In July 2011 we collaborated with the Hong Kong Book Fair to invite renowned UK poet Wendy Cope to Hong Kong. Described as one of England's wittiest contemporary poets, Wendy will talk about her experience as a poet, what brought her to poetry and how this has inspired and developed her writing as well as how reading and writing helped her to understand herself at the Hong Kong Book Fair.

Friends of British Council (FOBC) has also organised an intimate evening event where Wendy will discuss how she began writing poetry and what inspires her work. Wendy will share her views on happiness, love and family and read a selection of her poems from past collections, as well as Family Values, her most recent collection.
Wendy will be in conversation with RTHK presenter Phil Whelan and there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. Copies of Wendy’s collections will be available from Dymocks at the event. Wendy will also be available for book signings.

Public talk at Hong Kong Book Fair 2011

			Topic:		Life, love and family in contemporary poetry
			Date:		21 July 2011
			Time:		4.30 p.m. – 6.00 p.m.
			Venue:		Seminar room S428 Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Wanchai
			Fee:		Free of charge
			Registration:		Register online here

An evening with Wendy Cope:

			Topic:		Life, love and Wendy Cope - an evening of reflection and recital with one of the UK's wittiest contemporary poets
			Moderator:		Phil Whelan
			Date:		22 July 2011
			Time:		6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
			Venue:		3/F British Council, 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong
			Fee:		Free of charge
			Registration:		Register online here

About Wendy Cope:
Wendy Cope was born in Kent, UK and studied history at Oxford University. Her first book, Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis, was published in 1986 and since then she has been a freelance writer, publishing three more collections of poems – Serious Concerns, If I Don’t Know, and, most recently, Family Values. She also writes for children and has edited several anthologies. Her work has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic and two of her books have sold more than 100,000 copies. She has been invited to read her work in many different countries, including Germany, Holland, Finland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Canada and the USA. She lives in Ely, a cathedral city near Cambridge. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours.