Our and Convention for members and their guests commences this Friday at the University of Chichester. Our speakers are: our President, Professor BJ Rahn, Simon and Lucy Brett, Alison Hall, Margaret Hunt, Jem Bloomfield, Liz Eddy-Mulcahy, Patrick Kidd and Jasmine Simeone. We will be going to see ‘Top Hat’ the musical at the Chichester Festival Theatre on Saturday Evening and attending Chichester Cathedral for the Sunday morning service.
The Dorothy L Sayers Annual Lecture given by Jane Casey
We were fortunate to hear author, Jane Casey, deliver the Dorothy L Sayers Annual Lecture at the Essex Book Festival. This event was open to all and was held in Witham Library. Jane gave an excellent lecture on the creation of series characters, referring to her own character, Maeve Kerrigan and to Lord Peter and Harriet Vane. Jane’s most recent novel, The Secret Room is the latest in the Maeve Kerrigan series. A full report of the lecture can be found in our July Bulletin. Non members can request a copy of the Bulletin here
Visit to the Bodleian Library Oxford
Members will be visiting the Bodleian Library in December to see an exhibition ‘Pets and their People’ which will include Dorothy L Sayers and her cats.
Applications invited to apply to the Inklings Project for fellowships
The Inklings Project is an initiative that aims to help college and university faculty create and teach their own Inklings-related courses, especially courses that focus on the works of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterton, and George MacDonald.
Under the University of Notre Dame's McGrath Institute, the Inklings Project is once again requesting applications from faculty at universities and colleges for our fellowship program. Each awardee will be named an Inklings Project Fellow for the AY25-26 academic year and, among other benefits, receive a grant in the amount of $1,500 for creating and teaching an Inklings-related course.
Applications are due July 1st. You can read more about the Inklings Project Fellowship and application requirements in the Call for Proposals. If you would be willing to pass along this opportunity to any faculty whom you think might be interested and/or include it in any upcoming newsletters or email distribution, we would greatly appreciate it. (I am happy to send you an additional small graphic that is made for newsletters and social media if that is helpful.) Those interested in applying can learn more at www.inklingsproject.org/apply.
Winter Zoom Talk
We were delighted to welcome Moira Redmond to speak to us for our Winter Zoom talk on 14th February. Moira runs a blog called ‘Clothes in Books’, with many crime novels of the Golden Age discussed. Moira took us through the DLS novels, discussing Harriet’s, Peter’s and other characters’ clothing. A full report will be forthcoming in the Society’s March Bulletin.
For more about Moira’s blog, see here
Below is the cover from a 1970s omnibus, sent to us by a member.
It's not too late to join us for 2025!
If you are thinking about joining us for 2025, it is not too late to join. The membership subscription runs from January to December. A digital membership costs £20 (less than that if you are under 25). So do join us. We’d love to meet you! More information here.
Winter Zooms now on!
Our Winter Zooms, online events for members and guests across the world, are now up and running for 2025. Please see our events page for the next meeting.
The Alliance of Literary Societies invites members of the DLS Society to its Christmas Cracker Celebration
18th December, 2024 at 7.00 pm GMT, via Zoom
Open to all members of the Dorothy L Sayers Society:
Join us for an online gathering of the Alliance of Literary Societies to explore a festive question: “What Christmas present would you give your author, and why?” Whether it’s a thoughtful gift inspired by your author’s quirks or something you know they’d love, this is your chance to get creative and celebrate Christmas in a literary way. Hear from fellow members, enjoy lively conversation, and discover surprising insights into the lives and personalities of beloved authors. We would like as many people as possible to speak during our one-hour and 30-minute event. If you would like a speaking slot of up to three minutes, please let us know; we will select speakers randomly and allot each up to three minutes. We also plan to record the speakers and share the recording after the event. Please confirm if you're happy to be recorded. The audience will not be recorded. Bring your imagination and seasonal cheer as we unwrap the perfect Christmas presents for our favourite literary figures!
Please register on the link below.
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsd-uppzIoGtd_SIVo_3OR-fax4wVK8KOA