Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is an American author. She received the 2002 PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in the same year, for her novel Bel Canto. Patchett’s other novels include The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician’s Assistant, Run, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, and The Dutch House. Wikipedia
Ms. Patchett is also co-owner of a renown Nashville Bookstore — Parnassus Books
-
Brian Freeman
Brian Freeman is a prominent American author renowned for his gripping psychological thrillers and suspense novels, which have achieved international success. With a career spanning over two decades, Freeman has established himself as a master of suspense, characterized by complex, deeply emotional character development and fast-paced, twist-filled narratives. His work, which frequently explores the dark, hidden motives behind human behavior, has earned him a place as a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.
Born on March 28, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, Freeman displayed a love for writing from a young age, influenced by an eighth-grade teacher who recognized his talent. He graduated with distinction from Carleton College in 1984. Before transitioning to a full-time writing career in 2005, Freeman worked as the director of marketing and public relations at the Minneapolis law firm Faegre & Benson. This background in corporate communication provided a foundation for his disciplined approach to writing and self-promotion.
The exciting thing about including Brian Freeman in Roaming the Arts is that the site’s founder began his reading passion with Robert Ludlum and his characters created in the 1970’s. The beginning of that came via Ludlum writing under the pen name Jonathan Ryder.
Freeman made his literary debut in 2005 with the thriller Immoral. The novel was an immediate success, garnering critical acclaim as an Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel and winning the Macavity Award.
His writing style is often described as “psychological suspense” that delves into the “hidden intimate motives that draw people across some terrible lines”. He focuses on creating realistic characters, shunning the “all good or all bad” trope in favor of the moral “shades of gray”. His books are known for their “you are there” settings, often featuring the cold, atmospheric backdrop of Minnesota, particularly Duluth.Freeman’s work has been honored multiple times by the thriller community. Spilled Blood won the Best Hardcover Novel award from the International Thriller Writers. His debut, Immoral, was a nominee for the Dagger, Edgar, Anthony, and Barry awards. He is also a multiple-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award.
-
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, politics, and Christianity. Wikipedia
RUMOURS OF GLORY– a chronicle of faith, fear, and activism, and a lively cultural, political, and musical tour through the past five decades.
Best known for his memorable songs including ‘Pacing the Cage’ (1995), ‘If a Tree Falls’ (1988), ‘If I Had a Rocket Launcher’ (1984), ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’ (1984) and ‘Wondering Where the Lions Are’ (1979), the award-winning songwriter and pioneering guitarist, whose life and music has been shaped by politics, protest, romance, and spiritual discovery, has released 31 albums spanning five decades.
Cockburn’s albums have sold over 7 million copies worldwide. He is revered by fans and fellow musicians alike as one of the most important songwriters of his generation.
-
Kate Atkinson
Location – Edinboro, Scotland
Kate Atkinson
Latest works include Shrines of Gaiety (London in the Roaring 20’s) and Normal Rules Don’t Apply ( Short Stories)
Kate Atkinson was born in York in 1951 and studied English Literature at Dundee University.
After graduating in 1974, she researched a postgraduate doctorate on American Literature. She later taught at Dundee and began writing short stories in 1981. She began writing for women’s magazines after winning the 1986 Woman’s Own Short Story Competition. She was runner-up for the Bridport Short Story Prize in 1990 and won an Ian St James Award in 1993 for her short-story Karmic Mothers, which she later adapted for BBC2 television as part of its ‘Tartan Shorts’ series. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995), won the 1995 Whitbread Book of the Year award, beating Salman Rushdie’s The Moor’s Last Sigh and Roy Jenkins’ biography Gladstone. The book is set in Yorkshire, narrated by Ruby Lennox, who takes the reader through the complex history of her family, covering the events of the twentieth century and reaching back into the past to uncover the lives of distant ancestors. The book has been adapted for radio and theatre, and has been adapted for television by the author. Her second novel, Human Croquet, was published in 1997 and relates the story of another family, the Fairfaxes, through flashback and historical narrative. Her third novel, Emotionally Weird, was published in 2000, and in 2002 a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World.
Kate Atkinson has written two plays for the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh: a short play, Nice (1996), and Abandonment, which premiered as part of the Edinburgh Festival in August 2000. She currently lives in Edinburgh and is an occasional contributor to newspapers and magazines. The four books Case Histories (2004), One Good Turn (2006), shortlisted for the British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year, When Will There be Good News? (2008) and Started Early, Took My Dog (2010), form a crime series featuring ex-policeman Jackson Brodie. These books were adapted for television and a 6-part series starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie was broadcast in 2011. In 2013 she published Life after Life, winner of the Costa Novel Award and the South Bank Sky Arts Literature Prize; and A God in Ruins (2015), a companion novel to Life After Life, featuring several of the same characters. In 2019 Jackson Brodie returned in Big Sky, and Atkinson also published Transcription.
(British Council – Literature)
