And perhaps in that big, beautiful universe theres someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart. Join us for an unforgettable evening with Cecelia Ahern the international bestselling author of PS, I Love You , Where Rainbows End , and Roar . Were thrilled to welcome Cecelia to Penarth Pier Pavilion to discuss her tender and timely new novel Paper Heart a luminous exploration of isolation, resilience, and the quiet bravery it takes to step back into the world. Paper Heart: Pips world is small. But its about to become a whole lot bigger. For years shes tucked away her dreams, shrinking herself into the space left behind like the delicate origami she creates alone in her room. Then hope comes from an unlikely place: an astronomer from the local observatory. He teaches her to look up at the stars, and to see a world far bigger and more beautiful than she ever imagined. And perhaps in that big, beautiful universe theres someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart. Pip never stopped dreaming, but now its time for her to live and maybe even to fall in love. ★★★ Cecelia Ahern is beloved by women across the globe for her utterly original and imaginative storytelling. Her novels cut to the heart of what matters to her readers, underlining her novels with searing social commentary on the pressures of modern life. With tenderness and insight, she offers a roadmap for how to overcome hard times. Its no wonder that she has captured the hearts and minds of millions of readers. Cecelias debut novel PS, I Love You was an international bestseller and was adapted to film starring Hilary Swank. Her second novel, Where Rainbows End , was adapted into Love, Rosie starring Lily Collins. Her books have been published in over thirty-seven languages, and have sold over twenty-five million copies. In addition to her novels, she is also the author of a highly acclaimed collection of stories, Roar , which is now an Apple Original series starring Nicole Kidman on Apple TV+. Wednesday 3 September | 7.30 pm Penarth Pier Pavilion, The Esplanade, CF64 3AU Tickets: 25.00 including a signed hardback copy of 'Paper Heart' (RRP 20.00) / 10.00 Event Only / 5.00 Student Ticket / 5.00 Inclusive Ticket Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event. There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available.

Following the award winning success of 'Its a Wonderful Life' & 'Miracle on 34th Street' Red Herring Theatre return with A Christmas Carol. We bring the Charles Dickens Christmas classic to life as a live 1940's radio broadcast, complete with vintage commercials, the magic of live sound effects and musical accompaniment. A group of 'RHTC' actors transport you to 1940's New York and take you on a thrilling journey as three ghosts teach Ebenezer Scrooge the true meaning of Christmas. A perfect Christmas treat for all the family.

Poetry meets performance in this intimate evening marking the release ofSophie Buchaillardsdebut collection, Painting Over the Cracks. Blending personal experience with poetic insight, Sophies pamphlet traces a journey through trauma, motherhood, and healing, where community, friendship, and creative expression offer ways to mend what lies beneath the surface. Sophie will be joined by special guests: award-winning poet Mab Jones and folk singerSiobhan McCrudden. Together with these three artists, we invite you to a night that celebrates resilience and the strength found in sharing stories. ★★★ Painting Over the Cracks is novelist Sophie Buchaillards poetry debut. Inspired by her life, this pamphlet explores the healing power of expression, friendship, and community in overcoming trauma.Split into four chronological sections, the pamphlet travels from the anxieties of a single mother to memories of buried traumas and how unspoken shame has a way to colour every interaction, fraying family ties, and making it hard to fully engage with the world. Poetry, here, becomes a means of articulating the unspoken, claiming back a sense of community, and recognising the strength that comes from friendship without judgment. Sophie Buchaillard: Sophie is the author of two novels and a dozen essays. Her second novel, Assimilation , was described by cultural critic Jon Gower as thriller meets magic realism. Her first novel, This Is Not Who We Are , was shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award and the Wales Book of the Year. She has written extensively about the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda and also contributed essays to three collections: Womans Wales? about women and devolution; An Open Door: New Travel Writing for a Precarious Century , about modern travel writing; and the COVID-themed collection Together and Apart . After attending the Hay Festival in 2023 as a Writer at Work and benefitting from the mentoring of inspiring poets, she went home and exclusively read poetry for a year. Not knowing what she was doing, she simply wrote, exploring family relationships at first, letting herself being led by the words. In that sense, she fell into poetry, and poetry wouldnt let go. Painting Over the Cracks is the result, a debut pamphlet about the healing power of expression, friendship, and community in overcoming trauma - its title poem was shortlisted for the International Bridport Poetry Prize in 2024. Mab Jones: Mab is a multi-award-winning writer and performer whose work spans the UK, US, France, Ireland, and Japan. Her poetry collections include 111 Haiku for Lockdown , The Land That Grew Me (Selcouth Station Prize winner), Yubitsume , Poor Queen , and the recent mythological wetlands memoir Bog Witch . She has written for The New York Times , presented BBC poetry programmes (including two Radio 4 Pick of the Week choices), and taught at Cardiff University. Mab has received accolades including the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry, the Aurora Prize, and a Creative Wales Award. Siobhan McCrudden: Described as a singer who is gifted with one of the finest voices in contemporary UK folk music, Cardiff-based Siobhan crafts songs of intensity and sweetness, recounting personal stories whilst reflecting a vivid fascination with dark folk tales and superstitions. Raised in London to parents with Scottish and Irish roots, her vocal leanings reflect early memories of folk musicians at family gatherings and a strong desire to connect with these emotive beginnings. ★★★ Wednesday 15 October | 7.30 pm Penarth Pier Pavilion, Penarth Tickets: 15.00 including a SIGNED copy of Painting over the Cracks (RRP: 10.00, paperback) / 10.00 Event Only / 5.00 Student Ticket / 5.00 Inclusive Ticket Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event. There are a limited number of Event Tickets avaialable