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DTSTART;TZID="Europe/London":20250514T183000
DTEND;TZID="Europe/London":20250514T200000
DTSTAMP:20260518T190239
CREATED:20250410T070028
LAST-MODIFIED:20250526T091748
UID:10151-1747247400-1747252800@ec2-35-176-91-154.eu-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com
SUMMARY:Firestarter
DESCRIPTION:Firestarter by Fraser Grace\nJoin author and playwright\, Fraser Grace\, as he launches his new book\, Firestarter - a form-busting piece of creative non-fiction based on the true story of a nineteenth-century arsonist and national cause celebre.\n\nJoin in the celebrations at Hart's Books for your chance to meet and chat with the author over a glass of wine. All welcome.\n\n \nWednesday 14th May\, 6.30 - 8.00pm\nVenue: Hart's Books\, 26 King Street\, Saffron Walden\, Essex\, CB10 1ES\nTickets: Free\, drop-in\n \n\n\n\nFirestarter\nby Fraser Grace\n\n\nWhat John Stallon has learned is that to set a barn or hayrick alight needs surprisingly little effort. The spark from a flint\, a bit of rag\, barely the breath of a child…\n\n1833. Four years\, twelve fires\, the best of London’s detectives – and still no one knows the identity of the ‘devil’ with the gift of fire. With land reform sweeping through South Cambridgeshire\, the scandal is choking the columns of the nation’s newspapers\, wrecking the reputation of the ‘ill-fated village’ of Shelford.\n\nSomething has to give.\n\nFraser Grace trawls through history\, sifting out a tragedy rooted in the undocumented\, hard-pressed agricultural labourers of nineteenth century England.\n\nIt will always be like this\, John thinks\, this new power of mine. Like having a firework in your head.\n\nFirestarter is published by Galileo Publishing\, on 1 May 2025.\n\n \n\n\n\n \nFraser Grace\nAuthor\, and up till now\, playwright - this is his first prose work.\n\nThe story behind Firestarter\nWith an imminent stage production scuppered by lockdown\, award-winning playwright Fraser Grace found himself without a theatre to write for. From this he turned to a long-held passion project - a local story from the village of Great Shelford in South Cambridgeshire where he has lived for 28 years.\n\nNow published by Galileo\, Firestarter is a form-busting piece of creative non-fiction based on the true story of a nineteenth-century arsonist and national cause celebre. For four years John Stallon outwitted the best detectives London could muster - but was finally hanged in Cambridge in 1833. It will always be like this\, John thinks\, this new power of mine. Like having a firework in your head.\n\n \nAbout the Author\nWinner of the Verity Bargate Award for his debut play Perpetua\, Birmingham REP.\n\nWinner of the Arts Council’s John Whiting Award for Best Play for Breakfast with Mugabe\, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and directed by Antony Sher\, broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and The World Service.\n\nNominated for Best Play in the Off-Broadway Awards when produced at the Signature Theatre\, NYC (Two Planks Productions).\n\nAuthor of ten plays in total\, all published by Oberon/Methuen\, and librettist for Don’t Breathe A Word\, an opera by Andrew Lovett.\n\nCo-Author of Playwriting – A Writers’ and Artists’ Companion\, published by Bloomsbury in 2015\, (series editors Carole Angier and Sally Cline).\n\nCurrently Senior Teaching Associate at the University of Cambridge\, co-directing the Masters’ programme in Writing for Performance.\n\nAlso a performance poet – and loves meeting audiences.\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\nIf you're not able to make the book launch at Hart's Books you can still catch Fraser Grace discussing his book\, Firestarter\, at this free online Zoom event...\n\n \nIn Conversation with... Midge Gillies and Fraser Grace\nThursday 8th May\, 7pm\n\n\nFraser Grace\, co-director of ICE’s Master’s in Writing for Performance\, will be in conversation with non-fiction writer and creative writing tutor Midge Gillies in this free Zoom event on Thursday\, 8 May\, 2025\, 7-8pm\, GMT.\n\nFraser is an award-winning playwright and author of ten plays and co-author of Playwriting – A Writers’ and Artists’ Companion. He will be talking about his first work of prose\, Firestarter and what led him to turn for inspiration to a local story from the village of Great Shelford in South Cambridgeshire where he has lived for 28 years.\n\nFirestarter is a form-busting piece of creative non-fiction based on the true story of a nineteenth-century arsonist and national cause célèbre.\n\nSign up for the free zoom event here.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n 
URL:http://ec2-35-176-91-154.eu-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/event/firestarter/
LOCATION:26 King Street\, Saffron Walden\, Essex\, CB10 1ES\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Partner Event
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