Russ Barr writes character-led fiction with heart and soul, sometimes dark, sometimes funny, but always trying to scratch beneath the surface of the human condition.

His debut novel, War Inc., is a darkly comic story about our insatiable appetite for content, and people who turn chaos into opportunity. He is also the author of the short story Crybully, published in 2024.

His current novel, Ten-Pound Note, is set in 1990s London and follows a single imperfect ten-pound note as it passes from person to person, revealing a chain of connected lives, bad decisions and unexpected consequences.

Russ is drawn to flawed characters, broken systems and the absurdity that often sits just beneath the surface of serious things.

Pamela Roberts is an award-winning creative producer, historian, author and founder of Black Oxford Untold Stories, a cultural platform dedicated to uncovering, documenting and bringing to wider public attention the histories and contributions of Black scholars at the University of Oxford.

Through books, heritage experiences, talks, exhibitions, film and creative projects, Black Oxford Untold Stories creates new ways to encounter histories that have too often remained hidden or overlooked.

The new, substantially updated and extended edition of Black Oxford: The Untold Stories of Oxford University’s Black Scholars will be published in October 2026. Based on new research, it revisits the stories of Black scholars including Christian Frederick Cole, Britain’s first Black barrister, and Alain LeRoy Locke, intellectual architect of the Harlem Renaissance. It also highlights African and African American women, the contribution of the Windrush Generation, and a new generation of Black scholars and leaders at Oxford.

Pamela is also the author of The Adventures of a Black Edwardian Intellectual: James Arthur Harley. She has contributed to BBC History Magazine, academic journals and Oxford University Press reference works.

She is an alumnus of the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Historical Society.

“No-one has to live with chronic pain! In my book “Back in Charge” I relate my personal story of recovering from fourteen years of chronic back pain, after learning about the connection between mind and body. The journey of recovery I then pursued restored me to full health and quite simply transformed my life.
Determined to spread the message about this powerful method of healing I wrote “Back in Charge”, which blends a personal narrative with information from the relevant professionals, including Dr John Sarno, Dr Howard Schubiner and British physiotherapist Georgie Oldfield, founder of SIRPA. This gives the book wide appeal and an immediate readability. The text is often upbeat and humorous, and contains many pointers for readers who might also be suffering from chronic pain or other unexplained symptoms. There is hope, there is a way of healing and there is a pain-free life to be enjoyed and celebrated.

Back in Charge has featured in “Pain News”, the journal of the British Pain Society, and in “Saga” magazine. A video interview with Georgie Oldfield is available to watch on the SIRPA website.

I have also written a novel called “Debbie’s Memorable Year”, available from Amazon.

Information about the author
Elizabeth Reilly taught music and piano in London and the home counties. After retiring from full-time work she lived for seventeen years in Gloucestershire, where she started to write, before moving to Oxfordshire in 2021. She has a grown-up daughter and son.”

“Jason Brown is a children’s author and illustrator based in the Oxfordshire area.

His love of science fiction, fantasy and cryptozoology has inspired both his written and illustrated work. His self-published children’s book, Carl Loft and the Oover Monster, was a successfully funded Kickstarter project and a revised, second edition of his book is now available in a selection of local independent book shops in and around Oxford. Jason also brings his characters to life through arts and crafts events, selling themed merchandise and running interactive reading and drawing sessions at schools, community centres and local markets.”

I am a director, steering group member and volunteer of One Planet Abingdon Climate Emergency Centre located under the County Hall Museum in Abingdon Market Place.

We are implementing the climate and ecological emergency declaration made by Abingdon Town Council in 2019. We have adopted the ten principles of One Planet Living devised by Bioregional and serve Source Climate Change Coffee, the highest rated coffee by Ethical Consumer and home made cakes, soups and curries made from the best meat free ingredients.

After 5 years experimenting with volunteerism we have probably placed Abingdon on the top of the league of climate emergency centres coming out from behind the cakes to discuss the latest climate events and nature loss and recovery.

Last year we we received the prize from the Ridgeway Education Trust (the two senior schools and sixth form in Didcot) for ‘best employer’ for work in the schools on climate literacy and providing work at the CEC. We are not expecting to prevent bad climate events happening but the people in Abingdon might be more aware and prepared for the worst.

Born in Lancashire, Paul joined the British Army at 16 and served for thirteen years before leaving to pursue a career.

In 2022, Paul published his debut novel, The Stone of Radnor, a YA fantasy and the first in the Guardian of the Stone trilogy. He has gone onto to complete the series and in August of this year he published his fourth novel, a Fantasy / Sci-Fi thriller called The Emerald Passage.

Paul works full time as a cybersecurity consultant and aside from writing in his spare time, Paul enjoys country walks and helping his partner with her horses and ponies. He currently lives in Hampshire with his two teenage children and a very annoying cat.