Author and Speaker
Janie Hampton is the author of fifteen books including biography, fiction and text books. She has edited text-books, belles lettres and poetry; and written radio programmes. She has been a journalist in Africa and a producer at the BBC World Service.
Janie has written articles for Sunday Times, Times, Oxford Times, Independent, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, The Oldie, The Author, Associated Press Agency and Spare Rib. She has been a journalist in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zaire, Rwanda and Uganda, living in rural communities, travelling by canoe, bus, river-boat and train.
She has worked for The Arvon Foundation running Writing from Life courses with Rory Maclean in Devon; and with Alexander Masters in Shropshire.
As part of the Year of the Artist in 2001, she was the first Arts Council sponsored writer-in-residence in a pub. Sitting in the Marsh Harrier in Oxford she encouraged over 80 writers with their plays, novels, film scripts, poetry and children's books.
Talks
Janie has given talks, illustrated with hats and songs, at Literary Festivals in Cheltenham, Southampton, Bath, Chester, Norwich, Guildford and Oxford and at the Ways with Words Festivals in Dartington, Cumbria and Southwold; Gloucester and many other Women's Institutes; West Country Writers; 'The Oldie' literary luncheon; Ashmolean Museum; Royal National Theatre; and National Portrait Gallery, London.
Television and Radio
Janie was programme consultant for the television documentary about the life of Joyce Grenfell, 'Comedy with Breeding', directed by Robin Lough, broadcast on BBC2 in 2008.
Radio work has included interviews on Radio 4's 'Today', local radio; producing and presenting current affairs and features for the BBC World Service; and serials on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.
Latest News
'The Austerity Olympics' was short-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of 2008; nominated for the National Sporting Club Book Awards, 2009 and BBC Drama has started work on a 90 minute film. Within a week of publication, both the hardback and then the paperback was No1 in Amazon's 'Other Sports' category.
In June 2009 Janie talked on Radio 4's travel programme, 'Excess Baggage', about Chauncy Maples and the delights of Lake Malawi. If you missed it, go to the website to listen back.
Janie has finished her next book: 'Dampers and Doodlebugs: how the Girl Guides won the war' will be published by HarperPress in August 2010. Many thanks to all those former Brownies and Guides who contributed their fascination stories, diaries and log books.