So what's it like to be a writer?

The Cultural Exchanges Festival 2019 at De Montfort University has really given me a chance to explore my field as a writer. Today, I got an amazing opportunity to attend a talk with Nikesh Shukla, best known for being the editor of the best selling essay collection The Good Immigrant.

Not only was I honoured to be there and hear the discussion which he had with Mahsuda Snaith, (prize winning author of The Things We Thought We Knew) but I was also inspired by the
journey which he took us on.

I began to realise that being a writer is not only all about focusing on writing books. I already knew that being a writer can be really tiring. But Nikesh's speech about all the things that pull him away from being a writer was quite incredible. I realised how often we disregard the little things in life which we take for granted. It's only when we need a break, that we realize how valuable those little things are.

This wasn't just a good experience for me. It also encouraged me to proceed further in my writing career. The Cultural Exchanges Festival has proved a great source of inspiration for me and for others.

E J Manso Henriques

Love Nina

I am what you'd call an idiot, and in true idiot fashion it took me a couple of weeks to remember I had to reserve tickets for Cultural Exchanges events at De Montfort University, where lots of established people come along oozing cleverness, showing us little students how it's done. 

 

To my overwhelming relief I found Nina Stibbe tickets were still available. Nina Stibbe, for all those who live under a rock, is a bestselling novelist who used to live in Leicester. She's going to be back on home ground on 2nd March between 5 and 6, and you can book tickets here.

 

Nina Stibbe's first book, which has been adapted for TV, is a collection of letters she wrote to her sister called (not surprisingly) Love, Nina. I started reading it partly because of the wonderful reviews, but mostly because I like the name Nina. Needless to say, I then fell in love with the book. It's about a nanny in London who writes to her sister about all the trials and tribulations she has faced being a nanny. Basically, it's brill and hilarious, but don't take my word for it, read it yourself.

If you too love the name Nina, or just love her books, come along, because you certainly don't want to miss out!

 

Miss GW