TWO acclaimed authors will appear at an East Sussex library as part of a project aimed at exploring what the south means to people who live in or are inspired by the region.
Damian Barr and Priya Parmar will talk about their work and how the south and its landscape have inspired them in the event at Eastbourne Library on Thursday, November 19 2015.
The evening, entitled Your Story: From Memory To Memoir, forms part of Reading The South, a literary project funded by Arts Council England’s Libraries’ Fund and managed for East and West Sussex county councils’ library services by Creatives Across Sussex.
The scheme encourages people to borrow featured authors’ books and share their views through reading groups, creative writing workshops or online.
Brighton-based Barr is the author of Maggie & Me, a memoir of growing up gay in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, taking as its starting point the Grand Hotel bombing of October 1984.
Parmar is known for her book Vanessa and Her Sister, which imagines Vanessa Bell’s account of life with her volatile sister, renowned author, member of the Bloomsbury Set and one-time Sussex resident Virginia Woolf.
Cllr Chris Dowling, East Sussex County Council lead member for community services, said: “This event offers an opportunity to hear from two of the UK’s most highly-rated contemporary authors.
“Although both of them have won international acclaim and travelled far from Sussex, the backdrop of the South Downs and the coastal area as inspiration is very much evident in their writing.
“This event should provide a fascinating insight into life as a writer and how memories and the history of the south can be a starting point for a bestselling memoir or novel.”
The event runs from 7.30 to 9.30pm, with doors opening at 7pm. People can book by visiting the library, in Grove Road, calling 0345 6080196 and asking for Eastbourne Library or emailing library.eastbourne@eastsussex.gov.uk
More information is available online at www.facebook.com/eastsussexlibraries or escc.me/readingthesouth