2013: Acting and Bell Ringing Awards: presentation dates to be announced.
24−25 May 2013: Lewis-Symposium, Bischöflichen Akademie des Bistums Aachen in the August-Pieper-Haus in Aachen. Suzanne Bray will be speaking on DLS and CSL. This conference is in German. See here for more details.
15 June 2013: Celebrate DLS’ birthday by visiting Canterbury and seeing live film of DLS herself, together with actors in costume from The Zeal of Thy House and The Devil to Pay. The day will include talks and an exhibition of archives. Members and their guests are welcome. Enquiries to info@sayers.org.uk.
2−5 August 2013: Annual Dorothy L Sayers Society Convention, Exeter. Members and their guests welcome: for information apply to info@sayers.org.uk.
2 November 2013: 2pm: AGM, St Anne's Soho., Further details to follow in due course. Members and their guests are welcome. Non-members are welcome to the talk after the business meeting at approximately 3pm − details and speaker to be advised later.
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.
Recent Events
27 April 2013: Visit to Summer Fields School, Oxford. Members and their guests only. Bookings to be taken by April 10th at latest. Write to info@sayers.org.uk for any further information and bookings.
7 April to 12 May 2013: 6pm: The Mind of the Maker at St Paul’s Cathedral. A series at St Paul’s Cathedral called “The Mind of the Maker”. The series is not about the life of Dorothy L Sayers, but the theme is something members of the Society might be interested in. The first and last sessions are centred around a celebration of the Eucharist, and the others consist of a conversation with a well-known speaker (one of the participants is the Society’s Patron, P D James). Each session starts at 6pm and will last about 45 minutes. Read more here.
28 March 2013: Annual Dorothy L Sayers Society Lecture: “Five Red Herrings and a at the library, Witham, Essex. Supper at Gimsons for Society members. All welcome to the lecture. More details here.
13 March 2013: Fifty Years in the Fiction Factory: The Working Life of Herbert Allingham, a talk by Julia Jones about her new biography of Margery Allingham’s father, as part of the Essex Book Festival. This event is supported by our sister society the Margery Allingham Society. More details here.
27 October 2012: Annual General Meeting at St Anne’s, Soho, London.
24−27 August 2012: Annual Society Convention at Somerville College, Oxford.
This will celebrate the centenary of DLS’ going into residence at Somerville.
Members and their guests only.
20 May 2012: Somerville College: Seona spoke to students at an evening event on focusing on DLS’ interest in music.
5 May 2012: Visit to the Mary Somerville Room at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.
30 April 2012: “Dorothy L Sayers as a writer”: a talk for Somerville College Arts Week, Oxford was given by Seona and Jasmine.
28 April 2012: Young Lady Ringer’s Award Presentation at Christ Church, Isle of Dogs.
19 April 2012: Presentation of the Actor’s Award at Shoreditch Town Hall at 5.30pm.
29 March to 1 April 2012: Left Coast Crime, Sheraton Grand Hotel Sacramento, California. For details see here.
7 March 2012: The Dorothy L Sayers Lecture was held in Witham Library as part of the Essex Book Festival. Martin Edwards was the speaker, on the subject “Dorothy L Sayers and True Crime”.
5 November 2011: Annual General Meeting at St Anne’s, Soho, London.
19 September 2011: Theology in Action − A Study Day to be held at the Michaelhouse Centre, Cambridge. This Study Day marks a number of events and anniversaries which occur this year: The 70th anniversary of The Man Born to be King and The Mind of the Maker, the 65th anniversary of The Just Vengeance, the 60th anniversary of The Emperor Constantine and the republication this autumn of The Sacred Plays by DLS with a new introduction by Professor Ann Loades (who played a full part in the Study Day). The title is a phrase used by DLS in her introduction to TMBTBK.
12−15 August 2011: Society Convention in Galloway.
The theme is Five Red Herrings.
Our meetings were held in the Mill on the Fleet in Gatehouse on Friday, Sunday and Monday and in Kirkcudbright on Saturday. We had a convention supper at the Murray Arms in Gatehouse on the Friday evening. On the Saturday morning there was a walking tour of Kirkcudbright led by David Steel with lunch in the Selkirk Arms and a bus tour of the wider area of The Five Red Herrings on the Sunday afternoon. A service was held in the parish church at Gatehouse.
