Ali Smith opens the Baileys Prize Book Bar

Last night in a rare appearance, the 2015 Baileys Prize winner Ali Smith opened our week-long takeover of Waterstones Tottenham Court Road’s basement book bar. In front of an intimate audience, Ali appeared in conversation with the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction co-founder and bestselling novelist Kate Mosse.

Ali discussed the inspiration behind her Baileys Prize winning novel How to be both, read an extract from her latest book of short stories Public Library to a rapt audience and also revealed her upcoming project – four books on the seasons named Autumn, Winter, Summer and Spring. We can’t wait to read them!

Ali on winning the Baileys Prize ‘it was like someone had put me in the basket of a hot-air balloon.’

Ali on writing: ‘You can’t do anything without a bit of knowledge, a bit of luck and blind faith.’

Ali on the importance of libraries: ‘I do not exist without the libraries which made me.’

Ali on writing novels vs short stories: ‘A novel wants to hoover up everything. It’s like a giant industrial hoover.’

Wish you were here? Take a look at the rest of our wonderful line-up of Book Bar events here.

Plus! For this week only, when you purchase one of the books on our 2016 shortlist, you’ll get a delicious Baileys Flat White martini, or a coffee and Baileys, absolutely free.

And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to get the latest news from the Baileys Prize Book Bar.

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