Jesse Blackadder guest author at Hurstville Library, Thursday 11 July @ 7pm

Spend an evening at Hurstville Library with author Jesse Blackadder who will introduce her new, highly acclaimed book Chasing the Light. Find out what sparks a writer's imagination when she reveals the historical facts and icy landscapes that inspired her to write her fictional tale of women who fought to join the early expeditions to Antarctica.
Open-sea whaling in the Antarctic boomed in the early 1930's and a territorial race for the mysterious continent between Norwegian and British-Australian interests was in full swing. For women though, Antarctica was a closed world. To find out more Jesse travelled to Norway where she discovered that the first woman to reach the Antarctica Peninsula was Ingrid Christensen, a 38-year old mother of six who travelled on a whaling boat four times in the 1930's with her husband, taking a female friend or two on each trip.
From this fascinating, but little known historical detail Jesse Blackadder has woven a tale of high adventure, exploration and whaling-fleets. Peopled with finely drawn characters and set in the brutally frozen world of Antarctica, the research behind this book is a fascinating story in itself.
Jesse Blackadder is an award-winning short-story writer and freelance journalist. She was awarded the Guy Morrison Prize for Literary Journalism in 2012 and the Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship in 2011/12, which enabled her to travel there for the second time on a six-week voyage.

Hurstville Library

cnr Queens Rd & Dora St, Hurstville

Thursday 11 July 2013 @ 7pm

Free event, bookings essential: 9330 6142

Book available for sale & signing