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 for more than 10 years co-hosted 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 which you can receive by signing up here or read recent issues 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 regularly contributed articles about the market for a US publication.

published articles

On the radio

For more than 10 years I've co-hosted an on-air book club on BBC Radio Suffolk with Lesley Dolphin. Listen to past book club discussions here.

In addition, my print articles and author interviews often feature as podcasts. You can listen to a recent 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 Esther Freud, Salley Vickers, Simon Garfield, Susie Dent, Melissa Harrison and Elly Griffiths.

view event listings on moreaboutbooks.com

Recent articles

Gathered from the garden
'I feel my life is coming together'
in 'Suffolk ', October 2022
Artist Tessa Newcomb has found just the thing she needed to lift her creative spirit - a garden she can grow and paint.
Women in boatbuilding
in 'Classic Boat', October 2022
More and more women are finding the confidence to enter the very male world of boatbuilding.
Once again at the cutting edge
in 'Let's Talk', September 2022
Modern technology is being used to transform understanding of a fascinating part of Suffolk's wartime heritage, as Catherine Larner reports.
Why farming matters
in 'Suffolk', September 2022
Sarah Langford gave up working as a criminal defence lawyer to take on a family farm in Suffolk. It opened her eyes to a world of constant struggle, earnestly looking for change.
'I want readers to fell the punch in the gut'
in 'Suffolk', September 2022
Award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, creator of much-loved TV detective Vera Stanhope, heads to Southwold this month, the home of crime fiction, with revelations of her latest mystery.
Woman of substance
in 'Classic Boat', September 2022
She may be based on a farm in north Norfolk, but Abbey Molyneux is quickly building a name for herself in boat restoration

Forthcoming events

I am always planning new events but at the moment I have nothing quite ready to announce.

Time to reflect

Unlike those in the media and the establishment, or in businesses and organisations, I hadn't planned for these days.

I hadn't drafted words of tribute, gratitude or loss because, though it was both inevitable and imminent, I hadn't anticipated the time would come. 

As our lives have become increasingly more uncertain, fragile and unsettled, the constant, calm and dignified presence of the Queen has become more and more vital and valued.

If wisdom, integrity and reliability have seemed to be lacking in our leaders today, she stood both as a reminder of higher standards in the past, and better times in the future. 

Alhough we no longer have her faithful, unifying, steadying presence, perhaps we can hold on to some of the messages she shared over her 70 year reign:

"It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult."  Christmas speech, 1957

"When life seems hard, the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead they are all the more determined to struggle for a better future." Christmas speech, 2008

"It's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change." Christmas speech, 2019

"For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in God’s love, as we strive daily to become better people." Christmas speech, 2013

"Our modern world places such heavy demands on our time and attention that the need to remember our responsibilities to others is greater than ever." Christmas speech, 2002

"Grief is the price we pay for love." A message of condolence to New York in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, 2001

There are no book recommendations today. It didn't feel appropriate. And I'll share a report of the Booker Book Group discussion next week. But the title we're reading together this month seems strangely fitting - 'Cecily' imagines royal events centuries past.

Thank you for reading.

 

More about books

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