Thursday May 22, 2008: Robyn Scott
For the month of May, we present Robyn Scott, who after a childhood spent in an isolated wilderness in Botswana, followed by boarding school in Zimbabwe, went on to study Biosciences then became an author. Intrigued? Well, Robyn’s memoir Twenty Chickens for a Saddle, which is published by Bloomsbury in May might help unravel some of the mysteries. The book will be featured as BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week in the second week of May, but you can join us on Thursday May 22, 2008 to hear the author herself read from the book and answer audience questions. The event will be hosted as usual by Ghanaian author, Nii Ayikwei Parkes.
Author Biography:
Born in 1981, Robyn Scott was raised in a converted cowshed in the wilds of Botswana, where her grandfather had been pilot for Seretse Khama, Botswana’s first president. At fourteen, she started her formal education in a boarding school in Zimbabwe. Moving to New Zealand for her undergraduate degree, she completed a BSc in Bioinformatics at the University of Auckland then won a Gates Scholarship to Cambridge University in 2004, where she took an MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise and studied the pricing of medicines in developing countries. Twenty Chickens For a Saddle, her first book, has been described as an uplifting, engaging and deeply affectionate portrayal of an extraordinary place and family. Robyn lives in London, but visits and works regularly in southern Africa.
Venue & Time
African Writers' Evening is usually held on the third Friday every other month starting from March each year at The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2. In 2008 it will be held mainly on Thursdays for most fo the year.Time: 7.30pm
Cost: Usually £4, occasionally FREE for special events.
What's New
- Robyn Scott on May 22, 2008
- Commonwealth Prize News
- Nick Makoha & Nii Ayikwei Parkes to preview new work
- Bios for AWE/British Council Event in February
Past AWE News
- African Writers' Evening listed in BBC recommended events list
- Previous feature, Diana Evans, wins Orange New Writer Prize
- Previous feature, Hisham Matar, published by Viking (Penguin)
A Short History
African Writers' EveningCalendar
