Crime writers Eva Dolan and Anya Lipska in conversation
From the menacing exploitation by gangmasters in the underworld of Peterborough to the close-knit, colourful Polish families in East London, immigrant communities provide the backdrop to two new, quite different, crime series.
Eva Dolan and Anya Lipska were invited to Felixstowe to explain how they have selected these distinct contexts for their respective storylines.
Sponsored by Arts Council England and the Polish Cultural Institute, the aim of the session was to explore what it means to be an outsider, and why, through their gripping and compelling plots, the two authors believe crime fiction is equipped to highlight issues facing modern Britain.
Unfortunately shortly after arriving at the venue the night before, Eva Dolan had to leave, so the event took place focusing solely on Anya's work.
The small wood panelled bar area of the hotel proved a comfortable venue. We had small leather armchairs on a dais with our backs to the leaded windows. The air conditioning proved noisy, though, and feedback on the microphones meant that we decided with a few minutes to go, to turn off the a/c and speak without amplification.
An audience of 20 people listened attentively as Anya talked of her experience as a tv journalist helping her to research her books, and how being married to a Polish stained glass artist gave her an 'in' to the vibrant Polish community in East London which has proved the inspiration to her books.