Past events
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June 2021
Memoirs: An introducion to the new XBC writing competition
Presented by Christopher North
Memoir could be thought of as the lighter version of Autobiography - a fragment in your life. Christopher talked about the various forms of memoir writing and storytelling, making recommendations of all the many forms, and explained what the judges will be looking for.
May 2021
Crime fiction and an introduction to the Peter May Trilogy
Presented by Terry Gifford
To what extent does May suggest that these storm-swept conditions have shaped the characters and culture of the islanders themselves? In October 2020, Terry Gifford undertook an investigation into this question on Lewis and Harris. This is his illustrated report.
April 2021
The pen and the pandemic:
How to survive lockdown in half a dozen books. Presented by Alma Dorndorf.
There’s nothing like a heart-warming, escapist novel to keep your mind off the coronavirus crisis. Fiction cannot cure illness or predict the future, but it certainly helped us survive a lockdown. My friends and I chose six books which delighted, intrigued, amused and transported us and which we enjoyed sharing with you.
March 2021
The World of ...
Presented by Peter Davies.
There are some writers whose name can fit into the phrase "The World of ..." and everyone will know what that means.
Peter talked about a couple of authors who write about real or imagined worlds in ways that make readers know them and desire to return to them again and again, focusing on Iris Murdoch and Graham Greene.