Recent Events

An Interview with Lawrence Hill
Lawrence Hill, winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writer's Prize for his novel 'The Book of Negroes', visited London in July to meet the Queen and to promote his novel which will be published by Doubleday UK in spring 2009. On 24th July, an enthusiastic audience gathered at Foyles bookshop in London for Delia's conversation with Lawrence, conducted on behalf of the Commonwealth Foundation, which explored the research, writing and reception of this fine work exploring the life of an eighteenth century slave woman, Aminatta Diablo.

View pictures from the event

Undressing Empire 2: Lost Writers
On 5 June 2008, Delia took part in the second in a series of SABLE LitMag events looking at Black writers who have made a notable impact on Black literature in Britain, yet are rarely mentioned. Their work was introduced and discussed by three writers today who are themselves making a significant impact on the literature scene in Britain. Delia discussed the life of Una Marson, a Jamaican-born activist and writer. Chaired by SABLE Litmag publisher, Kadija Sesay.

Read reviews of Delia's novel, The Life of Una Marson

Delia Wins Orwell Prize
The George Orwell Prize for political writing has been awarded to Delia Jarrett-Macauley, the first novelist to have won this prestigious prize. In their comments, the judges stated, "Anyone who has spent time in Africa can immediately recognise the power and truth of her descriptions. It is a work of great intimacy and moral complexity, the kind of writing that sheds light on a world we barely understand". Andrew O'Hagan, a member of the judging panel, added that "the book is one that Orwell himself might have liked". Previous recipients of the Orwell Prize include Michael Ignatieff, Francis Wheen and David Aaronowitch.

Read Delia's thoughts on winning the Orwell award

' My Imaginary Homeland'
In January 2006, Delia went back to Freetown for the first time in 30 years to make a documentary for BBC Radio 4 - ' Sierra Leone, My Imaginary Homeland' - inspired by her first novel, Moses, Citzen & Me. Click here for photos of Delia's visit and details of the documentary.

Edinburgh Book Festival - 'First Fiction' and 'Imprisoned Writers'
Delia was given another high profile opportunity to discuss her debut novel, Moses, Citizen and Me, at the Edinburgh Festival's First Fiction event on 22 August. In their online publicity, festival organisers wrote that the novel "... startlingly enters the mind of ... a boy soldier in Sierra Leone". The event was chaired by Jackie McGlone. Organised and researched by Amnesty International, Imprisoned Writers is a series of readings, given by guest authors at the book festival, of poetry or prose written by a persecuted writer. Delia was invited to give a reading written by a member of the 'Write to Life' group at the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. Other guests included Clare Short MP.

Voice Box - Royal Festival Hall
Chaired by Bernadine Evaristo, this sell-out event gave authors Delia Jarrett-Macauley and David Nwokedi an opportunity to read from their novels and answers questions from the audience. The event, held on 5 April, was part of the Africa 05 series. Click here for photographs of the event.