How I became an expert on tea (in China!)
The history of tea is not quite the peaceful story one would expect. In the C19th, it was an almost fanatically sought after commodity but British and Indian companies wanted to trade opium in exchange. 'The Ibis Trilogy' by Amitav
Exclusive Chinese New Year feature : Qu Leilei one of the founders of the Stars Art Movement which changed Chinese art forever!
A coup for Chinese New Year! Exclusive interview for Oxfordshire Limited Edition with one of the founders of the Stars Art movement the courageous Qu Leilei. Ai Weiwei, Ma Desheng, Wang Keping and Li Shuang are among his fellow Stars.
Talking about Brushstrokes in Time and Oxfordshire Limited Edition on Local TV
Chatting with Eve Ahmed and Linora Lawrence on That’s TV’‘s Talk Oxford. As well as talking about Brushstrokes in Time, we promoted our friend Gina Clay’s lovely and useful book 'Don't let them tell you how to Grieve' which I
News from Oxtopia: Eminent entomologist names rare butterfly ‘Sylvia Vetta’, a message from Brian Aldiss and an inspirational project led by Charlotte Bannister Parker.
As well as inviting local castaways to the launch of Brushstrokes in Time on February 2 at Blackwell’s in Oxford @ 6.45pm (free but booking preferable.) I inquired about life on Oxtopia. This was TV naturalist Dr George McGavin’ssurprising reply. “I
Here is the cover of Brushstrokes in Time. The book is almost ready to go to print!
I've just received the front and back cover of Brushstrokes in Time and I'm feeling rather emotional. 10 years in the making and it really is happening! Claret Press are being brave in publishing my novel set in China and
Syndicated reviews
Newsquest have syndicated a lot of the reviews listed below. Here is one of them. Maybe it is down to my Cornish heritage but I loved reviewing this exhibition. http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/history_heritage/8958121.Alfred_Wallis_and_Ben_Nicholson__Compton_Verney/ Until recently I wrote two reviews a month for Weekend
Brushstrokes in Time
Brushstrokes in Time OLE I am grateful to editor Tim Metcalfe for commissioning this feature titled Brushstrokes in Time after my novel which Claret Press will publish in early 2016. Its origin was extended interviews with the artist Qu Leilei.
Why and how did I become interested in China?
Pictures: Qu Leilei and I outside his childhood weekend home in The Summer Palace, The Stars March to Tiananmen Square (1979) Right:Weimin He's picture at the ROQ site inspired by my poem An Artist Observes .Castaway No
A portrait of an epic life: my profile of Star’s Art Movement founder Qu Leilei. Fellow Stars artist Ai Weiwei is coming to the RA!
Remembering interviewing one of the five founders of The Stars Art Movement (Beijing 1979), Qu Leilei. My first profile of him was published in The Oxford Times on June 24 2005.