In conversation with Alumna Victoria Hislop and the TGS Writer in Residence Dan Abnett - Come and hear two award-winning writers in conversation about why reading still matters in a world of ever-decreasing attentions spans.

26th March 2025 | Mitchener Hall | 6.00 – 8.30pm | maximum number of tickets: 3

As the culmination of ‘Reading Matters March’, a month-long celebration and exploration of reading at TGS, you are invited to join us to hear Dan Abnett and Victoria Hislop in conversation.

Hosted by our Year 12 English Subject Ambassadors, this perhaps unconventional pairing, promises to be both entertaining and thought provoking. Both authors are extremely well respected in their very different approaches to storytelling, come with a wealth of experience both academic and practical, and are very keen to discuss our central question ‘Why does reading matter?’ with our students and wider school community.

The event is open to students, parents and alumni. Please complete the online form in order to secure your place. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Any seats still available on 1 March will be made available to our WKSATA school partners.

Dan Abnett studied English Literature at Oxford University, is a multiple New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning comic book writer.

He has written more than forty novels, including the acclaimed Gaunt’s Ghosts series, the Eisenhorn and Ravenor trilogies, volumes of the million-selling Horus Heresy series, The Silent Stars Go By (the 2011 Christmas Doctor Who novel), Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero, and Embedded.

In comics, Dan is known for his work on The Legion of Super-Heroes, Resurrection Man, The New Mutants, Nova, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Vertigo series The New Deadwardians. A regular contributor to 2000AD, he is the creator of series including Grey Area, Kingdom and the classic Sinister Dexter.

He also writes screenplays, and has written extensively for the games industry. He is published in well over a dozen languages and has sold millions of books worldwide.

Dan is the TGS Writer in Residence.

Victoria Hislop studied English Literature at Oxford University and afterwards worked in book publishing, PR and journalism.

During her time as a journalist, she wrote on education and travel for national newspapers and magazines and was sent on assignments around the world.

Inspired by a visit to Spinalonga, the abandoned Greek leprosy colony, Victoria wrote The Island in 2005.  She was named Newcomer of the Year at the British Book Awards and the novel became an international bestseller, translated into 40 languages, with over 6 million copies sold worldwide.  It was turned into a 26-part Greek TV series which achieved record ratings for Greece.

In 2019, Victoria was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Sheffield, and in 2020 she was given Honorary Citizenship by the Greek President for her promotion of Greece. She is a member of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (BCRPM)

In 2024 Victoria became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Victoria is a TGS Alumna and generous supporter of our library.

Do join us and share our pleasure in shouting from the ‘Hilltop’ that Reading Matters at TGS.