DLS News

Forthcoming Events

Note that many of these events are only open to members of the Society, and there are other events which are not advertised here at all. Please join us to find out more!

Please note the following rule about Society events:

Unless special arrangements to the contrary are made in advance with the Society, the Conventions, Meetings and other events sponsored by the Dorothy L Sayers Society for its membership are open only to those who are members of the Dorothy L Sayers Society, the guests whom those members bring with them (subject to the limitations, if any, specified in the announcement of, or invitation to, a particular event) and those specifically invited by the Society. The Dorothy L Sayers Society regrets any inconvenience that these rules may cause, but they are essential in order to assure that the events sponsored by the Dorothy L Sayers Society run smoothly and without inconvenience to the membership and the institutions and venues at which the events are held.

We also occasionally advertise events not run by the Society, if they are of particular interest to Sayers scholars. Contact us if you are organising such an event which you would like to be listed here.

4-6 July 2008: Charles Williams and his Contemporaries.: A conference organised by the Charles Williams Society, St Hilda’s College, Oxford, UK. Details from charles_wms_soc@yahoo.co.uk.
Note that the deadline for papers is 11 January.
28 July – 2 August (Oxford) and 3-8 August 2008 (Cambridge): “Oxbridge 2008: The Self and the Search for Meaning”.: Sponsored by the C S Lewis Foundation. More details here.
8-11 August 2008: Annual Convention at University of Surrey, Guildford.: More details in Bulletin 197.
8 November 2008: Annual General Meeting at St Anne’s Church, Soho.: Guest speaker to be confirmed.
7-12 March 2009: Left Coast Crime: “Say Aloha to Murder” at the Marriott Waikoloa, Hawaii.: Guests of Honour: Rhys Bowen and Barry Eisler. Toastmaster: Lee Goldberg. Everyone who’s anyone will be there! Two contests. Win a free registration (or reimbursement of your fee) by participating in the Hawaiian Shirt Contest. Win a free book by one of the attending authors by answering a question. More details here.

Details of further plans under consideration will be announced as soon as possible as and when they can be confirmed, as will further information concerning the plans already advertised here.

