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Tuesday 25 April, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London

Free for RSL Members, who can also book one discounted guest ticket. Public tickets are £12.

‘The Grand Hotel survives. So does Maggie. So will I.’ 

For the first time, the Royal Society of Literature joins forces with the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern for a night of celebration and conversation, marking the tenth birthday of Damian Barr’s acclaimed memoir, Maggie & Me.

RSL Fellow, writer, broadcaster and Salon host Damian Barr will be in conversation with Sathnam Sanghera. They will discuss the making of Maggie & Me and its extraordinary publication, explore the joy of finding your own voice, in memoir and fiction, and the importance of telling your own story. We will also reveal the next chapter for this iconic memoir – all with some very special guests!

Join us at the RVT, a vital part of the London LGBTQ+ community since the 1950s, to raise a glass to a landmark memoir and a remarkable story, beautifully told. DJs Pink Windmill Kidz will be providing the music, and Gay’s the Word bookshop will be joining us to sell copies of Damian and Sathnam’s books.

Damian Barr (PhD, FRSA, FRSL) is a writer, journalist and broadcaster. His memoir, Maggie & Me, won Sunday Times Memoir of the Year. His debut novel, You Will Be Safe Here, was shortlisted for six major awards and a Book of the Year in the Guardian, Mail and Times. He’s written columns for The Times and Big Issue and hosts regularly on BBC Radio 4.  Damian brought books back to television with the Big Scottish Book Club and presented the landmark documentary marking Sir Walter Scott’s 250th. He started his world-famous Literary Salon in 2008. He lives in Brighton.

Sathnam Sanghera is author of EmpireLand: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past, memoir The Boy With The Topknot: Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton, and novel Marriage Material.

Please note that the doors will open at 7pm, with the show starting from 8pm. This is a mixed standing/seated event, seating is first come, first served. If you have any access requirements or questions regarding access please email [email protected] 

MEMBERS – PLEASE LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT PRIOR TO ATTEMPTING TO BOOK, OR THE BELOW LINK WILL NOT WORK.