Excellent news about the fab Proof Social but Kennington is NOT a SUBURB but is the site of a world championship
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24256468.oxford-bakery-named-among-best-bakeries-britain/
Excellent news but I object to my village being called a SUBURB by the Oxford Mail! Oxford would love it to be but Kennington has always resisted the take over. My whodunit, Current of Death is inspired by the VILLAGE where I live. In my foreword I describe it thus,
‘It’s an independent sort of place somewhat dwarfed by its famous neighbours. To the north lies academic Oxford with its dreaming spires overshadowing the town with its multicultural east and Cowley car factory where Harry King, the protagonist of my novel Sculpting the Elephant, grew up. Abingdon, which claims to be the longest inhabited town in England, is a few miles south of Kennington. Being overlooked means that villagers have got on with their lives without obvious interference.’
Proof Social Bakery is a perfect fit for the independent culture of the VILLAGE of Kennington. That is why Proof Social appears in Current of Death and why I had a launch there. Round and About magazine covered it and got it right!
It is also the location of a World Championship!!! See below. Proof Social will serve coffee there this year!
Afterwards some of the kind people who attended went with me on a walk to some of the sites in the book . 
Chris Patten – last night’s moving farewell Chancellor’s event and why I appreciate his generosity of spirit .
In February, Chris Patten announced that he will retire as Chancellor of Oxford University. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-02-05-lord-patten-barnes-announces-his-retirement-chancellor-university-oxford So the Chancellor’s event last night was an interview with him. https://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/literature-events/2024/march-18/chancellors-lecture-from-china-to-the-middle-east-and-ukraine-a-world-in-turmoil
I was moved for many reasons by last night’s interview. He was asked to give advice to young people. I’m summarising it as .
The Three C’s
Be Curious
Be Courteous
Have Courage
He added, ‘Don’t do something just for the money.’ Chris Patten has lived by those values. I’m not a Conservative but remembering the likes of him and Rab Butler, who was Chris Patten’s inspiration, and John Major and Michael Heseltine, who gave tribute to him, I long to return to their example of good manners in political life. Rab Butler’s advice to Chris Patten was to place more value on ‘generosity than efficiency’.
Chris Patten showed generosity towards me, a freelance writer, by allowing me to cast him away on Oxtopia for The Oxford Times . He squeezed 30 minutes for me into a hectic schedule. I wrote up his early life to the point where he lost his seat in Bath and asked him to approve that, so in our 30 minutes we could concentrate on China and Oxford.
He said the years in Hong Kong were the best five years of his life. Last night he described how the city he loves is in handcuffs. I share his interest in China. When I interviewed him , I was writing Brushstrokes in Time . In 2014, China had been changing for the better but just as civility and rationality in British politics has gone down the pan , a dark cloud of oppression looms over China. Brushstrokes in Time was based on real events inspired by the life of the Stars Artist Qu Leilei who I interviewed every month for three years. My novel ended with hope. In these dark times, the chancellor has a refreshing quality – a sense of humour.
This quote is from my memoir Food of Love Cooking up a Life across Gender, Class and Race.
‘When I interviewed Chris Patten, the Chancellor of Oxford University, I asked him, ‘What would he, when a student at Oxford, have said if told he’d one day become the Chancellor?’ He shrugged and said that he would’ve suggested the speaker was high on marijuana!
If middle-class Lord Patten of Barnes’s future was so unexpected, how much more so was mine? Women were second-class citizens and working-class women were at the bottom of the pile.
Here is his castaway feature : Chris patten
What does the world hold in store for us in 2025? Three quarters of the world’s population is now led by leaders who think of themselves as demi-gods. Who would have predicted that even the Netherlands would have joined that club? Global warming is the most important issue facing humanity but the likes of Putin, Trump and Netanyahu care not a jot about that issue. So the question is
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Chris Patten says he will continue to write. I would love him to write on that issue because he has a grounding in history, unique in depth life experiences and the wisdom , generosity and open mindedness to make a fine job of it. He also has access to the world’s best brains.
WOW! Michael Rosen has endorsed Cosmic Cats – a project of love in a hate filled time .
The former children ’s laureate , Michael Rosen has endorsed Cosmic Cats on his Facebook and Twitter accounts . Feel the force of fifty children’s voices. Recognise the bravery of turning an empty page into a living story and celebrate how art and story-telling brings together young people who live continents apart.
Cosmic Cats is live on Amazon Kindle now.
The anthology contains stories by 24 children from Mumias school in west Kenya & 24 from St Swithun’s Primary School in my village of Kennington in Oxfordshire. Cosmic Cats celebrates the collaboration between the two communities to create the first community library in the west Kenya district in Musanda next to the Nasio Trust’s Health Centre.
