November’s main speaker is Irish novelist Helen Cullen.
An author’s second novel is reputed to be the most difficult. In this talk, Helen Cullen, will share the insights she gleaned from writing her own sophomore novel, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, concerning not only the craft of writing itself, but sustaining a creative practice. Discussing the inspiration behind the book, and also the experience of writing it in the midst of publishing her debut, Helen will share her reflections about all she learned from the process
Helen Cullen is an Irish novelist and academic who lives now in Winchester. Helen has published two novels to
date, The Lost Letters of William Woolf and The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, with Penguin Random House in
Ireland and the UK, Harper Collins in North America and in translation to numerous foreign markets. Her debut
novel also garnered Helen a Best Newcomer nomination at the Irish Book Awards. Helen’s third novel, Iseult,
will be published in February 2027: this is the first novel in what will be the House of Gonne duology. Before
publishing, Helen worked previously at RTE and subsequently in marketing in London for Google UK. Helen
holds a B.A. Communications, M.A. Theatre Studies, M.A. English Literature and a PhD in Creative and
Critical Writing from the University of East Anglia. She is also a Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel
University, a literary critic for the Irish Times newspaper and a writer for the Sunday Times Magazine.
date, The Lost Letters of William Woolf and The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually, with Penguin Random House in
Ireland and the UK, Harper Collins in North America and in translation to numerous foreign markets. Her debut
novel also garnered Helen a Best Newcomer nomination at the Irish Book Awards. Helen’s third novel, Iseult,
will be published in February 2027: this is the first novel in what will be the House of Gonne duology. Before
publishing, Helen worked previously at RTE and subsequently in marketing in London for Google UK. Helen
holds a B.A. Communications, M.A. Theatre Studies, M.A. English Literature and a PhD in Creative and
Critical Writing from the University of East Anglia. She is also a Reader in Creative Writing at Brunel
University, a literary critic for the Irish Times newspaper and a writer for the Sunday Times Magazine.
Inspiring Young Minds – A Journey into Writing Non-Fiction for Children
Our guest speaker for November is Anne Wan, who will share her journey from writing fiction for young children, to embarking on an epic non-fiction adventure! Drawing on her experience writing an animal focused series for 5-7-year-olds, Anne will highlight key factors in the process including forming an initial idea through to submitting a non-fiction proposal to agents.
Anne’s passion for writing for children began in 2012 inspired by the antics of her three young sons. She enjoys writing adventurous, humorous and heartfelt picture books in both rhyme and non-rhyme. She also writes for older children. With a background in primary school teaching, she enjoys leading workshops in schools and libraries to encourage children as readers and to inspire them as writers.
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