Local Writers Meetup Literature and Books

Profiling three very different writers from North Yorkshire

With local stories from Kilnsey Show, a chance to discover an unknown side to Charlotte Bronte and imagine life on an alternate universe, Writers Meetup is a chance to discover three very different local writers.

Victoria Benn with her new book Studs & Crooks - uncovering the hidden stories of Kilnsey Show. Since the 1800s, when summer is giving way to autumn, Kilnsey Show and Sports gloriously blossom to life, bringing thousands of visitors to the Yorkshire Dales every year. Disappearing as quickly as it comes, the show leaves behind unanswered questions. How has such a small village come to host an event of such proportions? And what was the spark that launched the first show? Experience the thrills of this unique country show, from the stud marks of the runners taking the gravity-defying Crag Race, to the daredevil harness racers. Significantly, the only crooks you’ll find belong to the shepherds and farmers who have brought their animals to the show for well over a hundred years. Studs & Crooks is a celebration of the stories of the men and women whose dedication and passion have enabled Kilnsey Show to grow and flourish into the high profile event it is today.

Philip Dent with his latest novel Mutable Passions - a story that brings Charlotte Bronte to life in a way you won't have seen before... It is a sensitive portrayal of courtship and marriage, focussing upon the strong emotions that arose after Arthur Nicholls proposed to Charlotte. Friends helped fill the void left in the wake of her siblings' deaths, and it was to Ellen Nussey that Charlotte turned when illness and depression crushed her spirits. Often portrayed as a dowdy spinster downtrodden by Victorian tradition, Mutable Passions contradicts this, exploring the feelings and passions that Charlotte experienced herself.

Jean Harrison with her new book On a Wandering Planet - a story of saving the planet in an alien universe. This 'soft' science fiction novel focuses on human relationships in a strange world, where a lonely woman is trying to find herself. She is both impeded and helped by a feral child who takes over her life. The book puts forward ideas about ways in which human beings might set about saving the planet.

There will be a Q&A with the authors and a chance for you to purchase books and have them signed.

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