Speakers included: Professor Paul Bishop on “Topography of the Novel”; Lawyer and Crime Writer Gillian Galbraith on “Legal Aspects of the Novel”; Claes-Göran Kaselli on “Love and Hate Amongst the Painters”; Euan Robson on “Charles Oppenheimer” and Seona Ford on “1941 in Witham”.
Members and their guests only.
2−3 June 2011: C S Lewis, his Friends and Associates: Questions of Identity. Conference held at the Faculté Libre des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Université Catholique de Lille, France.
7 May 2011: 2pm: Presentation of the Young Lady Ringers Award to Leah Gill at Tickenham Church, near Clevedon, Somerset, BS21 6AS.
31 March to 2 April 2011: 7.30pm: Busman’s Honeymoon. The Amateur Players of Sherborne mounted a production of Busman’s Honeymoon. This is the original Sayers/St Clare Byrne play, not a redramatisation from the novel, and was directed by Bev Taylor-Wade. Further information from Adrian Thorpe, The Cider House, Compton Park, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4QU or www.aps-sherborne.co.uk.
25 March 2011: Unveiling of the DLS Plaque at the Cathedral Hotel, Salisbury. A plaque commemorating DLS, the Godolphin School, and Lord Peter’s lunch (Whose Body?, in which the hotel is called the Minster Hotel) has been commissioned by the Salisbury Civic Society, and was unveiled at 12:30pm by Dame Rosemary Spencer DCMG.
24 March 2011: The Oaken Heart. This wonderful book by Margery Allingham about the village of Tolleshunt D’Arcy as it faces World War II was the subject of another Essex Book Festival lecture. This was prepared and presented by members of the Margery Allingham Society working with Tolleshunt D’Arcy Primary School and took place at the school.
24−27 March 2011: The Big Chile − Left Coast Crime 21. Held at La Fonda hotel, Santa Fe. More details here.
23 March 2011: The Dorothy L Sayers Lecture. The speaker was Peter Lovesey.
11 February 2011: Norah Lambourne’s 100th Birthday
28 January 2011: Presentation of The Norah Lambourne Young Theatre Designer’s Award to celebrate the 100th birthday of Norah Lambourne, one of the founder members of the Society.
13 November 2010: Annual General Meeting at St Anne’s, Soho, London. After the business meeting, the Young Actor’s Award was presented to Clare Chater by Sam Donovan (a previous award holder). They then both performed, with Natalie Wilson (Director of Theatre Centre), a scene from Love All. The Chairman’s report is here.
14−17 October 2010: Bouchercon. San Francisco, USA. More details here.
11 October 2010: Society Reception at the House of Lords. This private reception and tour celebrated the launch of Jill Paton Walsh’s new book, The Attenbury Emeralds, based on an idea by Dorothy L Sayers. Members only.
23−27 August 2010: A week of crime writing at Madingley Hall. The 16th century Madingley Hall, Cambridge is holding two courses dedicated to crime writing:
20−22 August 2010: Killer Nashville. Franklin Marriott Cool Springs Hotel and Convention Center, Nashville. Killer Nashville is a conference celebrating mysteries, thrillers, and other crime fiction. This year's event features more than forty separate seminars, workshops, lectures, and presentations over the course of three full days. The four-track format includes sessions on law enforcement protocols, forensic pathology, criminal psychology, writing techniques, and book marketing strategies, with a separate track geared toward fans. Guest of Honour: Jeffery Deaver.
13−16 August 2010: Annual Convention at the University of Nottingham. The theme of this year's convention was Aspects of Sayers. Speakers include Lynn Fotheringham and Margaret Hunt, and there was an art exhibition of members' work. Members and their guests only.
26 June 2010: Bell ringing Award Presentation. The award to Felicity Lister was presented at Bluntisham Church. All welcome.
13 June 2010: Birthday Lunch in Cambridge. This annual event marks the joint birthday of DLS and our President, Dr Barbara Reynolds. This year it was held in the Regency Room of the De Luca Restaurant in Regent Street, Cambridge. Members only.
24 March 2010: 7.45pm: Dorothy L Sayers Annual Lecture at Witham Library, Essex. Edward Marston spoke on Historical Detective Fiction, as part of the Essex Book Festival.
6 March 2010: 12.30pm: Presentation of Music Award to Joy Becker. The presentation followed a Concert and Reception at the Royal Northern College of Music.
