Talking Terror 2024: an M.R. James event at Gladstone’s Library - ONE PLACE LEFT

“If any of [my stories] succeed in causing their readers to feel pleasantly uncomfortable when walking along a solitary road at nightfall, or sitting over a dying fire in the small hours, my purpose in writing them will have been attained.” - M.R. James 

Join us at Gladstone’s Library on Friday 29th November and Saturday 30th November for our longest celebration to date of all things M. R. James.

A deliberately small event for M. R. James enthusiasts, participants will have the chance to discuss James’s life and writing with world experts and enjoy opportunities to read or write creatively.

For 2024 the line-up will feature not one, but two performances by Robert Lloyd Parry of Nunkie Theatre, with the Friday evening’s performance taking place in the Library’s Gladstone Room before an intimate audience of just 30 people.

Building on the outstanding event in 2023, we’re delighted to confirm the return of Jamesian experts Rosemary Pardoe (author, editor and long-time editor of Ghosts and Scholars, a M.R. James fanzine) and Ramsey Campbell (author of The Wise Friend and over thirty novels – three of which are now films). 

Joining them are Andy Sawyer (librarian, critic, and editor) and Darryl Jones (Professor of Modern British Literature & Culture at Trinity College Dublin). He has just put the finishing touches to the biography M.R. James, a Life: ‘For the Dead Remember’ (Oxford University Press) due out in 2025 and is currently working on his next book M.R. James and the Ghost Story Men: A Cambridge Tale (Cambridge University Press). 

With two ninety-minute panels, discussion is sure to roam over James’s considerable contribution to horror writing, not only in his own peculiarly British context but across the world.

We deeply look forward to welcoming back actor Robert Lloyd Parry (Nunkie Theatre – The M.R. James Project), who will be both panellist and performer. 

We’re also delighted to announce that for the first time, Talking Terror will include a creative writing masterclass led by award-winning writer and theatre maker Adam Z. Robinson. 

Join us in late November for this most atmospheric and unique of events… this will be a true one-off.

Rates:
Please note: places are strictly limited. Tickets prices include one night’s accommodation at the Library on Friday 29th.  

A single ensuite room is £390.
Double ensuite room, with both occupants attending the event, is £720. 

Participants can also join a writing masterclass for a small £10 supplement. Adam Z Robinson of the Book of Darkness and Light and the Ghost Story Book Club will lead the masterclass. Numbers are limited. The supplement will be added to your booking payment. 

If people wish to extend their stay to the Saturday night, we are offering a 30% discount on the cost of the second night (e.g., attendees can bolt on a single room stay on the Saturday night for £84). Please contact Reception on 01244 532 350 to arrange an extra night's stay. 

Please email [email protected] to book your place. Please include your full name, telephone number and details of your preferred room type.



The schedule: 

Friday 29th November  

• 3pm: Arrival and registration
• 4pm: Welcome to Gladstone’s Library with Andrea Russell, warden of Gladstone’s Library
• 5.30pm: - 6.45pm: Dinner (two courses plus tea or filter coffee - last orders 6.15pm) 
• 7pm: Exclusive candlelight performance by Nunkie Theatre

Saturday 30th November 

• Breakfast (from 8am)
• 9.30am – 11am: Panel 1: M. R. James and Women, with panellists Rosemary Pardoe, Darryl Jones and Ramsay Campbell, chaired by Louisa Yates, Director of Research and Collections at Gladstone’s Library
• 11am: Coffee break 
• 11.30am – 1pm: Panel 2: Spirituality in M. R. James, with panellists Robert Lloyd Parry, Andy Sawyer and Rosemary Pardoe, chaired by Andrea Russell
• 1pm: Lunch (two courses plus tea or filter coffee) 
• 3pm-5pm (approx): Workshops: Writing and Reading
  • Writing workshop led by Adam Z. Robinson (please note this requires an supplement of £10) 
  • Reading group started by Rosemary Pardoe
• 5.30pm – 6.45pm: Dinner (two courses plus tea or filter coffee - last orders 6.15pm) 
• 7pm: Public performance (Nunkie Theatre) – Theology Room - Separate tickets for people not attending the full two-day event are £20. The public performance is currently sold out. Email [email protected] to be notified of any cancellations.
• 9pm (approx): End and Depart 

Cover image by Shelagh Bidwell.

Please note, tickets cannot be refunded or used for another event if ticketholders are unable to attend. All ticket purchases support us to care for the Library building and the collections it holds. As a charity, Gladstone's Library receives no government funding, so all purchases, Gift Aid and donations, are deeply appreciated.

Please note that tickets for this event are e-tickets. Book online and have your ticket emailed directly to you.

You now have the option to save your tickets in your Gladstone Bag! For more information see here.

A print and collect service is available to those without access to email facilities for a small charge to cover our admin costs. Call 01244 532350 or email [email protected] for more information. Printed tickets will be available to collect from Reception before the event.