This was my first time at an NCLA event, having been ill last week and unable to attend. I met Melanie at the door, a key figure within the NCLA and the English Office. She was so chatty and pleased to see me which was lovely. We spoke about the upcoming event and she was shocked that I'd never been to an event in my time at university! She told me to step inside, grab some wine and start the work that I had been asked to do. Theresa had emailed me earlier that day with instructions on what I was to be doing at the event which centered on taking photos and social media.
I dropped my bag at the back of the room, claiming a seat and set to work taking some photos for the social media. It wasn't long until the event began and I took my seat and started posting about what was going on. I felt very rude for being on my phone during a performance, hence the seat in the very back corner, however I kept telling myself that this was what I had been asked to do and so I shouldn't feel ashamed.
The event was very interesting, with Sarah Moss, the author of Ghostwall giving a reading before sitting down with Sinead to discuss her work. They also brought on a man who specialised in creating replica artefacts in the region as he had greatly influenced and informed her work. As novels go, this one didn't quite sound like my cup of tea... It was about a family travelling Hadrian's Wall but doing so as if they themselves belonged in Roman times. However, all of those there that had read the book seemed to have enjoyed it!
Sinead did so well up on the stage interviewing Sarah, and as she told me afterwards, she actually found it really difficult to get anything out of her whatsoever! However I could not notice this and I was impressed by the way she handled the whole event.
Once the crowd had died down from Sarah signing books, I headed back out, running into Melanie again on the way out and I stopped to discuss the event with her. It got me thinking that I should make more of an effort to attend events in the future, particularly ones that I'm not working!