Description
Behind every public expectation is a private cost. In this compelling discussion, three acclaimed novelists explore how women negotiate the pressures of family, faith and community.
Chloe Michelle Howarth (Sunburn and Heap Earth Upon It), Claire Lynch (A Family Matter) and Hafsa Lodi (Turbulence) each write about lives shaped by scrutiny, tradition and control. Across different settings, their characters wrestle with belonging, truth, love, loyalty and identity under pressure.
Bringing together three distinct voices, this panel examines silence and visibility, resistance and compromise, and the tension between private lives and public expectations in contemporary fiction.
About the Authors
Chloe Michelle Howarth
Chloe Michelle Howarth is an Irish writer. She grew up in the West Cork countryside, and the landscapes, culture, and people of rural Ireland have served as an inspiration for her writing.
She first became interested in literature as a teenager, and in 2015, she moved to Dublin to study English, Media, and Cultural Studies in IADT Dun Laoghaire. During her time in college, she developed her love of writing, as well as performing and traveling. Chloe currently lives in Brighton.
Chloe’s first novel, Sunburn, was shortlisted for the inaugural Nero Book Awards in the Debut Fiction category; shortlisted at the British Book Awards in the Discover category, and shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize.
Hafsa Lodi
Hafsa Lodi is an award-winning journalist who has covered fashion and culture for more than a decade. She has a BA in Journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto and an MA in Islamic Law from SOAS, University of London. She writes frequently about the intersection of faith, fashion, and feminism, and her work has appeared in The National, The Independent, The Guardian, Vogue, Stylist, Glamour, Business Insider, and more.
Hafsa’s debut non-fiction book, Modesty: A Fashion Paradox, was published in 2020 and became a #1 Amazon UAE bestseller. Her first novel, Turbulence, became a #2 Amazon UAE bestseller in women’s fiction after launching at the 2026 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in January 2026.
Liz Flanagan
Liz Flanagan is an award-winning author from Hebden Bridge. When We Were Divided is Flanagan’s first historical novel for adults, following a distinguished career writing for children. Flanagan’s novels combine vivid landscapes, emotional depth and gripping storytelling. Having previously worked as a book editor and Centre Director for Arvon at Lumb Bank, Ted Hughes’s former home, Flanagan now teaches creative writing.
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