Four British authors will discuss their novels June 25 in the intimate setting of an 18th-century literary salon at Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton Street, and the Center of Theological Inquiry’s Luce Hall, 50 Stockton Street, with their friend across the Atlantic, Gladstone’s Library in North Wales.

The authors are Stella Duffy, James Robertson, Sarah Perry, and Andrew Nichol. The moderator is the well-known BBC broadcaster Sally Magnusson. 

The program will take place on Saturday, June 25, between the two locations. Session sign-ups are done a-la-carte ($25 per session) with two options for every time slot. Following the break-out sessions, all are invited to the Luce Hall Salon for a Panel Discussion entitled, “Leaving Europe? Politics and Culture in Britain Today.” Admission is free, and doors will open at 3:45 p.m.

On Friday evening, June 24, there will be a Meet the Authors garden cocktail party in the colonial revival garden at Morven. Then on Saturday all day there are four sessions of conversations with the authors at Morven and CTI.

At Morven, at 9:30 a.m., Stella Duffy will talk about her work in theatre and writing for over 30 years, and how this work has fed her current role running the Fun Palaces campaign. At 11 a.m. James Robertson will talk about how he came to appreciate Scottish culture: by leaving Scotland at age 20 to spend a year at an Ivy League University. At 1 p.m. Sarah Perry will talk about her fascination with the nature of friendship in Victorian Britain, especially the friendships formed by William Gladstone, Prime Minister, and Alfred Tennyson. At 2:30 Andrew Nicoll will talk about what Scotland can tell us about the Trump effect. He will examine the polarization in Scottish public life to show what happens when those who believe themselves excluded find a banner to rally around.

Across the street at the Luce Hall salon, BBC broadcaster Sally Magnusson will interview the authors about their chosen novel and writer’s craft, and open up a conversation with the audience. At 9:30 a.m. Andrew Nicoll will talk about his book, The Secret Life and Curious Death of Miss Jean Milne. At 11 a.m., Sarah Perry will discuss her novel The Essex Serpent. At 1 p.m., James Robertson will talk about And The Land Lay Still, and at 2:30, Stella Duffy will present a discussion of her novel about Theodora of Constaninople.

At 4 p.m. there will be a panel discussion: “Leaving Europe? Politics & Culture in Britain Today” at CTI’s Luce Hall.

From 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Labyrinth Books will host a book stall in the Luce Hall salon with books by each author available for purchase.

For further information, visit morven.org.

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