Chloe Dalton
Raising Hare: The Magical True Story of an Unlikely Friendship
Saturday 26 April 2025, 11am – 12pm
Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion
When lockdown led Chloe Dalton to leave London and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself custodian of a newly born hare. Finding the creature endangered, alone and no bigger than her palm, she felt compelled to give it a chance at survival.
Raising Hare, recently nominated for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild. Hear Chloe talk about this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, and how it rekindled her sense of awe towards nature and wildlife.
Chloe Dalton will be in conversation with podcaster Ryan Dalton.
Price: £10 (incl booking fee)
Kaliane Bradley
The Ministry of Time: the smash hit novel everyone is talking about
Saturday 26th April, 1pm – 2pm
Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion
Utterly hilarious and unbearably sexy, The Ministry of Time is a literary romcom (with added time-travel) that explores what it means for Britain to reckon with its past.
In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel.
Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' – Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more.
But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?
Join Kaliane Bradley as she discusses her smash-hit novel with Uli Lenart.
Price: £10 (incl booking fee)
Local talent spotlight:
South London Writers and
Historical Fiction
Saturday 26th April, 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion
Step back in time as three acclaimed South London writers discuss their latest historical novels. From the secrets of 1930s Harlem, to female friendships during World War II and a story of London through three generations, authors Louise Hare, Annie Lyons and Amelia Kyazze share the secrets of bringing history back to life.
Louise, Annie and Amelia will be in conversation with writer and journalist, Kerry Barrett.
Price: £10 (incl booking fee)
Jules Acton
Oaklore: Adventures in a World of Extraordinary Trees
Saturday 26th April, 3pm – 4pm
Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion
Go on a magical exploration of one of England’s most important trees with British environmentalist and writer, Jules Acton. Oaklore is a journey of discovery, unveiling the role of oaks in English literature and mythology, and the myriad of life that thrives within the branches and bark of these ancient trees: from the feathered denizens to the intricate communities of insects, fungi, and lichens.
Weaving together her personal experiences of wandering in the woods, scientific insights, and cultural histories to paint a rich, folkloric, and multifaceted portrait of the magnificent specimen, Oaklore encourages a deeper connection to nature and our own woodland explorations.
Underscoring the urgent need to protect the oak tree and the vibrant, interconnected worlds it sustains, Acton’s story serves as a call to action, inspiring us to engage in conservation efforts and foster a deeper appreciation for the oak's vital role in the delicate web of life.
Jules Acton will be in conversation with Paul Wood.
Price: £10 (incl booking fee)
Janice Hallett
The Examiner: Six Students. One Murder. Your Time Starts Now...
Saturday 26th April 5pm – 6pm
Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion
Queen of cosy crime and mega best-selling author of The Appeal and The Twyford Code, Janice Hallett joins us to discuss her new genre-busting crime novel The Examiner.
The students of Royal Hastings University’s new art course have been trouble from day one. From acclaimed artist Alyson who seems oddly overqualified, to hapless Patrick who can barely operate design software, and city boy Cameron who blusters his way through assignments. Not to mention Jem, who’s a gifted young sculptor… but cross her at your peril.
The year-long course is blighted by students setting fire to one another’s artwork, a rumoured extra-marital affair and a disastrous road trip. But finally they are given their last assignment: to build an art installation for a local manufacturer. With six students who have nothing in common except their clashing personal agendas, what could possibly go wrong?
The answer is: murder. When the external examiner arrives to assess the students’ coursework, he becomes convinced that a student was killed on the course and that the others covered it up. But is he right? Only a close examination of the evidence will reveal the truth. Your time starts now …
Janice Hallett will be in conversation with crime writer Joy Kluver.
Price: £10 (incl booking fee)
Ned Palmer
A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France: an evening of French cheese
Saturday 26th April, 6.30pm – 7.30pm
Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion
Indulge in an evening of fromage as Ned Palmer, the UK’s leading cheesemonger, joins us to talk about his new book A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France. Sample the very best French cheeses, as Ned takes you on a journey around the country’s regions, meeting the remarkable cheesemongers who carry the torch for France’s oldest and most treasured traditions and exploring the science and history behind cheeses such as Brie, Comte, Epoisses, Munster and Roquefort. He’ll explain the mysteries of terroir and why each of those different fromages taste as they do, showing how a French cheeseboard offers genuine insights into la Belle République.
Ticket includes a plate of cheeses and a glass of wine.
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Price: £20 (incl booking fee)
Annie Lyons
Fiction Writing Workshop
Saturday 26th April, 10am – 11.30am
Venue: Upstairs classroom, The Homestead Courtyard
Join author Annie Lyons for a fun-filled adult workshop aimed at anyone who wants to have a go at writing fiction – whether you long to discover if you really do have that novel in you or just want to put pen to paper and see where it takes you.
Designed to ease you into the writing process and bring you confidence as a writer, the workshop will cover the basics of storytelling: generating ideas, understanding structure, creating a character and developing their story.
You'll use a combination of individual and group exercises to get the brains buzzing and the words flowing!
Price: £20 (incl booking fee)
Helen Bowell
Poetry Writing Workshop
Saturday 26th April, 12pm – 1.30pm
Venue: Upstairs classroom, The Homestead Courtyard
In this meditative workshop open to writers at all stages, we’ll read and write contemporary nature poems, looking at the work of poets like Raymond Antrobus, Nina Mingya Powles and Ellora Sutton. Inspired by our surroundings in beautiful Beckenham Place Park, we’ll use memory, dream, quotation, fact and happenstance to create poems that reflect our true relationship with the landscape, in our individual voices.
You might be someone who has always felt deeply part of the natural world, or you might feel locked out of it. Maybe you, like Raymond Antrobus, ‘don’t know the name of that tree’. But like Antrobus, you’ll discover in this workshop that ‘[you] can describe it […] tall, brown, bursting / with leaves like a loaded wallet, / autumn’s green and yellow receipts.’ Together, we’ll admit all we don’t know, and see what adventures that takes us on. No experience required.
Price: £20 (incl booking fee)
Anita Goveas
Flash Fiction Writing Workshop
Saturday 26th April, 2pm – 3.30pm
Venue: Upstairs classroom, The Homestead Courtyard
Flash fiction is usually described as a story that’s complete in under 1000 words, and can be even shorter. But successful flash isn’t just about word count, it’s also about using word choice and structure to create a satisfying piece of prose in which every word counts.
In this adult workshop we’ll use story examples and writing exercises to think about what makes a successful flash fiction, and what those techniques can do to shape your writing in general. You'll try out some writing techniques and hopefully leave the session with a couple of draft stories. Please bring something to write on/with.
Price: £20 (incl booking fee)
Bringing nature, books and people together
Arts in the Park CIC 15290631
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