{"id":313,"date":"2025-01-19T19:30:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-19T19:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arwp.alexrushton.co.uk\/?page_id=313"},"modified":"2025-01-20T21:02:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T21:02:50","slug":"news-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/?page_id=313","title":{"rendered":"News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Cake prepared for the Silent Reading Party <\/strong>at Pier Road Coffee and Art in Littlehampton<\/p>\n\n\n\n


At the latest Silent Reading Party at the excellent art gallery and coffee shop in the Old Bank in Littlehampton, West Sussex, the above cake (sporting among others, an image of the cover of ‘The Asymmetric Man’) was happily consumed by those attending.
Their website is: pierroadcoffeeart.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘The Asymmetric Man’ was chosen as one of the winners of alistagram’s Battle of the Books 1st Quarter 2024, on TikTok<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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130 years of SWWJ celebrated in style<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SWWJ members, including Alex, and special guests gathered at the House of Lords on Weds [1 May 2024] to mark another chapter in our Society\u2019s long-running history.

Hosted by our president, The Baroness Dame Floella Benjamin OM DBE DL, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and drinks in the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, which has a stunning view overlooking the River Thames.

We were delighted to be joined by guests including patron the Earl of Stockton and the Countess of Stockton, Patron Simon Brett OBE, and renowned author and SWWJ honorary member Ken Follet.

Everyone was welcomed by SWWJ Chair, Barbara Field-Holmes who then invited. Baroness Benjamin to begin the day\u2019s proceedings.

Baroness Benjamin talked about the important work we all do as writers, not just celebrating our Society\u2019s history, but what we are doing now and for future generations. She spoke about how writing and reading can not only help to improve children\u2019s lives, but empower them.

She spoke about her passion for working on behalf of children and her experience of coming to England as a child from Trinidad and how she wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people. Something she has achieved as a children\u2019s TV presenter, actress, broadcaster and parliamentarian and through her charitable works, over the years.

A toast was made to their Majesties, King Charles III and Queen Camilla \u2013 with a mention that Her Majesty was a big supporter of authors, reading and writers \u2013 something she champions in her Reading Room Initiative.

Best wishes were also sent from some of our honorary members and friends of SWWJ who couldn\u2019t be with us on the day, including Gyles Brandreth, Jilly Cooper and Writing Magazine\u2019s Tina Jackson.

Once lunch was enjoyed and members chatted at their tables swapping writing tales and endeavours, the prizegiving began.

The winner of the SWWJ 130th<\/sup> Anniversary competition, was Ann Mary Stanton, one of our overseas members. She was presented with the trophy by Baroness Benjamin. The theme of the competition was biography \u2013 Ann Mary\u2019s subject was German architect and photographer Lotte Stam-Beese.

Chair Barbara Field-Holmes then made a surprise presentation to Valerie Dunmore, (Events\/vice Chair and a vice president), a special Woman of the Year Award for her long-standing and continued contributions to the SWWJ. Presentations of bouquets of flowers were then made to Baroness Benjamin and competition judge Suzannah Dunn.

It was a wonderful day of celebrations and here\u2019s to the next 130 years of the SWWJ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cake prepared for the Silent Reading Party at Pier Road Coffee and Art in Littlehampton At the latest Silent Reading Party at the excellent art gallery and coffee shop in the Old Bank in Littlehampton, West Sussex, the above cake (sporting among others, an image of the cover of ‘The Asymmetric Man’) was happily consumed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"normal-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-313","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"arushton","author_link":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/?author=1"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Cake prepared for the Silent Reading Party at Pier Road Coffee and Art in Littlehampton At the latest Silent Reading Party at the excellent art gallery and coffee shop in the Old Bank in Littlehampton, West Sussex, the above cake (sporting among others, an image of the cover of ‘The Asymmetric Man’) was happily consumed…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=313"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":360,"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/313\/revisions\/360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alexrushton.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}