets gained while studying will have an impact in approaching a new job or a challenge.
He said: “Above and beyond the particular requirements of a course leading to a specific profession, and certainly in the case of humanities graduates, recognition that the skill sets gained while studying, e.g. fact management, marshalling of arguments for seminars or essays, breadth of research and reading around the subject, mean that you are potentially the more flexible in how you approach a new job, or other challenge.”