24 March 2010: Extraordinary General Meeting. We held an EGM in Witham to consider and approve some minor changes to the Society Rules, to keep them in line with current best practice for charities. The old rules and the proposed amendments can be read here. The full notice of the EGM is in Bulletin 207. MEMBERS ONLY
21 November 2009: 9am-1pm: Creative Crimewriting Class, an intensive masterclass for budding crimewriters, led by Mike Ripley. The McCullum Room, the Swan Hotel, Lavenham, Suffolk. Cost £65, including refreshments and lunch and a written Reader’s Report. More details here.
31 October 2009: 2.15pm: Annual General Meeting at St Anne’s Church, Soho. After the business meeting, Dr Aoife Leahy spoke on Even the Parrot. The Chairman’s report is here.
22 October to 14 November 2009: Strong Poison at the Manitoba Theatre Centre. Frances Limoncelli's adaptation of Strong Poison opens at the Manitoba Theatre Centre on Thursday, October 22. Please see here for more information.
17 October 2009: Joint meeting with the Charles Williams Society at the Michaelhouse Centre, Cambridge.
4 September 2009: Visit to the College of Arms. Private visit, with a guided tour and optional buffet supper.
14−17 August 2009: Annual Convention at the University of Chichester, Bishop Otter Campus, including a visit to the Festival Play.
13 June 2009: Presentation of the Barbara Reynolds Award and Birthday lunch at the Michaelhouse Centre, Trinity Street, Cambridge.
11 May to 21 June 2009: Lifeline Theatre Presents Fourth World Premiere Adaptation of “Busman’s Honeymoon”. More details here.
16 April 2009: Lifeline Theatre’s Mystery3 production (and fund raiser) at the Cultural Center. Three authors have taken some Sayers short stories and written new endings they will be acted by the Lifeline Theatre actors. $100 apiece for this Benefit. Information from +1 773 761 4477. More details here.
21 March 2009: 2pm: Young Ringer’s Award to be presented by Dame Norma Major at St Mary’s Church Bluntisham.
11 March 2009: 2.30pm: Witham Library Essex Book Festival: Julia Jones [who also writes as Julia Thorogood] is to speak at Mersea Island Library on Margery Allingham.
11 March 2009: 7.45pm: Dorothy L Sayers Annual Lecture. Jointly with Witham Library and the Essex Book Festival. Laura Thompson will speak on Agatha Christie. Supper at Gimsons at 6 pm for those who have booked.
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.
1 March to 31 August 2009: Jack Rosenthal Memorial Short Story Competition. This new annual competition is to commemorate Jack Rosenthal, West End playwright, writer, director and producer of Coronation Street, and husband of Maureen Lipman. Entry fee £10: each entrant may submit up to four stories of up to 2500 words. First prize £1000. The organisers are also hoping to offer bursaries, and to print the winning entries in a book to be published by Bloomsbury. More details here.
8 November 2008: Annual General Meeting at St Anne’s Church, Soho. The guest speaker was the Artistic Director of Theatre Centre, Natalie Wilson. The Actors’ Award for 2008-09 was presented to Robert Solar by Sheila Mitchell.
8−11 August 2008: Annual Convention at University of Surrey, Guildford. There is a full review of this Convention in Bulletin 199.
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.
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.
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.
15 January 2008: 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.
4−6 January 2008: Sayers conference at Institut für Glaube und Wissenschaft, Marburg. Details at www.iguw.de.
17 December 2007: DLS’ 50th Anniversary. There were a number of commemorative events on the day itself:
15 November 2007: Concert of DLS’ Oxford words and music in Somerville College Chapel, Oxford.
3 November 2007: AGM at St Anne’s, Soho, London.
16 August 2007: “Dorothy Sayers in search of the ideal”. Margaret Wolfit spoke at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
10−13 August 2007: UK Convention at Girton College, Cambridge. We also held a convention at Wolfson Court, Girton College, Cambridge.
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.
29 March 2007: “A Dream within my Heart”. A concert in Witham of words and music by and associated with DLS.
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.
8 March 2007: Launch of a new edition of The Wimsey Family by C W Scott-Giles in Heffers Bookshop, Trinity Street, Cambridge.
1 March 2007: Opening of Essex Book Festival in Witham Library. P D James was interviewed on BBC Radio Essex, from the DLS Centre.
29 January 2007: A concert of readings and music celebrating Sayers 50 years on and 80 years of the Park Lane Hotel.
Copyright © The Dorothy L Sayers Society.
Registered Charity Number 272120