Author visits to Woodbridge
For Browsers, Catherine Larner organises and hosts author talks and book launches ranging from intimate gatherings of around 30 guests to large evening events with capacity audiences of up to 300 people. Recent guest authors have included Max Hastings, Victoria Hislop, Joanne Harris, Dan Snow, Kate Humble, Jeffery Deaver and Robert Peston.
Since launching the author talks more than 10 years ago, other speakers have included Alexander McCall Smith, Margaret Drabble, Kate Mosse and Deborah Moggach as well as Olympic rowing champion Katherine Grainger and antiques expert, Judith Miller.
In 2008 Catherine was the Artistic Director for the first Children’s Book Festival in Woodbridge, Suffolk, in association with Browsers Bookshop. There were four days of activities for children of all ages, and their parents. Many sessions were free and all were creatively run to ensure full interaction, participation and engagement throughout the community. Leading authors (including Philip Reeve, Nick Butterworth, Kevin Crossley-Holland and Meg Rosoff) presented at venues throughout the town. Supplementing the headline speakers there were launches of new books and authors, story playtimes for toddlers, a children’s comedian, storytelling trails around the town led by members of local amateur dramatic groups, and a dogwalking storytime by the river. It was an ambitious and varied programme which was professionally run and well-attended, creating a genuine excitement throughout the town.
