Barbara Touati-Evans

My debut novel, The Normal State of Mind (Parthian, 2015) was long listed for the Mumbai Association of Moving Images (MAMI) Word to Screen Prize. Table Manners (Dahlia Books, 2018) won the Saboteur Award for Best Short Story Collection in 2019. My short stories have been featured on BBC Radio 4. I develop and deliver writing workshops for various art galleries and organisations around Hampshire and beyond. I teach creative writing at University of Winchester and am a trustee of The Winchester Poetry Festival. I’ve also developed ands teach a short story course for Professional Writing Academy. I’m co-founder of Write Beyond Borders, a transnational mentoring project writers from South Asia and its diaspora.    

Rebecca Godden is a dynamic actor, director, and facilitator with over a decade of experience nationally and internationally. Rebecca holds a First Class BA Honours in Contemporary Performance from the University of Winchester, and is a regular actor and director at Hat Fair, Winchester. She currently collaborates with companies such as Blue Apple Theatre (Associate Director) Ubisoft/Hampshire Cultural Trust (878AD Actor), MN Academy (Filmmaking Facilitator) and Birmingham Stage (Show Facilitator). Passionate about storytelling, she’s at home performing, writing and directing. Her work blends live theatre, performing arts, and immersive/ site-specific performance. Rebecca produces and hosts the podcast, Part of The Arts.  

Hello! I’m a theatre maker, writer & opera singer living and working in Gosport. I co-run Gosport Creates, a community-directed, artist-run project supporting the creativity of women in Gosport. We organise workshops, performances and experiences that celebrate play, exploration & community, currently these run on Tuesday evenings at venues across Gosport. My award-winning show It is I, Seagull originated in Gosport, and toured around the UK and to Australia in 2025. I have a Masters with Distinction in Opera Performance from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and a First Class (Hons) degree in English and Drama from the University of Kent. My work is supported by ACE, the Mayflower Theatre, the Winship Foundation, & an HCC grant.