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03th Nov 2011Lost and Found: Children, Adoption and Families
An event marking National Adoption Week and featuring two celebrated authors who have written compellingly about their own experiences of adoption. -
The experience of adoption is difficult for all sides of the adoption triangle but willing parents are still needed for the very many ‘children who wait’ in Britain today.
Jeanette Winterson is the author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985), The Passion (1987) and many other novels including two books for children, Tanglewreck (2007) and The Battle of the Sun (2009). She will be reading from her new memoir about her childhood and the effects of adoption in a creative life. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is published by Jonathan Cape on 27 October 2011.
Jackie Kay’s first book of poetry The Adoption Papers (1991) is an emotional account of her early life. More recently, she is the author of Red Dust Road (2010) – the story of finding her birth father and mother – and Fiere (2011 - both Picador), a book of poems coming out of that experience.
The event was chaired by Margaret Reynolds, Professor of English at Queen Mary, University of London, presenter of BBC Radio 4 ‘Adventures in Poetry’, and the author of The Sappho History (2003). She is also an adoptive mother.
Isobel Colchester conducted interviews with the participants which can be found on the audio page.
The event was held at the V&A Museum of Childhood.