The 2009 Orange Readers’ Day  was held in Birmingham, on Saturday 9 May, where a stellar line up celebrated the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers.

Chaired by Kate Mosse, bestselling author and Honorary Director of the Orange Prize for Fiction, Francesca Kay (An Equal Stillness) Joanne Harris (Chocolat, Coast Liners, Five Quarters of the Orange), Sadie Jones (The Outcast), Charlotte Mendelson (When We Were Bad, Daughters of Jerusalem), Joanna Kavenna (Inglorious), Clare Allan (Poppy Shakespeare), Diana Evans (26A) and Catherine O’Flynn (What Was Lost) provided fascinating insights into their work, the impact of literary prizes and – amongst other things – what makes for a great novel.

Listen to…

Kate Mosse chatting with…

… Joanne Harris and Francesca Kay

… Diana Evans and Joanna Kavenna

… Sadie Jones and Charlotte Mendelson

The Readers’ Day was organised by Orange, The Reading Agency, the West Midlands Readers’ Network and the Birmingham Book Festival.