
I appeared on Tortoise Media podcast alongside Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and Dave Haslam DJ.
During Independent Booksellers Week, Fiction Uncovered 87.9 FM took to the airwaves and I had the pleasure of presenting a day of debate, panels and author interviews, the first day presented by Louise Doughty.
Some photos from the day are below and the podcasts shall be up soon at fictionuncovered.co.uk/radio.
We broadcast live from Foyles booksellers, whose Green Room has an impressive board filled with author autographs of those who have read at the store; spot the signatures in the background of the first photograph below!
Panel discussions including “Writing and the Online Space” (second photograph below; thanks @Teditor) and the “new gatekeepers” of fiction ignited plenty of lively debate and my interviewees included James Meek, Charlotte Mendelson, Gabriel Gbadamosi, and Francesca Segal.
Fiction Uncovered celebrates our best British fiction writers and a theme throughout the day was not only uncovering fiction but also how fiction itself has the power to uncover hidden realms of thought and emotion.
Browsing through the bookshop later, the beauty of the book as an aesthetic object is everywhere apparent, and the day also explored the ways in which the worldwide web might enhance – rather than detract from – their power.
CHAIRING: SOUTHBANK CENTRE BOOK CLUB
I’m looking forward to chairing the Southbank Centre Book Club on 23rd November 2011 about The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund du Waal. It’s a fantastic book so if you haven’t read it yet, I’d recommend doing so and coming along to the Sunley Pavilion at 6:30pm in a few weeks time…
I’m delighted to be returning to my hometown to chair an event at the wonderful Manchester Literature Festival with Kishwar Desai and Moni Mohsin on Sunday 16th October, 2:30pm, Manchester Town Hall.
Hope to see some of you there!
EVENTS: DSC SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE FESTIVAL
I’m looking forward to appearing at the following events:
‘Travelling Tales: Looking Out, Looking In’
15th October, 4.00pm, Free Word Centre, Farringdon
and ‘The Dancing Girls of Bombay: What price for women’s rights?’
19th October, 6.30pm, The Women’s Library, Aldgate
Appearing at ‘Tagore: Lost (and Found) in Translation’
20th October, 7.00pm, London Review Bookshop, Bloomsbury