Gillian Garnham reading from "A Private Event"

An evening of readings, chat and song kicked off with Gillian Garnham, talking about her novella, "A Private Event". She began by recounting her time in Paris in the sixties, and the student protests at that time; reports of which had been censored. In 1998, some of this previously censored material was republished in L'Express and sparked ideas for Gillian's book.

After a few readings, Gillian took questions from the audience, followed by a short break with wine, wild boar pâté and retro-sweeties.

In the second part of the evening, Celia Bryce told the audience of how she came to write short stories, from the encouragement of a school teacher urging her to continue with poetry, through to a writing group later in life where it was suggested she had a strong voice for prose.

One of the stories in "Headlines and Other Growing Pains", "Theresa's World", was commissioned by BBC Radio Wales. A recording of the broadcast was played, followed by questions, and the evening was finished with Celia being joined by husband Colin, to accompany her with guitar while she sang.

Celia Bryce, accompanied by Colin Bradshaw

For more details on either title, or to buy, see:

A Private Event

and

Headlines and Other Growing Pains