Rory guest speaker at wordsworth literary festival

Rory  was invited as a guest speaker to talk at the Wordsworth Trust Arts and Book Festival held in Grasmere – the place where the poet, William Wordsworth, famously called home for over 14 years of his life.

The author of “The Places in Between” and “Occupational Hazards” delivered a talk entitled ‘a personal exploration of travel exploration’ in which he discussed the interesting dilemma facing a writer who is turning his attention from the adventure and exotic climes of Afghanistan and Iraq to the more recognisable landscapes of Cumbria and the Scottish borders. Rory explained how his previous two books presented relatively few challenges from a writing point of view, with the unfamiliar subject material naturally engaging the reader.

Speaking at the event, Rory said:

“The challenge now is to write about landscape, culture and experiences with which the reader feels much more familiar, and to test preconceptions without causing offence. I have delivered talks on the experiences in my previous books many times now, but its rare that I get the chance to discuss and reflect upon the actual challenges of writing them. I really enjoyed the Wordsworth Trust festival today, and the discussion I was able to have with the audience has thrown up interesting ideas for my next book.”

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