Hearth

About Us

On Saturday, 3rd November, inside the cosy common room of Gladstone’s Library, you’ll find Hearth literary festival. This special micro-festival offers keen writers the opportunity to pick up hints and tips on the writing craft, and ask questions of published authors about their experiences. It is also a wonderful opportunity for those interested in the world of writing to find out more about what is involved in becoming a published author.

Previously split over two days, this year Hearth gets a makeover to ensure no one misses out on talks. Jam packed into one full day, four of the most exciting contemporary writers travel to Hawarden to gather around the fireside and share talks, readings and good food.

The format of the day is as follows:

10 - 11am: Poet Angela Topping gives a reflective hour on the relationship between poetry and mental health. Angela was Writer in Residence at Gladstone’s Library for one month in 2013. Angela’s poems appear in a range of journals including Poetry Review. Her eighth collection, 'The Five Petals of Elderflower', was published in 2016. Angela recently contributed three poems to the anthology Please Hear What I’m Not Saying, edited by Isabelle Kenyon (2018).

11.30am - 12.30pm: All the way from the Australian countryside, editor and writer, Robyn Cadwallader takes the stage. Robyn is the author of the poetry collection 'i painted unafraid' (2009) and a non-fiction book based on her PhD thesis about virginity and female agency in the Middle Ages. Robyn’s first novel was 2015’s The Anchoress, received with critical and popular acclaim. At Hearth Robyn gives an exclusive reading– the first in the UK, from her most recent novel, Book of Colours. 

After lunch novelist Liz Flanagan speaks (1.30pm - 2.30pm). Reading from both her first young adult novel, Eden Summer, and the forthcoming Dragon Daughter (October 2018), Liz will discuss the topics of friendship and identity, and the importance of landscape, whether real or imagined. Her novels reflect her love of landscape and lifelong engagement with children’s literature. An event for all ages!

3.30pm - 4.30pm: Tara Guha shares her experiences of writing her first book, as well as news of her new project. Her first novel, 2015’s bestselling Untouchable Things, was written as her daughter napped. The novel won the Luke Bitmead bursary, a prize established to help writers and challenge stigma around mental health. Untouchable Things also became an Amazon Kindle bestseller and was praised for its beautiful writing and accomplished, suspenseful narrative. Tara’s current project is also a suspense novel, exploring a cross-cultural friendship against a backdrop of 9/11, tensions between immigrant communities – and an ongoing inquest.

Before dinner there will be an hour-long panel comprising reading and reflection with all four Hearth writers, plus opportunities for discussion and questions. All tickets include free entry to the panel discussion.