Fay Weldon CBE and Ashley Pharoah are among the internationally renowned novelists, poets, scriptwriters and historians taking part in a symposium about historical and fantasy fiction organised by the Bath Spa University Contemporary Writing Research Centre. ‘Other Voices, Other Times’ is being held on Friday 29th June at Corsham Court and will feature readings, seminars and workshops.
Fay Weldon CBE, novelist and writer of the original Upstairs Downstairs script, and Ashley Pharoah, whose time-shift detective Gene Hunt featured in the TV series Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, will be taking part in the symposium along with other eminent writers including:
- Gerard Woodward – award-nominated poet and novelist and Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.
- Ian Mortimer – historian and novelist, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a keen advocate of the public importance of history.
- Marie-Louise Jensen – author of historical fiction for young people and a graduate of Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing for Young People.
- Ros Barber – award-winning poet and author of the biographical novel in verse, ‘The Marlowe Papers’.
- Liesel Schwartz – author whose steampunk novel ‘A Conspiracy of Alchemists’, has just been bought by Random House in an international publication deal linking the UK, US and Germany.
The symposium is being chaired by Celia Brayfield and Mimi Thebo, both novelists and Senior Lecturers in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Celia Brayfield says: “We want to bring together writers from the two dominant genres in fiction today. Historical and fantasy writing share so many of the same challenges – world-building, creating dialogue that sounds authentic and reads well, giving voices to the people who’re excluded or marginalised by traditional approaches. We want to explore these and also to build an academic foundation for further study.”
The symposium will produce an edited on-line anthology of papers, including readings by speakers, and an online forum for continuing debate leading to an interdisciplinary research network in the UK. Findings will also be presented at the Association of Writing Programmes Annual Conference in Boston, USA in 2013, at which potential partner institutions will be invited to join a discussion group towards an international conference.
As well as academics and students, the symposium is open to members of the public with an interest in these areas. Booking is now taking place, so for this and more information please visit www.othervoicesothertimes.com
