“Setting up to meet visitors and chat about my books, other books, lots of books and about being a writer”
On 1st June 2024, Jackie joined a number of other Gibraltar writers at Bookgem in Main Street, Gibraltar, for a morning of book talk. An event organised by Gibraltar Cultural Services, there was story telling for younger readers, a book exchange stall, an open mic poetry session and a chance to meet and chat to writers about their work and about their writing. And there was plenty of coffee and cake at the Bookgem cafe - coffee, cake and books being one of life's perfect combinations.
"It was such a pleasant morning," said Jackie shortly after the event, "it's always a pleasure to watch others enjoy books and reading, especially seeing the wonder on children's faces when they listened to Karim Vatvani's stories. The open mic was great, and I was struck by the increasing confidence being shown by Gibraltar's poets in their own work and in their own language, Llanito. Talking to other writers happens to be a particularly enjoyable way to learn from others - about process, about challenges, about publication - and a way to find out what they're working on at the moment. It also happens to be a privilege when you get the chance to chat to writers of the callibre of Alice Mascarenhas and Giordano Durante. I also got to speak about my work and my books. It still catches me by surprise a little when people want to know the ins and outs about my writing and of course, talking about Jack the Ripper over a coffee is one of my not-at-all-guilty pleasures!"
Here's a link to Gibraltar Cultural Services' video summary of the event