Between the Lines

DOORS & BAR OPEN: 6pm

EVENT START TIME: 7pm (prompt)

EVENT END TIME: 8:30pm (approx.)

THE BAR WILL BE OPEN AFTER THE EVENT

BETWEEN THE LINES

Candid conversations about how writing really happens.

Between the Lines is a live conversation series exploring how writing really happens. Hosted at The Straw Yard and recorded as a live audience podcast, each event invites an author into an unedited discussion about the realities of a writing life: the long arc of making work, momentum and doubt, rejection and resilience, instinct and discipline, and the moments that make writing feel alive and worthwhile.

This event features Berwick-based Jessie Greengrass, one of Britain's most distinctive contemporary novelists. Her debut short story collection, An Account of the Decline of the Great Auk, won both the Somerset Maugham Award and the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her novels Sight and The High House have been shortlisted for some of the UK's most prestigious literary awards, including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Costa Novel Award and the Orwell Prize.

In conversation with Jessie, we’ll reflect on the realities of building a career in literary fiction, where recognition often arrives through prizes, reviews and critical acclaim rather than bestseller lists. What does it feel like to be shortlisted, or not? How does national and international recognition help or hinder the writing process? And how, after the buzz of a competition, do you return to the blank page? Recorded live as a podcast at The Straw Yard, the event invites questions from the audience that matters most: writers and readers.

Arranged by the Berwick Writers' Forum, part of the Berwick Literary Festival.

Live podcast recording with audience Q&A

Book signing supported by The Book Loft

Free event – booking essential

Between the Lines is free to attend, but you may opt to pledge a donation. Audience members can choose to donate £5, £10 or £15 in support of the Berwick Literary Festival, helping us sustain and grow literary events in the town.

http://www.berwickliteraryfestival.com

@berwicklitfest

With thanks to our funders for supporting the first year of this new series: Create Berwick, Northumberland County Council and the North East Combined Authority.

Content guidance:

This live, unscripted conversation may include discussion of themes from the author’s work, including mature content and sensitive topics. Audience participation forms part of the event. Recommended for ages 16+.