Join us at Paperchain Bookstore to hear Sheryle Bagwell, author of Letter from Provence: A Memoir, in conversation with David Speers.

In her memoir, Letter from Provence, Sheryle Bagwell invites readers on a journey that is at once personal, historical, and deeply moving. Set against the timeless backdrop of southern France, the book chronicles Sheryle’s experience of buying an old house in a quaint Provençal village, and finding in the attic a tattered edition of selected letters written by the legendary 17th-century French aristocrat Madame de Sévigné.

This serendipitous discovery leads Sheryle to reflect on her relationship with her own mother, whose dream it had been to travel to France - but who never got the chance because of her early death. Sheryle ended up following that dream instead, an experience which profoundly changed her life.

This memoir tells the story of Sheryle’s journey from a working-class suburb of Sydney to Paris and Provence, and how her mother guided her way there long after her passing. Letter from Provence is in fact Sheryle’s letter to her mother, not unlike the kind Madame de Sévigné wrote to her own daughter so many centuries ago.

Letter from Provence serves as a bridge across time and blends memoir, travel writing, and historical exploration, offering readers an immersive experience. Sheryle’s storytelling evokes a France that is both timeless and deeply personal, blending place, memory, and legacy.

Sheryle Bagwell is a Walkley Award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and author.

In her four decades in journalism, Sheryle has worked in Australia, the UK, and France. In Sydney, she worked for the ABC for 14 years, as Business Editor, then Executive Producer, of ABC Radio National’s flagship Breakfast program. She was also a senior feature writer and columnist with the Australian Financial Review in Sydney, before being posted to London as the newspaper’s Europe correspondent.

Her debut non-fiction book My French Connection, was published by HarperCollins in 2006.

Sheryle and her husband now divide their time between Sydney and their house in Provence, in France.

David Speers is the ABC's National Political Lead and host of "Insiders" on Sunday mornings. He regularly interviews the nation's political leaders, and decision makers, writes a weekly analysis and hosts a deep-dive podcast on the big policy issues.

Over more than two decades covering federal politics, David has won a number of awards for his interviewing and journalism, including Walkley Awards and a Logie.

David is a proud Canberran and a past President of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

This event is free but as space is limited please book to secure your place.

Contact the host of Sheryle Bagwell at Paperchain

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