The Writing Habit: Conversations with Writers from the Royal Literary Fund | Wednesday 25 March, 7.30pm

Join us for an evening of lively conversation with three writers as they delve into the Royal Literary Fund's growing archive of writers talking about the writing life, their favourite books, and their routes to publication. Christy Ducker and Kathleen Jones, chaired by Harry Man, will together discuss the habit, practice, and routine of writing - sharing extracts from the archive as well as their own experiences and responding to your thoughts and questions.

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Christy Ducker is the author of four poetry books and pamphlets: Messenger (2017), Heroes (2016), Skipper (2015) and Armour (2011). Her work has won a Northern Writers’ award, a Forward prize commendation, and a selection as a Poetry Book Society pamphlet choice. A social poet, Christy has collaborated with a wide range of people to generate poems, including transplant surgeons, hydrographers, horse dentists and trawlermen.

Kathleen Jones was born and brought up on a hill farm close to Hadrian's Wall and went on to spend several years in Africa and the Middle East (where she worked in English broadcasting) before returning home. She studied Law and then English Literature before specialising in early women writers - work that culminated in A Glorious Fame: The Life of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle. Her published work includes broadcast journalism, articles for magazines such as She and Cosmopolitan, short fiction and 17 books - a mixture of biography, fiction and two poetry collections.

Harry Man’s first pamphlet, Lift won the UNESCO Bridges of Struga Award, while his second pamphlet, Finders Keepers, was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. His co-collection authored with Endre Ruset, Deretter (‘Thereafter’, 2021) won the Stephen Spender Prize for Translation. His latest book, Popular Song was published by Nine Arches Press (2024) and has been shortlisted for a Gladstone’s Library Writer in Residence Award 2026. He teaches at the University of Oxford and lives in the Tees Valley.