Our literary journal, exclusive to members of Suffolk Book League |
|
|
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR This bumper edition of BookTalk, which you receive as part of your membership, comes after the first quarter of the Suffolk Book League's 40th year. Our speakers this year cover a variety of subjects, from cookery to climate change, and from mermaids to witchcraft, in keeping with our wish to make the most of the pleasure and profit to be found in reading books. So we are especially pleased to include in this edition contributions from you, as well as from the recent guest speakers who provide us with an insight into what has been exciting reading for them. We warmly welcome submissions from our members. Please send suggestions for future events and let us know what you have been enjoying by writing to enquiries@suffolk bookleague.org We share BookTalk with the general public online after you have had exclusive access to it for a while. If you belong to a book group, please draw everyone's attention to our website, so that more people can be aware of past editions of BookTalk, our online interviews, and the other activities of the Suffolk Book League. Why should not every member of every book group belong to our number? We are, as I am sure you know, a charity and our purpose is more than to cater for our own reading pleasure. Our support for the dissertation prize at the University of Suffolk, Suffolk Mastermind and the New Angle Prize are signs of our keen interest in promoting the general love of books. Our work over 40 years will later this year be celebrated when we produce a special BookTalk, reprising some of the notable contributions we have received. Covid shutdowns are, we hope, a thing of the past. But we who love books will be taking them on holidays, enjoying them in corners of parks and gardens and finding our life enhanced and expanded by what we read. Have a lovely summer! Keith Jones Chair of Suffolk Book League enquiries@suffolkbookleague.org |
|
|
N.B. BookTalk online has links to articles and might be shortened by your email provider. To ensure you can get the most from BookTalk, you may want to choose View in a browser - at the very top of this email. |
|
|
Recent Author Events and Authors' Book Recommendations |
|
|
Monique Roffey Monique Roffey was in conversation with fellow writer and University of Suffolk Lecturer, Amanda Hodgkinson. Amanda asked about the genesis of The Mermaid of Black Conch | | |
|
|
Daniel Hahn We were treated to a fascinating conversation between Daniel Hahn, writer, editor and translator, author of over 80 books, and our chair, Keith Jones. | | |
|
|
Alison MacLeod In April, Suffolk Book League welcomed Alison MacLeod, who captivated the audience with her talk on her latest novel Tenderness (2021). | | |
|
|
Upcoming Events Tickets to our exciting 40th Anniversary Events are now on sale. You can book your tickets on our website via the following links: |
|
|
| | Patrick Barkham interviews Richard Mabey University of Suffolk 7 pm Thursday 19th May | | |
|
| | Annabel Abbs Ipswich Institute 7.30 pm Wednesday 15th June | | |
|
| | Pamela Holmes Ipswich Institute
7.30 pm Thursday 7th July | | |
|
|
| | Turning the Boat for Home by Richard Mabey Read by Jeff Taylor | | |
|
| | The Tomb Guardians by Paul Griffiths Read by Jacquie Knott | | |
|
| | The Living Sea of Waking Dreams by Richard Flanagan Read by Amber Spalding | | |
|
|
| | The Huntingfield Paintress by Pamela Holmes Read by Janet Bayliss | | |
|
| | The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs Read by Isla Clough | | |
|
| | A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler Read by Ian Dolby | | |
|
|
#4 of occasional articles considering material from our archives. Janet Bayliss looks back at what SBL was doing in 2016 |
|
|
The Year 2016 by Janet Bayliss As Pamela Holmes’ book The Huntingfield Paintress was originally published in 2016 I thought it would be good to have a look at that year in the archives of Suffolk Book League. How different 2016 was to now... | | |
|
|
New poems for our members |
|
|
We are excited to share Amanda Hodgkinson's beautiful poem 'Waking'. Look out for a second poem from Amanda next issue. We are also delighted to include an inspiring poem by James Phillips called 'The Art of Words.' |
|
|
The New Angle Prize Returns for 2023 |
|
|
After a two year hiatus the New Angle Prize returns in 2023. Inaugurated in 2009, the Prize is a biennial award for a recently published book of literary merit, associated with or influenced by East Anglia. |
|
|
This spring marks the release of Wild Reads 2022, a new book collection and a six-month programme of themed events and activities created by Suffolk Libraries and Suffolk Wildlife Trust working in partnership. |
|
|
This is a book for enthusiasts: enthusiasts either for James’s ghost stories or for the Suffolk landscape, and, preferably, for both. | | |
|
|
Huntingfield Church and Mildred Holland |
|
|
In the second half of the 19th Century, the parish churches of England underwent a great wave of restoration. It was a cultural revolution, a new wave of ideas and the reaction to them... It was not unusual for the more sleeves-rolled-up ministers themselves to direct the restorations they required from their architects, and so it is perhaps also not surprising that their families sometimes got involved...
| | |
|
|
Local Festivals and Eventsnow and then... If you have a literary talk, festival or project that you would like to include please contact us at enquiries@suffolkbookleague.org |
|
|
During this late spring and summer there are a number of major literary festivals happening in towns across Suffolk including Aldeburgh, Felixstowe, Southwold and Stowmarket, as well as a myriad of one-off events in other venues. Please check out our calendar of events for more details https://www.suffolkbookleague.org/literature-festivals One venue which has a number of such events is The Hold, Suffolk Archives’ new heritage centre near the University of Suffolk’s Waterfront building in Ipswich. Linked to the present exhibition Women Don’t Do Such Things!, which runs until 19 June, there are two talks... |
|
|
Women Don't Do Such Things! is an exhibition and series of workshops, lectures and films celebrating the achievements of women past and present who have led change in their communities, careers and countries throughout history. |
|
|
WAMfest Felixstowe - A Forum for Women in Literature |
|
|
WAMfest Felixstowe (Women Arts and Music) was conceived over lockdown in 2020/21 to showcase women's enormous creative talent in the local area. |
|
|
We are holding our annual AGM until 24 April, online. It’s not too late if you would like to vote for SBL committee members. Thank you to all of you who've sent in responses and suggestions already. Also a huge thank you to those members who stepped forward after our request for help with the running of the Suffolk Book League and with producing our online journal, BookTalk. We are extremely pleased that Lynette Denny stepped in to take over as Treasurer. We would greatly welcome more contributions if you have time and enthusiasm to bring to us, or a particular skill you could share with us. If you are interested in being involved please get in touch: enquiries@suffolkbookleague.org |
|
|
|
|
