Winter SoA Lates – hosted by Dean Atta
3 December @ 18:00 - 20:00 GMT
£9.50
Join us for our Winter SoA Lates for the chance to meet and mingle with SoA staff and fellow members, and hear from poet and SoA Member, Dean Atta.
We will be serving pizza and prosecco during this event (soft drinks will be available).
Places are limited and subject to availability. Please note that there will be limited seating at this event.
SoA in Person: SoA Lates events – £9.50 for SoA Members
All SoA in-person social events, Lates, Coffee and Chat and member lunch events are £9.50 for SoA members. Attendees will enjoy refreshments and the unique opportunity to network with SoA members and staff.
Not a member? sign up here with our special #SoAatHome offer and get 20% off for the first year using the offer code: SOAATHOME20.
Programme
- 6pm – Event starts
- 6.30pm – Welcome and introductions from SoA’s CEO, Anna Ganley
- 6.35pm – Grants & Prizes Administrator and Poetry and Spoken Word Group staff co-coordinator, Rose Hensher hosts a short in conversation with fiction and non-fiction writer, poet and screenwriter, Dean Atta (20 mins). Dean will share tips about his journey so far.
- 7pm – Mingling and networking
- 8pm – Close
The Line up
Dean Atta
Dean Atta (born 1984) is an award-winning Black British writer based in Ealing, West London. His heartfelt storytelling draws on his Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage as well as his queer identity. He writes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for all ages. For adults, his memoir, PERSON UNLIMITED: AN ODE TO MY BLACK QUEER BODY, earned praise from Michael Rosen as “wonderfully original.” His young adult novels in verse are THE BLACK FLAMINGO, ONLY ON THE WEEKENDS, and I CAN’T EVEN THINK STRAIGHT.
THE BLACK FLAMINGO won the Stonewall Book Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and Jhalak Prize. Malorie Blackman praised the book, saying, “I loved every word.”
Dean has also contributed to middle-grade anthologies HAPPY HERE: 10 STORIES FROM BLACK BRITISH AUTHORS & ILLUSTRATORS and the Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller BLACK BOY JOY: 17 STORIES CELEBRATING BLACK BOYHOOD. For younger readers, AUNTIE’S BANGLES is a moving, lyrical picture book about love and loss, and CONFETTI is a colourful celebration of love and life. Both are illustrated by Alea Marley.
Additionally, Dean is a screenwriter and executive producer of the stop-motion animated short film TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE, which was nominated for a BAFTA and a British Independent Film Award. TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE is adapted from Dean’s poem of the same name from his poetry collection THERE IS (STILL) LOVE HERE. TWO BLACK BOYS IN PARADISE is available to stream on Channel 4 On Demand in the UK and Ireland.
SoA Fundraising Bookshop
Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in our events programme. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.
Accessibility
Our Events space is located on the ground floor of our office. We have a wheelchair ramp at the side entrance of the building. We also have an accessible toilet by the side entrance.
If you have any access requirements, please email events@societyofauthors.org
Feeling unwell?
We recommend the following:
- Staying home if you’re feeling unwell or have flu-like symptoms
- Washing your hands when coming in from the outdoors and / or before touching your face
- Applying alcohol hand sanitiser (we will have these on site)
- We advise attendees to wear a face mask if they feel comfortable doing so
Tickets
£9.50 for SoA Members
Booking
Book your place using the booking from below. Places are limited.
Please read our event booking Terms and Conditions: https://societyofauthors.org/legal-privacy/event-terms/
Accordion Content
Access 20% off your first year of membership of the SoA with discount code SOAATHOME20
The Society of Authors is the UK’s biggest trade union for authors – representing more than 12,000 writers, illustrators, translators and other creative practitioners.
Our subscription rate is just £137 per year (£97 concessionary) which equates to just under £12 per month (or £8 per month concessionary).
As an SoA member, you’ll get:
- Access to all our #SoAatHome events for free including the Professional Development sessions usually charged at £35 from Feb 2025
- Access to all our Feel Good Friday and Industry Insider events which are usually charged £5 from Feb 2025
- Access all #SoAatHome Vimeo professional development recordings so you can catch up in your own time
- Access Unlimited one-to-one professional advice
- Membership of our online and real-world professional networks and special interest groups
- A range of member-only discounts, including books, insurance and travel
- And much more
‘It was a surprisingly lovely way to meet fellow writers in a friendly, warm surrounding perfectly hosted by the SoA staff. Thank you for all the introductions, the welcome and the nourishment!’ – attendee from SoA in Person: Autumn New Members’ Party 2024
JOIN NOW | PRICING
