Authors Electric

Christchurch College, Oxford My favourite author in the whole world is Anne Tyler, so when I heard she was giving her first interview for 37 years at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, I was first in line to buy my ticket. At the last minute, I suddenly worried she wouldn't live up to my expectations, that for some reason I'd be disappointed, and my devotion to her books would be tarnished as a result. Anyway, surely an author's work should speak for itself; what she's like as a person is immaterial. Why did I want to see her , when what mattered to me was her writing? I was curious, I suppose, and wanted my own personal image of Anne Tyler, some mysterious essence not divulged in her books. Maybe I also wanted to make an impression on her myself, try to communicate some of the pleasure her books have given me over the years. Walking into the Sheldonian shortly before the talk was due to begin, I passed a slim, grey-haired wo...

This post is the result of a confluence of Karen's wonderful post about where we read and a photographic series I'm doing over on tumblr . And a lifelong crush on Lucinda Lambton. It's where many of us do much of our reading. And it's the only room in the house to have spawned a whole genre designed to be read in it (Schott's Miscellany, 21st Century Dodos etc). Yet we rarely celebrate the place itself. So here's to the literary loo. The three specimens on this page are from three of the shows I've performed at lately. And in each case it's a fabulous indicator of the show itself. 93 Feet East in Brick Lane is home to FULLFAT , a fabulous spoken word night run by Orange Prize judge, former Oxford University Poetry Society President, and stunning poet Clarissa Pabi. It's edgy, loud, full of fire and passion and one of those atmospheres that feels like it could explode at any moment into something spontaneous and remarkable. The night I was on the bill...