Edward Carey presents… Edith Holler

8 October 2024

Join us for a night of fable, drama, adventure and eccentricity as critically acclaimed author and illustrator Edward Carey takes us back to Norwich in 1901 with his beguiling new novel, ‘Edith Holler’.

Illuminated by Carey’s trademark illustrations, ‘Edith Holler’ is the entrancing fable of a young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control and to craft her own creative destiny; a beguiling love letter to the theatre, our fine city and a celebration of the power of imagination. Joining Edward on stage will be Bridget Walsh, author of ‘The Tumbling Girl’.

This event will include an audience Q&A and will be followed by a book signing.

Workshop: Putting the Narrative in Non-Fiction with Luke Turner

5 October 2024

The best works of non-fiction find ways to connect the author – and the reader – to the biggest stories, events, discoveries and questions.

In this workshop led by Luke Turner (author of Men at War and the Wainwright prize shortlisted Out of the Woods), we’ll discover how to ground your reader by using the self as the bedrock for your narrative, helping your non-fiction come fully alive. Together, we’ll look at the ways elements of craft and form can pull the reader into a story, and explore the ways you can tease the narrative out of your research, finding the points of connection inside the facts to create a compelling and engaging work of non-fiction.

The Edge of Solitude: Climate in Fiction

26 September 2024

Welcome award-winning writers Katie Hale and Ned Beauman to Dragon Hall for a discussion on how their climate fiction explores topics of mass extinction, climate crisis, ecological disaster and human fallibility. Joining Katie and Ned on stage is author and academic Dr Jasmin Kirkbrade.

‘The Edge of Solitude’ is the second novel from award-winning novelist Katie Hale. Exhilarating, terrifying and thought-provoking at once, it is a story of climate emergency and human fallibility, of the clash of ambition and principle, and of the choices we make when we know that time is running out.

Ned Beauman is the author of five novels. His fifth book, ‘Venomous Lumpsucker’, is a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller for the age of Extinction Rebellion. Martin Macinnes, author of Infinite Ground, said it is ‘as illuminating as it is entertaining’.

Ali Smith: Here and Now

19 September 2024

Join local entrepreneurs and writers for an engaging and insightful talk from Ali Smith, award-winning portrait and documentary photographer and author.

Ali has recently relocated from her hometown of New York City to Norwich. She shares her insights on working from Norwich, drawing inspiration from its people and spaces, and the importance of forging new connections.

There will be plenty of time for a Q&A and an opportunity to talk to Ali at the drinks reception afterwards. There will be a book signing of Ali’s memoir ‘The Ballad of Speedball Baby’.

Workshop: Journeys in Non-Fiction with Jini Reddy

7 September 2024

How might you weave a journey into your non-fiction writing?

In this session, Jini will lead you through the many forms of travel writing, including post-colonial travel literature, crossover with memoir and other narrative non-fiction forms.

Together, we’ll explore examples of travel writing, consider the practicalities of writing in the genre, and experiment with writing exercises that will begin to equip you with the skills to write about your journeys.

Dragon Hall Social

4 September 2024

Are you a writer, reader, translator or creative looking to meet new people in the city? Want to have a nose around the historic Dragon Hall? Keen to find a partner for a new project? Join us for an informal evening of conversation, ideas exchange and support!

Open to anyone who makes, reads and works with words, this monthly drop-in event is an opportunity to grab a drink from the bar, meet people, cook up plans and compare notes, to talk books, and to hear what’s happening in Norwich.

Workshop: Understanding and Writing the Thriller with Ian Nettleton

31 August 2024

From the working-class man who finds money in a desert and is pursued by a psychopathic killer to a woman who drinks too much and thinks she witnesses the prelude to a murder, we have always enjoyed reading stories about ordinary people getting caught up in violent worlds that they don’t understand.

In this workshop, we will explore the landscape and moral atmosphere of the thriller, discuss common tropes of the genre, and look at how to plot your story.

Murder: Staged – Live

5 September 2024

Following the success of Crime Viral’s sell-out UK serial killer tour, ‘MURDER: STAGED – LIVE’ is coming to Epic Studios Norwich!

African Choir of Norfolk

16 November 2024

This Autumn, as The African Choir of Norfolk marks four years since it was established as a festival Signature Project, we will be celebrating with more new songs with stories of Africa in the beautiful theatrical setting of Norwich Playhouse.

Juliette Burton: Hopepunk

18 January 2025

In a world where everything seems negative, hope can be a rebellion. But is the punk-rocking power of positivity passé? Or is despair a luxury we can’t afford?

Award-winning comedian and activist Juliette Burton finds the funny both in the darkness of desolation and being blinded by the light. Where does hope end and naivety begin? In 2024, what can resolute optimism do for us now? Edinburgh Fringe sell-out shows (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2023). As seen on BBC1 and ITV.