As many people know I am currently working on a new book about Bristol. My aim is tell the story of Bristol from Anglo Saxon times up to the present through a series of interviews with people who have a special attachment to different historical periods in the city’s history.
For more recent episodes, such as the World War Two air raids on Bristol and the St Paul’s race riots, I want to speak to people who were there as witnesses as history was being made. To chart earlier history, for example life in the Medieval town and Bristol’s role in the English Civil War, I want to interview experts in their relevant fields.
The overall aim of the book is to tell the story of Bristol’s past but then also link its unique and rich history to the present. For example in reporting on Bristol’s role in the slave trade, I would want to examine contemporary thinking on the subject. Or for those that were there on the opening days of any of the new housing estates on the outskirts of Bristol, how do the launch celebrations after World War compare with the reality of estate life today.
I've done a the majority of the background research and consequently written a lot of the copy. I am now in the process of emailing people I want to interview - but obviously those who lived through the Blitz are a little hard to contact through this means of communication, so I may resort to traditional snail mail. I am asking my interviewees to meet me for a coffee in a Bristol cafe of their choice, nothing too formal.
If you know anyone who you may want to be part of this project in bringing to life the history of this remarkable city please let me know. I'd be especially keen to hear from anyone who has an email address for Banksy!
No comments:
Post a Comment