Ben Fox had an idea that a punter interested in a topic, let's say China, will go onto a website and browse books about it which are recommended by respected writer . The punter then possibly buys the book or
When she interviewed me for her podcast, Yang May and I discovered a common passion for libraries and storytelling. I hope my stories are global but they arise from the web of connections to all continents that you find in
Reflections on Multi Culturalism In the Madras Courier Anurag Mishra and Paras Ratna posed the question, ‘To what extent can a society accommodate multiculturalism?’ As someone who risked my own future and that of my future children by marrying someone
Andi Osho on Saturday Live (Dec 20 ) talked about how people of colour are often stereotyped not necessarily in a bad way but with little room for individuality. I’m writing my memoir and I recalled this incident from 1980
Gill and I in the unventilated basement. Compare it with Maxwell's council house, Headington Hall https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000rtxv?f Good programme about Robert Maxwell who rented Headington Hall from Oxford City Council for £7,500 in 1978 http://www.headington.org.uk/history/listed_buildings/headhillhall.htm? Before we set up at the
On Saturday Live this morning, the poet Simon Armitage was talking about his poem Event Horizon. In 2007, I had the privilege to review an Antony Gormley exhibition also called Event Horizon at the Hayward Gallery - one of the
Today , BBC4 Saturday Live asked listeners to share their stories of leaps in the dark. It started with Ian Rankin describing how he and his wife gave up well paid jobs to renovate an old house in rural France
Did you listen and watch the first Reith lecture by Mark Carney? The topic was ‘From moral to market sentiments’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0900t1x/the-reith-lectures-2020-mark-carney-how-we-get-what-we-value-lecture-1-from-moral-to-market-sentiments? It came as a surprise when in answer to a question by Anita Anand, he said he had taken
When I read about Ashoka the 3rd century BC ruler of much of India, my curiosity was aroused. Ashoka began as a warlord but felt remorse at the waste of life on the battlefield. He invited followers of the Buddha
It’s taken these surreal times for me to appreciate the outstanding locations and crowded book launches I've enjoyed. The most special was the launch of Oxford Castaways in the Cast Gallery of the Ashmolean which Sir Roger Bannister wound up,