Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Award-winning writer to discuss Yorkshire, the North and beyond
As part of the (Re)Writing Yorkshire series (a collaborative venture by the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities at Leeds Beckett and partners and venues across Leeds and the north), Carys Davies, winner of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered prize, will be in conversation with Professor Ruth Robbins, Head of the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities at Leeds Beckett University. Carys will also be reading from her most recent book, The Redemption of Galen Pike, a collection of short stories that remind us how little we know of the lives of others.
The free public event will take place at 6.30pm on Tuesday 1 March at The Leeds Library (18 Commercial Street, Leeds, LS1 6AL).
Welsh-born Carys worked as a freelance journalist for 15 years, writing for The Guardian, The Times and The Daily Telegraph before turning to writing fiction. Speaking ahead of the event, Carys said: “A journalist asked me, why are your short stories so often set in such remote and lonely places? Well, because the stakes tend to be so high in those kinds of places; because the clutter and stuff of 'living' fall away and we are left with something harsher, more primal and elemental; with matters of life and death.”
The series, which sees academic researchers, established writers and creative practitioners examine new representations of Yorkshire in literature, television, film, music and art, is run in collaboration with Leeds Big Bookend, Dead Ink Books and ‘The Read Regional’ scheme at New Writing North as a way of connecting arts organisations across the city and the northern region. Past events have featured award-winning authors A J Kirby and Richard Smyth, and Man Booker Prize shortlisted author, Sunjeev Sahota.
Dr Rachel Connor, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Leeds Beckett and organiser of the programme, added: “We’re really pleased to be able to continue the (Re)Writing Yorkshire series again this year; 2015 proved to be a huge success. We wanted to host live events that connected Leeds Beckett with the wider reading and writing community, born from our fascination with representations of 21st century Yorkshire across the creative and critical domain.”
The next event, ‘When Lights are Bright - rewriting Ballard in Leeds’ by Wes Brown, will take place at 6.30pm on Tuesday 26 April at Dock 29, The Boulevard, Leeds LS10 1PZ.