Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Order of Legends trilogy. Inaugural winner of Future Worlds Prize Award in 2020, her debut novel, The Principle of Moments, was published in January 2024 , by Gollancz. She holds a BA in English Literature and Classical Studies from the University of Exeter, where she enjoyed writing essays on Disney villains and reading Greek lyric poetry in the same day. As an author of Nigerian, Jamaican, and British-Australian heritage, her work primarily focuses on people who live at the intersection of identities, whether that’s here on Earth, or in far away galaxies of her own creation.
William Letford published his first collection of poetry while working as a roofer. Since then, his work has been adapted into film, projected onto buildings, carved into monuments, adapted for the stage, written onto skin, cast out over the radio, and performed by orchestras.
He has helped restore a medieval village in the mountains of Northern Italy, taught English in Japan, fished with his bare hands in Indonesia, been invited to perform in Iraq, South Korea, Lebanon, Australia, Germany, India, Palestine, and many more countries.
Follow William on X @BillyLetford
E. J. Swift is the author of speculative fiction novels including The Osiris Project trilogy, a series set in a world radically altered by climate change, and Paris Adrift, a tale of bartenders and time travel in the City of Light. Her novel The Coral Bones was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Kitschies Red Tentacle and the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Award for Best Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies and has been longlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award.
Follow E.J. on X, Instagram and Bluesky @catamaroon
This event will be chaired by Beth Cochrane.
About the event
Running time: 55 minutes followed by a book signing
Venue: Upper Hall
Price: £11/£8 concession - In Person - or £5.50 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)
This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.
A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until Sunday 14th July 2024. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.
Find out more about ACCESS to our events here, and for information about TICKETS, click here.
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