Cosmic Cats will be its first book so the children will know they belong there. We’re launching it with a zoom connecting the schools for World Book Day. African born illustrator, Korky Paul, designed it for me and I’ve paid the publishing costs so the sales will go to https://www.thenasiotrust.org/towards the library.
I was privileged to interview Michael, when I wrote for The Oxford Times. I cast him away on Oxtopia so his story is in Oxford Castaways 2. Click here to read Michael’s story written by me. Michael Rosen
I also quoted him in a chapter about saving libraries on Food of Love Cooking up a Life across Gender Class and Race – my memoir endorsed by journalist Yasmin Alibhai Brown, Professor of History Rana Mitter and the poet, Sudeep Sen.
Michael Rosen, the famous children’s author, was the curator of stories at the Story Museum when I cast him away on Oxtopia. He told me that the evidence from everywhere in the world is that children who read for pleasure, do well academically. They find a lifelong friend in books. My story is evidence of the role they play in social mobility for kids whose parents can’t afford to buy books.
I wouldn’t have passed my 11+ and enjoyed the life I’ve had without access to Luton Central Library. That’s why I’m passionate about libraries and so are Michael and Korky! The role of libraries in upward mobility is much under estimated #worldbookday #libraries
Oxford: Murder Capital of the World?
Avert Your Eyes….
At the Oxford Indie Book Fair on November 26, I have the delightful opportunity to discuss Oxford-murder capital of the world?
Odd to link ‘delight’ to ‘murder’? Crime fiction is the most popular genre so,unless the reading public is masochistic, we must get pleasure out of reading it. One of the appeals is that it enables readers to confront their fears knowing that justice will be done. In real life that rarely happens. Chris Andrews Publications has produced Oxford guidebooks, postcards and gargoyle photography for forty years. He knows this city inside out and from above and below. Chris will chair the discussion between me and prolific Oxford crime writer, Peter Tickler. I feel like an interloper because Current of Death is my first whodunit but other life experiences mean I can bring something unique to the table. In Oxford, I’m best known for the ten years I sent inspirational people from Town, Gown and County to my mythical island of Oxtopia. The Oxford Castaway life stories were first published in The Oxford Times before being turned onto three books. One of those castaways was the crime writer Colin Dexter, who invented Inspector Morse. Colin holds most responsibility for public awareness of carnage in our city. His Morse books were turned into an internationally successful TV series followed by Lewis and Endeavour. I hope to tell the audience how he managed to write most of the Morse books while working fulltime at the Oxford Delegacy-at least what he told me.
There’d often be four bodies per episode in Morse books . In Current of Death, I fail miserably because there are only two bodies. The number of recorded murders in Oxford, in 2022 ,was TWO – hardly the murder capital of the world! We are not talking FACT but FICTION. Conan Doyle set the ball rolling with Sherlock Holmes based in Baker Street in London . Dorothy Sayers was born in 1893. Her father was headmaster of Christchurch School (Oxford). Her mystery novel Gaudy Nights locations include Christ Church and St Cross Church and Balliol was her sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey’s alma mater. That mystery crime book didn’t, however, include a murder, so Dorothy is not responsible for the death count but, before long, the list of deadly crime mysteries set in Oxford grew and grew.
The outstanding crime writer , PD James, was born in Oxford and although she didn’t set her books in the city, she transplanted some buildings such as St Barnabas Church into her novels. In a different life, she was my customer at the Jam Factory. When her success grew, she bought a house in St John Street and furnished much of it at the Jam Factory ( 1987-1998). One of the things she bought from me was this watercolour set in Teignmouth with Edwardian ladies in bustles and bathing machines.
The Jam Factory was a place people came to browse and chat at leisure so Phyllis and I enjoyed many interesting conversations – one in particular was not about her murder mysteries but about her dystopian novel Children of Men – but that’s for another day
Colin Dexter was a patron of the Oxford Writers Group. He generously read our short stories including mine.
I hope you can make it to the Oxford Indie Book Fair: and our discussion, 
The Fourth Oxford Indie Book Fair: Exciting event in a great venue – November 26
Andy Severn of Oxford eBooks organised a book fair in the village where I live. I encouraged author, architect and founder of the Isle of Wight festival, Ray Foulk and publisher James Harrison to have stands. We felt the idea was fantastic but that it needed to be located in the Hollywood of Stories – Oxford!
The first OXIB fair was all set to go in April 2020 and, like everything else it was cancelled due to Covid. Eventually it took place in Nov 2021. It was a success (see pics on the oxib website). People were still nervous of being in a crowd so we concentrated on raising awareness among writers and soon had a long waiting list for exhibitors. We had tapped into a need. When the big literary festivals began they catered for international, national and local authors but gradually the local has diminished. Small traditional publishers like my publisher, Claret Press, don’t get a look in no matter how interesting their books.
