Shakey, Mills&Boon and me

Sara Craven, Alycia Smith-Howard, Mez Packer and Annie Othen

Last week I had another invitation from the lovely Annie Othen to be a guest on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire’s Friday morning Coffee Club. The format is simple; three women, a surfeit of coffee and biscuits and a trawl through the headlines. It’s not exactly highbrow but it’s good fun and last week the guests all had a literary flavour.

Alycia Smith-Howard – a Shakespeare scholar and writer (recently of New York University) and Sara Craven, author of eighty – that’s eight-zero – Mills&Boon romances, and me, sat round the little coffee table in the corner of Annie’s studio and discussed topics ranging from bankers’ bonuses to how we met our husbands. (I’m not sure if you can still listen again but if so, it’s here). Good fun, as usual.

Mez Packer on the radio

On Friday June 5th I will be on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio – Annie Othen’s Coffee Club. The programme runs from 10.15 – 11.15am.

Every week (twice a week) Annie invites three women to join her in the studio to talk about current affairs, family issues, health etc. There is coffee on tap (well kind of) and as many biscuits as you can eat. When I worked at the Beeb I remember that if you had one biscuit during a meeting, you’d get a little tax slip in your pigeonhole saying you’d received a ‘taxable benefit’ and you should include it on your personal tax return! A bleedin’ custard cream! I don’t know how they knew you’d had a biscuit, but they knew.

Anyway – Annie’s Coffee Club is a light-hearted look at local and national events and Friday’s programme (June 5th) will include a discussion about the local and European elections. Tune in (94.8FM/ 103.7FM/ DAB) or listen again – afterwards of course – ’cause it won’t be there yet…:)