Develop your travel writing with a panel of top writers and editors. Learn how to write travel articles and pitch to editors, set up and monetise a travel blog, or just write about your travels for your own pleasure. With Jonathan Lorie (author of The Travel Writer’s Way and director of Travellers’ Tales), Lyn Hughes (editor-in-chief and founder of Wanderlust) and Sarah Lee (award-winning blogger for LiveShareTravel). Suitable for all levels from beginner to semi-professional.
Jung Chang reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape twentieth-century China. As the country battled through a hundred years of wars, revolutions and seismic transformations, the three Soong sisters from Shanghai were at the centre of power, and each of them left an indelible mark on history. Their story takes us on a sweeping journey from Canton to Hawaii to New York, from exiles’ quarters in Japan and Berlin to secret meeting rooms in Moscow, and from the compounds of the Communist elite in Beijing to the corridors of power in democratic Taiwan. Followed by a Q&A with Julia Wheeler.
Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister by Jung Chang
David Barrie talks to Paul Blezard about the navigational tools that animals (including humans) use, whether it is celestial, solar, magnetic fields, landmarks or even scent, and the difference between map and non- map-based navigation. He also presents the evidence of map-like representations of the world in animals’ brains. While humans increasingly rely on technology for navigation, how will that that impact on the relationship we have with the world around us?
Incredible Journeys by David Barrie
How often have you read a travel book and thought about how you would love to recreate that journey? Well these three authors did just that and even turned those journeys into books of their own. Join us as Paul Blezard talks to Jacki Hill-Murphy who has followed the footsteps of a number of early female explorers and adventurers, Alastair Humphreys who busked his way around Spain with a violin he could barely play inspired by Laurie Lee’s As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and Ben Aitken who retraced Bill Bryson’s journey from Notes from a Small Island.
The authors also read extracts from their books.
The Extraordinary Tale of Kate Marsden and my Journey Across Siberia in her Footsteps by Jacki Hill-Murphy
Adventuresses Rediscovering Daring Voyages into the Unknown by Jacki Hill-Murphy
My Midsummer Morning by Alastair Humphreys
Dear Bill Bryson by Ben Aitken
Cheesemonger Ned Palmer takes us on a delicious journey across Britain and Ireland and through time to uncover the histories of beloved old favourites like Cheddar and Wensleydale and fresh innovations like the Irish Cashel Blue or the rambunctious Renegade Monk. Along the way we learn the craft and culture of cheesemaking and we get to know the major cheese styles – the blues, washed rinds, semi-softs and, unique to the British Isles, the territorials. Chaired by Julia Wheeler.
A Cheesemonger’s History of The British Isles by Ned Palmer is available now.
Adrian Hayes talks to Paul Blezard about his attempts to climb K2 – the notorious second highest mountain in the world – in 2013 and again in 2014. During these expeditions his thoughts often turned to his guilt and struggles as a father amid tumultuous personal circumstances; the profound events on K2 and the powerful lessons for our lives in the world below. His is a deeply moving story of the beauty and brutality of life, and death, on the world’s most unpredictable and perilous mountain.
One Man’s Climb: A Journey of Trauma, Tragedy and Triumph on K2 by Adrian Hayes.
Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year at the 2019 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, William Atkins talks to Julia Wheeler about his experiences in eight deserts: the Empty Quarter of Oman, the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan deserts of northwest China, the Great Victoria Desert of Australia, the man-made desert of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, the Black Rock and Sonoran Deserts of the American Southwest, and Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Hear all about the timeless allure of these remote and forbidding places.
The Immeasurable World: Journeys in Desert Places by William Atkins.
Christopher Somerville talks to Paul Blezard, as he takes us behind the scenes of Britain’s Cathedrals, delving deep into the private life and the uncertain future of these ever-voyaging Ships of Heaven. Nowadays these great stone ships seem solid and unshakeable, but they are leaky old vessels in uncharted waters, tossed on waves of power and glory, scandal and mayhem for a thousand years. Theirs is a thrilling saga of crisis and boldness, of ruin and revival.
Ships Of Heaven: The Private Life of Britain’s Cathedrals by Christopher Somerville.
Diana Darke talks to Julia Wheeler about her new book, The Last Sanctuary in Aleppo. It’s an incredible true story, seeing war-torn Aleppo from the view of an ambulance driver who cares for the people and animals caught in the crossfire and goes on, amidst the chaos and ruin, to create a cat sanctuary.
The Last Sanctuary in Aleppo by Diana Darke.
In his recent ITV series, Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, Ainsley Harriott went back to his roots to uncover the best-kept secrets and simple dishes of Caribbean home cooking. Join us as he talks to Julia Wheeler about the diverse culture and the rich food heritage of these much-loved islands. His tales of traditional recipes and local ingredients will inspire dishes that will transport you to the real Caribbean from your own kitchen.
Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen by Ainsley Harriott.
