More About Us
Did you know that the Suffolk Book League is a volunteer led organisation? Run by a committee, we are a group who are passionate about reading and literature. From all walks of life, and with different roles, we are keen to ensure you get the most out of your membership. So, here's a bit more about us...
Sue Blything-Smith
Chair
I became secretary of SBL in 2019 and since 2024 I have had the privilege of serving as its
Chair. I am ably supported by an energetic and capable committee made of up elected
members and coopted volunteers; you can read more about their extraordinary lives and
skills in the biographies which follow.
I took early release from the University of Suffolk in 2013; I had been a senior lecturer in the
Business School for some 30 years. I remained a Visiting Fellow for a few years but now
stand very much on the sidelines. I spent the first 2 years of my ‘retirement’ winding up my
husband’s business following his untimely passing and then designed and built my current
home. Now that such mammoth tasks have been completed, I spend my time enjoying my
granddaughter and travelling whenever I can.
I have had my head buried in a book since the age of 8, when I looked forward to weekly
visits to Shrewsbury Library. Initially left to my own devices in the children’s section, one of
my most treasure memories is of the day I progressed to the hushed environs of the adult
section and all the wonders therein.
I have devoured books of all genres ever since and the excitement continues as SBL takes
me down so many different literary adventures.
James Phillips - Secretary, Marketing & BookTalk
After joining the Suffolk Book League as a University of Suffolk English undergraduate, I
soon entered the committee as a volunteer in 2023, before stepping into the position of
Secretary in 2024. I feel so fortunate be be a part of such a friendly and passionate team.
A fact about me, if not surprising, is that I am well on my way to curating my own library.
1,000 books is the goal! From souvenirs, to second hand bookshops, gifts, through to
exclusive new releases; I’m always endeavouring to find anything that piques my curiosity
and embraces my interests.
My favourite? Well, three! Closest to my heart are Call Me By Your Name by André
Aciman and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, but my love and joy, has to be If We
Were Villains by M. L. Rio.
Angela Bell
Membership Secretary
I've been an SBL member for at least five years.
I’ve recently retired from working as an Open University tutor, specialising in arts and humanities subjects. I’m now involved with U3A (University of the Third Age) at both local and national level, running several interest groups, both face to face and online.
In my spare time I enjoy reading, especially novels by Kate Atkinson, Bonnie Garmus and Maggie O’Farrell. Recently much of my reading seems to take place on long haul flights on my way to visiting my children in far flung locations!
A surprising fact about me? I'm a trained theatre captioner making shows accessible for deaf audiences, including working on the Rock n Roll pantomime at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. I was there for the 1000th performance as well!
Janet Bayliss
Archivist and BookTalk
I have been actively involved in Suffolk Book League in various roles for over 30 years, since joining in 1993.
Currently, I make regular contributions to BookTalk, our journal and look after our now quite substantial archives. There have also been various forays into hosting events: most recently Zeb Soanes and Polly Crosby. These are always interesting and enjoyable; for me the key is to put in a lot of preliminary work in combination with an effective committee team.
My reading tastes are very varied, but often guided by being an active member of two book groups, which always helps to broaden literary horizons, so as to speak.
Andrew Burton
Programming
I have been a member of Suffolk Book League for 20 years and joined its committee in 2019.
I believe passionately in the power of words to transform lives. I agree with Edna O'Brien that great literature is a "priceless harvest". Some of the writers who have enriched that harvest for me include JM Coetzee, Kazuo Ishiguro, Deborah Levy, Toni Morrison, Anne Patchett and Colm Tóibín, to name but a few.
Olivia Ackers
Marketing & BookTalk
My first ever love was reading. This passion came from my parents who read bedtime stories to me as a child. Fuelling my imagination and creativity is what I love about books, the ability to travel to completely different worlds, times and perspectives, makes reading so exciting to me. This exploration naturally transformed into writing and developing my own stories.
With this love for reading and writing, I went on to study English with Creative Writing at Queen Mary University of London in 2021 and ended up graduating with a First-Class Honours degree in 2024. My dream career is to be a published author, writing mostly horror books, but I always try to write and read things of all genres and different styles. I have been published several times, in print and online at The Writers Herd website.
