Female authors share their intimate and inspiring personal tales.
They say everyone has a book in them, but it can take a life-changing experience to find it. This year’s Belfast Book Festival showcases the real-life stories, and those inspired by real events, which will capture the hearts of local readers.
Christine Hamill’s best-seller B is for Breast Cancer was written entirely while undergoing cancer treatment. Now a survivor, her diarised emotions, feelings and how to overcome the hurdles she encountered have become sacred words of advice and comfort for women battling the C-word.
Christine will be at the Crescent Arts Centre, the flagship location for the Festival, for an intimate and open discussion about her experiences, the support she received from local charity Cancer Focus NI and her love of literature, on Thursday 12th June, from 6.30pm.
Tyrone mum-of-three, Emma Heatherington, comes up with her chick-lit plots while mopping the floor, but the death of her own mother when Emma was just 15, eventually led her to write If I Was a Child Again, a collection of achingly emotional short stories to which many of us can relate.
The effervescent and engaging Emma, who as the eldest child had to accompany her mother to hospital after the heart-attack, will be in conversation with UTV’s Sarah Travers at the Crescent Arts Centre on Wednesday 11th June from 6.30pm.
Deborah Alicia Nicholas has tenderly and evocatively written about her devastation through miscarriage, a tragedy which an estimated one in seven women in Northern Ireland can relate to (Source: NHS). A Ray of Hope is Deborah’s raw account, punctuated with emotional language and memory.
Detroit-born Willetta Fleming, who moved to Northern Ireland in 2004, has been inspired by her life’s journey from Michigan to Belfast and will be reading from her book, Finding Black Gold on the Emerald Isle. Come and hear Deborah and Willetta tell their tales at Crescent Arts Centre on Wednesday 11th June from 1.00pm.
Former Conservative politician-turned-novelist, Ann Widdecombe, will be one of the featured authors at the Festival. Known for her steely exterior and steadfast politics, Ann shows a more compassionate side with her writing, exploring themes including loss, love, family and hope. Her best-seller The Clematis Tree was first published in 2000 and was met with critical acclaim for its acute observations of family life.
All events will offer our audiences the chance to ask their favourite authors and personalities questions, along with signing sessions. The full programme can be downloaded from www.crescentarts.org. For more information and tickets, contact Crescent Arts Centre on 028 9024 2338 or visit www.crescentarts.org