Recent Events

25 February 2006: Celebration of the 30th Birthday of the Society. We celebrated the 21st in the Park Lane Hotel, the 25th on board HMS Belfast, and this time we were, appropriately, in Witham – where it all began.
22 March 2006: "Dorothy L Sayers – Her Life and Work", a talk by John Thurmer in the Clagett Auditorium, Canterbury, organised by the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral. For details, see the Friends' web site.
12 April 2006: The Annual Dorothy L Sayers Lecture: "After the Golden Age: Writing Then and Now", by Catriona McPherson (author of After the Armistice Ball), at Witham Library.
10 May 2006: Visit to Bletchley Park. There is a full report in Bulletin 186.
16 May 2006: Launch party for Dante, The Poet, The Political Thinker, The Man by Barbara Reynolds took place at the University Women's Club, 2 Audley Square, London.
1-4 June 2006: The Fifth Francis White Ewbank Colloquium on C S Lewis and Friends was held at Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, USA.
2-5 June 2006: German meeting at Ehreshoven, near Köln. Programme included: DLS and the German Language; DLS and karl Barth; Goyles in Germany; DLS and Goethe; Reading of The Devil to Pay (DLS' play on the Faust legend); Some thoughts on Unpopular Opinions; plus a half day tour of Köln and the Rhine. A full review appears in Bulletin 186.
13 June 2006: Joint Birthday of DLS and our President was held at Jesus College, Cambridge.
30 June – 27 July 2006: Dorothy L Sayers and the Stewartry Artists, an exhibition of descriptive panels, was on show at Mill-on-the-Fleet, Gatehouse of Fleet. On 19 July Dr David Steel gave an illustrated talk at the mill entitled "Dorothy L Sayers and the People of Galloway".
14-16 July 2006: Bluntisham celebration, including an exhibition, a concert, a talk, hog roast lunch, the ringing of the newly re-hung bells, and more, over three days.
4-7 August 2006: Annual Convention at the University of York. The programme included: Love, Marriage and Adultery: comparing the moral vision of DLS and Jane Austen; OP1; Charles Parker; Lady Mary Wimsey; The Political Context of Clouds of Witness; Cathcart's Books; Let Zion's Children; DLS in Hull; Wimsey in the Clouds; Forgiveness from Unpopular Opinions; a new re-enactment of the trial of the Duke of Denver; and the unveiling of a plaque in Hull, where DLS taught at the High School.
30 September – 1 October 2006: Gatehouse / Kirkcudbright celebration. For the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Five Red Herrings David Steel arranged a celebratory walking tour, from Gatehouse of Fleet to Kirkcudbright, as part of the Dumfries and Galloway Open Doors Weekend.
4 November 2006, 2.15pm: AGM at St Anne's Church, Soho, London, followed by a lecture by Barbara Reynolds on Anthony Fleming.
2007: Commemorating Dorothy L Sayers’ 50th Anniversary
29 January 2007: a concert of readings and music celebrating Sayers 50 years on and 80 years of the Park Lane Hotel.
1 March 2007: Opening of Essex Book Festival in Witham Library. P D James was interviewed on BBC Radio Essex, from the DLS Centre.
8 March 2007: Launch of a new edition of The Wimsey Family by C W Scott-Giles in Heffers Bookshop, Trinity Street, Cambridge.
28 March to 21 April 2007: DLS The Playwright. An exhibition of costume designs by Norah Lambourne in Witham Library, with photographs and reviews.
28 March 2007: The Annual Dorothy L Sayers Lecture by Simon Brett: "DLS, 50 years on" in Witham Library. The talk was preceded by a buffet for members and their guests.
29 March 2007: "A Dream within my Heart". A concert in Witham of words and music by and associated with DLS.
13-17 June 2007: Convention at Wheaton College, Illinois, USA. The Society held its second Wheaton convention this year, ten years after the first. The convention began on Wednesday 13 June, giving all present the opportunity to celebrate the annual DLS/Barbara Reynolds birthday with a banquet on the first night. For more details, see the full programme online.
10-13 August 2007: UK Convention at Girton College, Cambridge. We also held a convention at Wolfson Court, Girton College, Cambridge.
16 August 2007: "Dorothy Sayers in search of the ideal". Margaret Wolfit spoke at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
3 November 2007: AGM at St Anne's, Soho, London.
15 November 2007: concert of DLS’ Oxford words and music in Somerville College Chapel, Oxford.
17 December 2007: DLS’ 50th Anniversary. There were a number of commemorative events on the day itself:
- 11.30am at St Anne’s, Soho: the Reverend Michael Clarkson conducted a short memorial in the Tower Room where DLS’ ashes are buried. Barbara Reynolds spoke, and Sam Donovan gave a reading.
- 12 noon at the Statue in Witham: a short ceremony took place, focussing very much on her time in Essex. Many local organisations and dignitaries were present, including the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Witham, representatives of Essex County Council, Essex Libraries, and the Witham and Countryside Society. Mike Ripley spoke briefly, and the Reverend John Suddards, Rector of St Nicolas, Witham, concluded the ceremony with prayer.
- There was also the usual In Memoriam for DLS in The Times.
2008
4-6 January 2008: Sayers conference at Institut für Glaube und Wissenschaft, Marburg. Details at www.iguw.de.
15 January 2008 at 12 noon: Commemoration Service at St Margaret’s Westminster. This was exactly 50 years after the original memorial service. A full review was printed in Bulletin 195.
12 March 2008: Annual Dorothy L Sayers Lecture. This year the Lecture was given by Jim Kelly: “The Nine Tailors – the book that changed my life”. It was preceded by supper at Gimsons for members and friends.
13 June 2008: DLS birthday and launch of The Christ of the Creeds. This event was held at the Women’s Library (The Fawcett Library), London, with a celebration lunch afterwards.
15 June 2008: “A Good Work Well Done”. St Leonard’s Church, St Leonard’s Road, Bengeo, Hertfordshire, at 6:30pm. Suzanne Bray spoke on Dorothy L Sayers, and other members of the Society also took part. This is one of a series concerning Women’s Contributions to Anglicanism at St Leonard’s Church.