# Event Details - **Event Name**: An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves - **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 17 Oct, 2026 at 01:00 pm – Sat, 17 Oct, 2026 at 02:00 pm (+01:00) - **Event Description**: This autumn, Ann celebrates 40 years as a published author with the release of her 40th novel, The Dying Light.About this EventThis autumn, Ann celebrates 40 years as a published author with the release of her 40th novel, The Dying Light – a dark new mystery marking the return of Detective Matthew Venn.Join us at The Word for a special afternoon celebrating four decades of unforgettable crime fiction with Ann Cleeves for the 10th Anniversary of the opening of The WordThe Dying Light. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death. The body of a young woman has been found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home in North Devon, and her best friend is missing.The property, Tide House, belongs to Paul Armstrong – a rising political star; a fact that quickly draws intense media scrutiny. As a scorching heat wave rages and further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community brimming with secrets. The dead woman and her friend had been spotted at a nearby music festival the day before, an event which brought locals and outsiders together. Some of whom may have been more connected with the Armstrongs than first thought.Caught between a powerful family's secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn must navigate a treacherous path. Knowing that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silence that they keep . . .Ann Cleeves is the author of 40 critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV’s The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021, her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. In 2022, she was awarded an OBE for her services to reading and librariesAnn will be interviewed by James Routledge an award-winning bookseller with over a decade of experience connecting readers with new voices. He is the founder of Opt Indie Books, supporting small presses and bookshops across the UK, and hosts Books Unpacked, a podcast exploring the life-cycle of a book. In 2026, he joined Inpress Books as Key Accounts and Sales Manager, continuing to connect independent publishing with booksellers and readers nationwide. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/south-shields/an-afternoon-with-ann-cleeves/100001997584362602 - **Event Categories**: fitness, Art, literary-art, Entertainment, Festivals, Music, Sports, health-wellness - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 1 hour - Location: The Word, National Centre for the Written Word - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 8.83, max: 8.83, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: South Shields - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: The Word, National Centre for the Written Word - **lat**: 54.9971249 - **long**: -1.4385314 - **full address**: The Word, National Centre for the Written Word, Market Place, South Shields, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/d17d02e304747dd5d066c09085263b99b53ef0dec93b7626db22d5a01af586cf-rimg-w1200-h675-dcf8b8d8-gmir.jpg?v=1786535350 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves being held? - **A:** An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves takes place on Sat, 17 Oct, 2026 at 01:00 pm to Sat, 17 Oct, 2026 at 02:00 pm at The Word, National Centre for the Written Word, Market Place, South Shields, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves? - **A:** An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves is organized by The Word, National Centre for the Written Word. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "An Afternoon with Ann Cleeves", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/d17d02e304747dd5d066c09085263b99b53ef0dec93b7626db22d5a01af586cf-rimg-w1200-h675-dcf8b8d8-gmir.jpg?v=1786535350", "startDate": "2026-10-17T13:00:00+01:00", "endDate": "2026-10-17T14:00:00+01:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/south-shields/an-afternoon-with-ann-cleeves/100001997584362602", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "The Word, National Centre for the Written Word", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "Market Place", "postalCode": "NE33 1JF", "addressLocality": "South Shields", "addressRegion": "EN", "addressCountry": "GB" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "54.9971249", "longitude": "-1.4385314" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "This autumn, Ann celebrates 40 years as a published author with the release of her 40th novel, The Dying Light.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-08-12", "availabilityEnds": "2026-10-17T14:00:00+01:00", "validFrom": "2026-08-12", "lowPrice": "8.83", "highPrice": "8.83", "price": "8.83", "url": "https://allevents.in/south-shields/an-afternoon-with-ann-cleeves/100001997584362602" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "GBP", "availabilityStarts": "2026-08-12", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-08-12", "url": "https://allevents.in/south-shields/an-afternoon-with-ann-cleeves/100001997584362602", "price": "8.83", "name": "General Admission" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The Word National Centre for the Written Word", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/the-word-national-centre-for-the-written-word/22519834", "description": "The Word is a tate-of-the-art cultural venue in South Tyneside, brimming with exciting new experiences, activities and facilities for people of all ages to engage and enjoy." } ] } ] ```