My husband, Gavin Serkin, has just published his first book, Frontier: Exploring the Top Ten Emerging Markets of Tomorrow.
It’s a travelogue-style diary of his journey across four continents with some of the world’s top performing investors. As a journalist by profession, he also probed the darker side of the countries he visited. He encountered violent police corruption in Nigeria, was detained by police for taking a photo of a man lying motionless on the ground by a security checkpoint in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and he witnessed a beheading in the middle of the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Among the book’s rave reviews, the Financial Times said “Serkin certainly set the standard with Frontier” – a “must read.”
The book – and the praise it received – has opened my eyes to the huge pool of literary and artistic talent in our midst.
Among Whitstable’s eclectic cocktail of artistic events is the WhitLit series of interviews – one featuring the veteran war correspondent Kate Adie. This is a group of incredibly gifted writers, meeting to share their ideas and experiences.
Kate, the BBC’s chief news correspondent for 14 years, was shot twice – once Tiananmen Square in her elbow and once in her collarbone by a Libyan. Her talk ties in with an art exhibition at the Horsebridge by fellow correspondents Triona Holden and Susan Stein looking at women on the frontline – a statement of the feminine response to war.
My introduction to the group came from a friend and fitness instructor, Whitstable’s Ted Bassett-Myers, whose wife, Sue, just happens to also be a burgeoning author. At the Phoenix Tavern in Faversham, the publican doubles as the organizer of the London Press Club. Even the man selling coffee at Whitstable station doubles as a hugely impressive literary agent.
This is the mix that makes Whitstable such a unique creative hub. Tweet me @julesserkin .Tune in to my shows @SCOFFQUAFF food & drink show for Kent every Tuesday live 11-12 & 1pm @businessbunker with me & @vanillaweb on www.channelradio.co.uk
Attend free business networking : www.kentbusinesstweetup.co.uk@kenttweetups
