- Join Hamid Ismailov at The Forum, Southend and learn about this award winning author who will read from his haunting work THE DEAD LAKE Tuesday 8 March 7pm
- Cathi Unsworth & Paul Willetts invite you to A CRIMINALLY GOOD AFTERNOON TEA PARTY at the Park Inn Palace Hotel, Southend on Sunday 6 March and unleash some fascinating facts about their latest books WITHOUT THE MOON and RENDEZVOUS AT THE RUSSIAN TEA ROOMS. Sounds great!
- Pop into Anglia Ruskin University on Thursday 10 March and listen to Peter Hennessy who has written THE KINGDOM TO COME.
- The famous author Louise de Berniers will be appearing at the University of Essex Wivenhoe on Thursday 17 March talking about his latest book THE DUST THAT FALLS FROM DREAMS. Mustn't miss that one.
- Christine Dwyer Hickey and her book THE LIVES OF WOMEN is the star event at The Forum at Southend on Thursday 17 March
- Andrew Lownie is a firm favourite with many readers and writers and will be talking about his new book at The Forum, Southend on 24 March. The title of his book is STALIN'S ENGLISHMAN: THE LIVES OF GUY BURGESS .
Friday, February 26, 2016
OUR 17TH ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL NEWS ... STOP PRESS
Not long to go now! Reading group members and writers alike - are all looking forward to crossing Essex to meet up with like-minded enthusiasts in venues in our county libraries and theatres. Although many events have now sold out, there are still some tickets available from www.essexbookfestival.org.uk These are listed below.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL LAUNCH APPROACHES - HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR TICKET?
eSS
Golden Age of Crime: Celebrating Margery
Mike Ripley, Barry Pike, Julia Jones. Chaired by Seona Ford - Southend-on-Sea

Venue : Laurel and Hardy Room, Park Inn Palace Hotel
-
Church Road
Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2AL
- Tickets:
- £7
£5 (25yrs & under) - Box Office:
- Mercury Theatre
- 01206 573948
- http://mercurytheatre.co.uk/
Panel: Mike Ripley, Barry Pike, Julia Jones. Chaired by Seona Ford
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of ‘Golden Age’ crime-writer and Essex-resident Margery Allingham. To celebrate her life and work, Mike Ripley (author of Mr Campion’s Farewell), Barry Pike (Chairman of the Margery Allingham Society), and Julia Jones (author of The Adventures of Margery Allingham) will join Seona Ford (Chair of the Essex Book Festival and The Dorothy L Sayers Society) for a fascinating and illuminating panel discussion.
Part of Essex Book Festival’s Golden Age of Crime weekend, Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 March in Southend-on-Sea.
Part of Essex Book Festival’s Golden Age of Crime weekend, Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 March in Southend-on-Sea.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Always a great fan of BBC WORLD SERVICE, I often visited the old Bush House building in Holborn, London near to my office.
The BBC World Service broadcasts from Broadcasting House in London, headquarters of the corporation as a whole. The service is located in the new constructions of the building and contains radio and television studios for use by the several language services. The building also contains an integrated newsroom used by the international World Service, the international television channel BBC World News, the domestic television and radio BBC News bulletins, the BBC News Channel and the local news for the BBC London region on television and radio.
The BBC World Service broadcasts from Broadcasting House in London, headquarters of the corporation as a whole. The service is located in the new constructions of the building and contains radio and television studios for use by the several language services. The building also contains an integrated newsroom used by the international World Service, the international television channel BBC World News, the domestic television and radio BBC News bulletins, the BBC News Channel and the local news for the BBC London region on television and radio.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
RETURN TO MERRYMEADE HOUSE
Then off for a wander around the building and discovered it is a Buddhist Centre, as well as a place for help and healing, so will pay a return visit soon. Here we have Wendy with our new best friend! Then walkabout in Brentwood and a visit to the lovely David in Waterstones with one of my first published books about Brentwood - so appropriate - hope they want to sell my latest (and 10th) book soon.
Saturday, February 06, 2016
IT'S LOVELY TO WRITE ABOUT THE FAMOUS DAGENHAM GIRL PIPERS IN MY BOOK BARKING & DAGENHAM FROM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS
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I've become very fond of this little man made of Scot's pine believed to be 4,000 years' old. He is now dubbed THE DAGENHAM IDOL |
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St Margaret's Church Barking |
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Crown Street 1905 |
Thursday, February 04, 2016
WELL DESERVING SWWJ PATRON'S SPECIAL AWARD
I love talking about one of my rather
special writing groups, the Society of Women Writers and Journalists, members
of which usually meet in London at the National
Liberal Club, Whitehall . I look after their archives, for as you know, I love history!
Our Society is international. Over its 121 years it has attracted some of the most famous writers in literary history. I proudly wrote about it in one of my books THE WOMAN WRITER which has been helpful to many academics studying women writers' lives over the past century, but I also included numerous authors, journalists,
Our Society is international. Over its 121 years it has attracted some of the most famous writers in literary history. I proudly wrote about it in one of my books THE WOMAN WRITER which has been helpful to many academics studying women writers' lives over the past century, but I also included numerous authors, journalists,
poets,
entertainers. Over the decades, among them we enjoyed the company of
Joyce Grenfell, Margery Allingham, Radclyffe Hall, Rebecca West, Vera
Brittain, Shirley Williams, Elizabeth Longford, Nina Bawden, to name just a
few. In recent years we have welcomed Elizabeth Bowen, Jacqueline Wilson,
Sandra Howard, Victoria Wood and many more wonderful familiar
personalities who joined us as members and patrons.
Nowadays, we have some prestigious males on our membership list, many involved in film and stage, producers and directors, actors and newspaper proprietors. How delighted we were when, this month, our very own Simon Brett, favourite of so many radio listeners and film fans, was awarded the Queen's Order of theBritish Empire this
year. This was for his work and services to literature.
Simon is the man behind the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter Fethering and Blotto & Twinks series of crime novels and in 2014 he was awarded The CWA Diamond Dagger, one of the highest accolades in the crime writing world. His writing also includes comedy in radio and television series such as No Commitments and After Henry.
As Society Patron, Simon attended our 120th anniversay celebrations in 2014 at Stationers; Hall,London .
He delighted our delegates by reading his witty poem The Woman Writer, written especially
for the occasion. An inspiration to writers everywhere, Simon says “I can’t
remember a time when I didn’t want to write. I still do, and I want to do it
better.”
That's a thought that so many of our members endorse, male and female. Why not check out our website at www.swwj and find out far more?
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Simon Brett - courtesy of Christian Doyle |
Nowadays, we have some prestigious males on our membership list, many involved in film and stage, producers and directors, actors and newspaper proprietors. How delighted we were when, this month, our very own Simon Brett, favourite of so many radio listeners and film fans, was awarded the Queen's Order of the
Simon is the man behind the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter Fethering and Blotto & Twinks series of crime novels and in 2014 he was awarded The CWA Diamond Dagger, one of the highest accolades in the crime writing world. His writing also includes comedy in radio and television series such as No Commitments and After Henry.
As Society Patron, Simon attended our 120th anniversay celebrations in 2014 at Stationers; Hall,
That's a thought that so many of our members endorse, male and female. Why not check out our website at www.swwj and find out far more?
ISSUING FREE ADVICE TO STUDENTS WHO WANT TO WRITE!
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