It’s tough finding an agent to get to access to the big publishers so more and more people are self -publishing using companies like Oxford eBooks and Oxfordfolio. I have just used Oxford eBooks to self -publish my first Whodunit. Claret Press doesn’t publish the genre and I didn’t want to wait to find another publisher. Current of Death is set where I live and, even if it doesn’t get read internationally, it will be popular locally. The first launch will be at the Fourth Oxford Indie Book Fair on Sunday Nov 26 at the Oxford University Examination Schools. With prolific publisher ,Chris Andrews, and prolific local crime writer, Peter Tickler, I’ll discuss Oxford Murder Capital of the World?
DO come… it’ll be fun. The fair is double the size of last year. See the exhibitor directory. https://www.oxfordindiebookfair.co.uk/exhibitor-directory/
There is something for everyone of all ages. It’s free and the talks are free.The Examination Schools are not open to the public and it’s an impressive building.
Here is where I’ll speak in front of a small screen!!
Programme here. https://www.oxfordindiebookfair.co.uk/whats-on/
If you like the idea of our free welcoming and inclusive event do please share my post.
Ray Foulk
We met at a screen writing course at Oxford University Continuing Education and I was privileged to compere two of his book launches . I love the sketch my friend Weimin He made of the launch of Stealing Dylan from Woodstock.
Picasso’s Revenge was in the Museum of Modern Art.
My first connection with James Harrison (Oxfordfolio) was at a similar time. I wrote for the Oxford Times for 20 years. My ten year popular Oxtopian castaway series was turned into three books. Oxfordfolio published Oxford Castaways 2 and 3. Dwina Gibb paid the printing costs of OC3 so the proceeds went to Sobell House . We raised over £3,600 for the hospice)
Felicity Dick has become generous patron of the Oxford Indie Book Fair and also paid for OC2 in support of the world’s first hospice for people with terminal mental illness –Vale House. As E.M Forster said
Only Connect .
Current of Death out as an Ebook!
My first novel Brushstrokes in Time is set in China and the USA, Not so Black and White (with Nancy Mudenyo Hunt) is located in London and west Kenya and Sculpting the Elephant in Oxford and India. My fourth novel, launched this week as an eBook, couldn’t be closer to home. It’s set in the village where I live one and a half miles from Carfax at the heart of Oxford. Flowing through the city to Iffley, Kennington, Sandford , Radley and Abingdon is the River Thames. Its beauty and force of nature flows through the narrative.
A few reviews of CURRENT of DEATH
Peter Tickler: Author of The Oxford Murders
Dodgy goings-on, slippery developers, slavery, and Extinction Rebellion all feature in this crime novel in which Sylvia’s passion for her home village shines through.
John Argyle: Chairman of the Friends of Kennington Library and volunteer lock keeper.
A gripping murder mystery set on the River Thames, Current of Death might be a first venture into the crime genre from a very talented writer, but I hope that it isn’t the last.
AndyFFrench of the Oxford Mail
‘Sylvia Vetta has been exploring Oxford’s waterways for many years so she is perfectly placed to imagine dark deeds in a village she knows well.’
Andy knows that because I have written up family river walks for his paper. This one passes key places in Current of Death. It has pictures!
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19452310.enjoy-circular-family-walk-around-kennington-sandford/
My main characters are more diverse that is usual in the genre. I do hope you like them. If you do, I have a sequel in mind! Please let me know.The print preview has arrived.
The first launch will be at the Oxford Indie Book Fair which I help organize. It is proving popular so we have moved to bigger premises the Oxford University Examination Schools. That means we have doubled in size. (See Exhibitor Directory on the website.)#oxfordindiebookfair https://www.oxfordindiebookfair.co.uk
The fair will be opened by the inspirational new Vice Chancellor, Professor Irene Tracey CBE FRS BMedSci, who grew up and was educated in the large village of Kidlington to the north of Oxford. With the exception of a few years at Harvard Medical School, she has spent her career in Oxford. She was Warden of Merton College from 2019-22 and is also Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.
Here is a pic of where I will launch the paperback. DO COME –Its free and fun and in a fascinating building. Something for all ages including lots for families, fiction, non- fiction ,poetry, illustration, comics , free talks and more.
The Friends of Kennington Library have an entertaining Murder Mystery Event to launch it in the village
See poster.Murder Mystery
To buy copies of Oxford Castaways 2
Go to
http://www.oxfordfolio.co.uk
and click on the cover image.