Em Strang and Emma Hinds chaired Suzi Feay

Debut novelists Em Strang and Emma Hinds talk about their first works and their approaches to writing, under the chairmanship of FT critic Suzi Feay.

Strang is an award-winning Scottish poet. Her first novel, Quinn, is a story about family and the limits of forgiveness. It features Quinn, serving a life sentence for a terrible crime against the love of his life, Andrea. As he nears his release, he receives a letter from Andrea’s mother inviting him to share her home. This seeming act of forgiveness hides more complex motivations.

‘Quinn explores the difficult territory of male violence towards women and raises questions about what we do with offenders who have committed heinous crimes. Is there any scope for healing the damage?’ Em Strang
Hinds is a queer playwright who focuses on untold feminist narratives. Her first novel, The Knowing, is a story about a girl fighting for her survival in the criminal underworld of 19th-century New York. The novel is inspired by real historical characters including Maud Wagner, one of the first known female tattoo artists, New York gang the Dead rabbits, and characters from P T Barnum’s circus.