Once Upon a Time is a look at some of the stories I have grown up with and that established my love of reading and books. Long after the novels and romances of adult life have faded, the simple stories and tales we read as children live on in our hearts. This talk explores the stories behind just some of the books that bought me more innocent happiness than probably anything I have read since. Why was Anna Sewell so drawn to the poor treatment of horses in writing Black Beauty? In Gulliver's Travels, just how did Gulliver really put out the fire in the Queen's Palace? Who was the real ‘Robinson Crusoe? What colour was Winnie the Pooh. Find the answers to these and many more questions in this revealing illustrated talk. Duration: 60 minutes Illustrated: PowerPoint
Views: 22 | Enquiries: 0I have been a book collector, researcher and keen writer for more than forty years. In 2009 I founded 'The Westerman Yarns', a collective of like minded people who research, promote and encourage interest in the lives and works of children’s adventure writers. I have worked in music, the arts and event management; a specialist topic that I taught at a further education college for ten years until I embarked on my misspent retirement when I threw myself into researching more about many of the topics that I never found the time to explore, whilst holding down a ‘proper job’. During my time as a local authority arts officer I worked on several literature festivals that developed and expanded my interest in literary research, and fired my enthusiasm for learning about the lives and works of ‘forgotten’ and lesser known authors. More recently I have conducted research into the history of the area where I live, in particular, the diverse history of the north of Portsmouth and Portsdown Hill. I hope that you find something to interest your audience in my diverse list of talks. If you want to know more or have any questions, please email me.
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