Katy Jones
BIOGRAPHY
I grew up near Bristol and first came to Manchester as a student of English Literature, in 1996. After graduating with a 2:1, I went on to work with adults with learning disabilities in the Manchester area for just over two years. During this period I began to write my first novel, entitled The Freak and the Idol. This is a sort of postmodern feminist fable about two very different young women who have internalized other people’s perceptions of them, which are based primarily on how they look. The narrative voice of the novel represents the cultural expectations which oppress these central characters, and which they hear as ’a voice’ in their heads. In November 2001 I gave up my job to become a full time writer and artist. I was then able to finish and redraft my novel and approach publishers with the manuscript. The Freak and the Idol was published by a small publisher called Bluechrome in July 2004. In addition to my work as an artist and the occasional short story (so far unpublished) I am now working on a second novel, set in a dystopian society. It exposes the superficiality of an excessively consumerist society and explores attitudes to ’outsiders’ such as the poor and people who are racially different. In part it is inspired by voluntary work I have done with asylum-seekers, refugees and the homeless in Manchester.
WEBSITE
GENRE
Literary Fiction
PUBLICATIONS | PERFORMANCE HISTORY
The Freak and the Idol (ISBN 1904781365) published by Bluechrome
WORKSHOP | READINGS EXPERIENCE","REFERENCE/S
I have experience of giving a reading and taking questions from the audience. I have also run a number of art workshops for teenagers and young adults, including literacy-linked workshops for a library
REFERENCE/S
Bluechrome Publishing
GROUP SIZE PREFERENCE
Any
GROUP AGE PREFERENCE
Any
WORKING LANGUAGE/S
English
AREA/S PREPARED TO TRAVEL
Any
OTHER INFORMATION
Availability generally good. As well as reading/writing events I’m very happy to be involved in art-oriented events.
Librarians in the North West have pioneered partnership working to encourage new readers into libraries. Time To Read is a partnership of librarians engaged in reader development activity in public library authorities in the North West Region. All 23 public library authorities in the region currently support Time To Read.