February 6, 2019 - 10:06am by Anonymous

As a freelance journalist, writer, editor and presenter, I have enjoyed many years meeting and interviewing fascinating people, and visiting wonderful locations worldwide.

I regularly conduct on-stage interviews with authors and personalities at festivals and events, and co-host a monthly on air book club with Lesley Dolphin at BBC Radio Suffolk.

Details of my events, book reviews and recommendations can be found on my website moreaboutbooks.com and all the latest information is available in my weekly e-newsletter. Sign up here.

Or follow me on Twitter @catherinelarner

In the press

Magazine cover pagesAs a journalist I contribute lifestyle features and profiles for regional and national newspapers and magazines. As the former editor of the leading business journal for the fitness industry in Europe, I continue to write about the market for a US publication.

published articles

On the radio

Each month I co-host an on-air book club on BBC Radio Suffolk with Lesley Dolphin, and am regularly invited to contribute comments and features about books, reading and authors across the station. Listen to past book club discussions with Lesley here.

In addition, my print articles and author interviews often feature as podcasts. You can listen to the latest, an interview with former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams for Premier Radio here.

view archive on moreaboutbooks.com

At events

Hosting book launches and talks for festivals and events throughout Suffolk, I regularly interview authors on stage with audiences from 30 to 300. In the past year I have been in conversation with Victoria Hislop, Simon Mayo, Diane Setterfield, Julia Blackburn, Elly Griffiths and Nicola Upson at events throughout Suffolk.

view event listings on moreaboutbooks.com

Recent articles

Family, faith and duck
in 'Woman Alive', December 2020
As Gressingham Foods looks forward to celebrating its 50th birthday, Catherine Larner spoke to its founders.
'I adore the place now'
in 'Suffolk', December 2020
Celebrated publisher Dan Franklin has brought us many of our favourite authors. He talks about a lifetime in books and loving living in Suffolk.
Opera in the garden
in 'Suffolk', December 2020
Suffolk based opera singer, Rob Gildon has found all sorts of ways to keep the music alive in 2020, including singing to his goats and chickens. Christmas is likely to be just as tuneful.
Bookshelf
in 'Suffolk', December 2020
Bookshops, gift ideas, libraries' latest and Suffolk's first literary agency
Solace from the dictionary
in 'Suffolk', November 2020
Countdown's Susie Dent, the nation's favourite lexicographer, explains her love for words.
Fleet Street, via Felixstowe
in 'Suffolk', October 2020
Julie Welch was the UK's first female football reporter. She credits her years at Felixstowe college for giving her the confidence to succeed in a world of men

Online Event: December 2nd

In a recent online event, the nature writer Melissa Harrison talked to me about her new book The Stubborn Light of Things.

This was a special fundraising event organised by The Cut in Halesworth, Suffolk, on Wednesday 2 December.

You can read more about Melissa in my article here.

 

Keeping it simple

The need for clear and effective communication has never been more evident than in these past 12 months.

Not only do we need a single, straightforward message for a community to engage in a common goal, but it's also important to keep heads clear and emotions in tap when dealing with something threatening and unfamiliar.

There is a great skill in presenting complicated or difficult information in a palatable and accessible way and the two books I've selected this week help to highlight this. I hope you'll be able to take a look at the titles below.

This week I was also reminded of the power, comfort and pleasure to be found in the succinct, carefully chosen words crafted by the poet.

'Time to be slow' by the late Irish poet and thinker, John O'Donohue was sent to me by a friend, and has remained with me in the past few days.

It begins

This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes.

You can listen to the poem being read by Fergal Keane here. He selected it last spring in a series on Radio 4's Today programme where well-known people shared their favourite poems of comfort and hope.

It has also been included in Poems on the Underground. You can read it here. Whenever I travelled across London on the Tube, it was always a huge delight to see a poem instead of an advert in the hoarding above our heads. Find out more about the initiative here. Buy the last collection here, or look at poems that have been selected specially to give us courage and hope for this new year here.

Thank you for reading.

More about books

Catherine LarnerFor my book reviews, event information and blog, please visit moreaboutbooks.com