Diary of the Writer's Wife Pre-Launch & Conversation

£12.00

Pre-Launch & Conversation

26 September 2026 · 2 PM
Oyez Arts, Altrincham
Book publication: 16 October 2026
Publication supported by Arts Council England

Diary of the Writer’s Wife is Tamara Forrest-Smith’s account of the first twelve months after the death of her husband, writer Alan Forrest Smith.

Moving between school runs, failed driving tests, books, unfinished manuscripts and decisions about how Alan’s work would evolve, the diary offers an insider view of the writer’s ecosystem after the writer is gone — while Tamara’s own work, ideas and life take shape alongside it.

For this intimate literary afternoon, Tamara will talk about the diary, the stories behind it and the rather peculiar world it records.

During this intimate literary afternoon, I’ll talk about:

How a diary becomes a book
Writing from observation and editing real-life material
The writer’s ecosystem — books, publishing and unfinished work
What happens when existing work is carried forward and allowed to evolve, and more

I am looking forward to meeting you soon.

Diary of the Writer’s Wife publication is supported by Arts Council England.

About Tamara Forrest-Smith

Tamara writes books for other people and publishes selected books. In the two years since Alan died, she has produced the first posthumous stage production of Alan’s work, established the Alan Forrest Smith Literary Foundation and, through the Foundation, founded the Altrincham Storytelling Festival, bringing Alan’s work together with writers, artists, performers and other creative talent.

Pre-Launch & Conversation

26 September 2026 · 2 PM
Oyez Arts, Altrincham
Book publication: 16 October 2026
Publication supported by Arts Council England

Diary of the Writer’s Wife is Tamara Forrest-Smith’s account of the first twelve months after the death of her husband, writer Alan Forrest Smith.

Moving between school runs, failed driving tests, books, unfinished manuscripts and decisions about how Alan’s work would evolve, the diary offers an insider view of the writer’s ecosystem after the writer is gone — while Tamara’s own work, ideas and life take shape alongside it.

For this intimate literary afternoon, Tamara will talk about the diary, the stories behind it and the rather peculiar world it records.

During this intimate literary afternoon, I’ll talk about:

How a diary becomes a book
Writing from observation and editing real-life material
The writer’s ecosystem — books, publishing and unfinished work
What happens when existing work is carried forward and allowed to evolve, and more

I am looking forward to meeting you soon.

Diary of the Writer’s Wife publication is supported by Arts Council England.

About Tamara Forrest-Smith

Tamara writes books for other people and publishes selected books. In the two years since Alan died, she has produced the first posthumous stage production of Alan’s work, established the Alan Forrest Smith Literary Foundation and, through the Foundation, founded the Altrincham Storytelling Festival, bringing Alan’s work together with writers, artists, performers and other creative talent.

Dear friend,

I suddenly found myself having all the time in the world to be quiet.

With no one to talk to, I became a silent observer. I just did not realise there was quite so much bizarre and strange to observe.

I started writing because I had no one to report back to about what I was observing.

So if an old acquaintance asked a rather none-of-your-business question, I felt compelled to write it down.

Someone mentioned that my observations were dark and funny. I’m not sure, but I wrote about everything from school runs and one too many failed driving tests to books, unfinished manuscripts and decisions about how Alan’s work would evolve without him — while my own identity was changing alongside it.

Those observations became Diary of the Writer’s Wife — a record of the first twelve months after Alan’s death through the things I saw, heard, did and decided were worth writing down.

This is a very personal launch of my book, Diary of the Writer’s Wife.

I wanted to enjoy sharing it, away from the pressure of deadlines and book-launch strategies.

So, if you are curious, join me for an intimate literary afternoon to talk about the diary, the stories behind it and the rather peculiar world of being the writer’s wife after the writer is gone.

Looking forward to meeting you in person

Tamara Forrest-Smith

The publication of Diary of the Writer’s Wife is supported by Arts Council England and is scheduled for 16 October 2026.

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