BORDER MEMORIES

Monday 20 March

19:00-20:00
Taliesin Create

Singleton Campus

Edward Matthews is a writer based in San Diego, California. He earned his PhD in Creative Writing from Swansea University in 2020. Border Memories is his first novel.

A staggeringly original and imaginative exploration of memory, identity and loss, set on the US/Mexican border in the near future"

Sol Andrews works for a San Diego start-up that traffics in the underground memory trade—harvesting memories from donors in Mexico and implanting them in Americans. He inherited the job from his brother, whose recent suicide left a hole in his life.

Sol’s newest client is Mr Bray—old, rich, well-connected, blind. Mr Bray has heard rumors of a mysterious graveyard in Tijuana where miracles are said to occur, a place that could restore his sight. He has tracked down a young librarian who knows the graveyard—Nora Rincón—but its location is buried in a childhood memory.

To register for FREE tickets:

CLICK HERE

Edward Matthews will be signing copies of his terrific literary thriller, set on the US/Mexican border in the near future, at Cover to Cover, Mumbles, Swansea, on Saturday 18th March at 2pm. All welcome!

STRANGE ANIMALS

Thursday 9 March

19:00-20:00

‘Reading Strange Animals feels a bit like rummaging around in someone's well-travelled backpack full of old photographs, seashells, tarot, and countless precious found objects collected for "the passing of knowledge”. A brilliant new voice.’ – Roberto Pastore, Hey Bert (Parthian Books, 2019)

A Canadian grandchild of Dutch and Hungarian immigrants, in Strange Animals, Emily Vanderploeg explores issues of language, ritual, death and identity.

Published by Parthian in 2022 Strange Animals charts the author’s journey from childhood home to settling across an ocean, moving through the vagaries of modern love as she travels to new cities and a newfound maturity.

Originally from Aurora, Ontario, and a graduate of Swansea University, Emily now lives in Swansea, where she teaches creative writing to children and adults.

Thursday 16 February

19:00-20:00

Mumbles Tabernacle

Award winning novelist, screenwriter and musician Fflur Dafydd in conversation with Alan Bilton, author and Senior Lecturer of English Literature and Creative Writing at Swansea University.

Hauntingly written, with a fresh, captivating voice, The Library Suicides is an intensely memorable and provocative literary listen for fans of high concept thrillers that break the mould, and books about books and the concept of the written word.

To find out more and book your free tickets click here:
bit.ly/librarysuicides

Carolyn Lewis talks about her short story collection, ‘Some Sort of Twilight’ with Bristol 24/7, including an exclusive extract.

https://www.bristol247.com/culture/books/carolyn-lewis-on-her-debut-collection-of-prize-winning-short-stories/

Alan Bilton will be in conversation with the wonderful Kamila Shamsie at the Winter Hay Festival on Saturday 26th November at 2,30, discussing her new novel, ‘Best of Friends’. https://www.hayfestival.com/winter-weekend/home

War, Russia, Madness: the themes of Alan Bilton’s dreamlike take on the historical novel can be seen as an uncanny mirror of our own troubled times. Madness has been described as “the Russian disease”, and Bilton explores the theme through Russian literature and history, exploring ideas of “the Holy Fool” and the roots of the Slavic Soul.

Cultural Institute – Literary Salon Series

Wednesday 19th October 2022 | 7pm – 8pm | Taliesin Centre

‘Connective Tissue’
Jane Fraser in conversation with Alan Bilton

This collection of short fiction aims to define the sometimes indefinable and to give voice to those struggling to make sense of what life throws at them. The stories are tragic and comi-tragic, but all reveal the strength and complexity of the human spirit.

Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser is an award-winning fiction writer, based in the Gower peninsula, south Wales. Her debut novel Advent, published by Honno (2021), won the 2022 Society of Authors’ Paul Torday Memorial Prize. Her first collection of short fiction, The South Westerlies, was published by Salt (2019) and her second collection from Salt, Connective Tissue, is forthcoming in October 2022.

REGISTER HERE:
https://bit.ly/connectivetissue2022

Alan Bilton will be talking with Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer and Georgina Godwin about the idea of The Great European Novel at the Cheltenham Literary Festival on Wednesday 12th October 12-1 @CheltLitFest #cheltlitfest @ABiltonAuthor

Why live one life, when you could live a thousand? Sol works for a San Diego start-up that traffics in the underground memory trade—harvesting cherished memories from donors in Mexico and implanting them in Americans. Sol’s newest client is Mr. Bray—old, rich, well-connected, blind. Mr. Bray has heard rumors of a mysterious graveyard in Tijuana where miracles are said to occur. He has tracked down a young librarian who knows the graveyard—Nora Rincón—but its location is buried in a childhood memory. Sol’s task is simple—find Nora, build rapport, extract her memory. His reward: $100,000. But when Sol befriends Nora, he begins to understand who Mr. Bray is, what he wants, and what he is capable of—and realizes it might be too late to go back on their agreement…

American novelist, poet and essayist Patricia Lockwood, the winner of the £20,000 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2022 with her debut novel, No One Is Talking About This. A woman known for her viral social media posts travels the world speaking to her adoring fans, her entire existence revolving around the internet – or what she terms ‘the portal'. Who are we serving, the portal asks itself. Are we all just going to keep doing this until we die? Suddenly, two texts from her mother appear: "Something has gone wrong" and "How soon can you get here?" As real life and the portal collide, she confronts a world that seems to contain both an abundance of goodness, empathy and justice, and evidence that proves the opposite. This is a love letter to the infinite scroll and a meditation on love, language and human connection.

Awarded for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under, the Prize celebrates the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama. The prize is named after the Swansea-born writer, Dylan Thomas, and celebrates his 39 years of creativity and productivity – one of the most influential, internationally renowned writers of the mid-20th century. Join us to celebrate the 2022 winner – announced on 12 May. Alan Bilton is an author and member of the 2022 judging panel.

Patricia Lockwood will be appearing via video-link from her home in the USA.