I joined Suffolk Book League in early 2025 and I’m excited to work with such a fantastic committee, working with the Marketing team and writing in BookTalk.
Tricia Gilbey
BookTalk Editor,
Website & Communications
I joined the Suffolk Book League committee in 2019. I currently lead the BookTalk committee and also send out emails about the amazing events the programming committee put together. I feel very fortunate to work with such a great team of people to share the joy of reading, which has always been my first passion.
I am also researching and writing a novel based around a suitcase full of postcards, documents and photos belonging to my great grandmother, who travelled to the Ottoman Empire and worked there between 1910 and 1912. Joining the dots of her story has been so exciting and feels like a gift.
My photo was taken on a research trip in February 2025.
Gill Lowe
Programming &
BookTalk Editor
I can’t remember when I first joined Suffolk Book League but it was years ago!I value being part of this creative community of book readers and writers. Sharing books and hearing authors speak about their work is such a pleasure. We have a great variety of literary opportunities in Suffolk and I welcome the exciting festivals springing up in the county.
Choosing a favourite author can’t be done but the one I know most about is Virginia Woolf. She’s inspiring and challenging. I often think of her words, ‘literature is open to everybody.’ … ‘Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.’ A Room of One’s Own.
Ken Smith
Treasurer
I joined the Suffolk Book League Committee in 2024 as Treasurer, having first joined as a member in 2003. The varied programme of SBL events over the years has introduced me to many interesting authors and topics that I would not otherwise have discovered.
I have always enjoyed reading: from youthful visits to the library in the West of Scotland, where I grew up, to now reading an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction in retirement in Woodbridge.
I have many favourite authors including Anthony Doerr, Sebastian Faulks, Andrew Greig, Jon McGregor, John Boyne, Tan Twan Eng, Rose Tremain and David Guterson, the poetry of Roger McGough always entertains and engages me. Recent reads that have resonated and stayed with me include Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa, The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, In Memoriam by Alice Winn and The Bee Sting by Paul Murray.
Rose Gant
Marketing
I became a member of Suffolk Book League in 2021 and joined the committee in 2022, running our social media platforms and now assisting the programming committee. I discovered SBL through the University of Suffolk, where I got my BA in English and my MA in Critical and Creative Writing. I am an independent Brontë scholar, specialising in the life and work of Branwell Brontë.
I have been an avid reader since I was a child, frequently visiting the library and returning with a huge stack of books! My favourite author from a young age was Jacqueline Wilson, who I have now met twice! My current favourite books include The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre and Rebecca. When I am not reading, you can find me at Christchurch Mansion where I work, looking after our amazing Museum
collection.
Dymphna (Dee) Crowe
BookTalk Editor
Having been a member of Suffolk Book League for a number of years, I joined the committee three years ago. Since then, I have helped to edit BookTalk, a very rewarding task. I enjoy fiction that relates to communication and relationships, particularly in families.
Favourite authors include: Colm Toibin, Marilynne Robinson, Claire Keegan and Anne Enright.
My passion is history, particularly of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. I am currently writing my own family history. A
favourite pastime is oral history. I like to record people’s voices and memories; we all have a story to tell.
Josh Winning
Volunteer
I became a member of SBL in 2025 after making the move to Ipswich from the Big
Smoke. Horror and fantasy are genres I gravitated towards at a young age, and
they’ve had their claws in me ever since. As well as working as a film reviewer at
Radio Times magazine, I write novels, which include The Shadow Glass (Titan
Books), Heads Will Roll and Be Still My Unbeating Heart (both Penguin). Some of
my favourite authors are CJ Tudor, TJ Klune, Paul Tremblay and Ronald Malfi.
Something surprising about me? In my time as a film journalist, I have met Goldie
Hawn, Charlize Theron and (best of all) Kermit the Frog.
Alison Caldow
Volunteer
I have lived in Suffolk for nearly 5 years, and was here for over 3 of those before I heard of the Book League. After telling my family of my find, I quickly received membership as a gift. They know what I like! Such was my enthusiasm, that I volunteered for them as soon as the opportunity arose.
I love reading and although I will always be drawn to the classics, I have been enjoying many writers who are currently being published. Jaye Griffiths, Olivia Laing, Kazuo Ishiguro and A K Blakemore are my current favourites. I read a huge amount of non-fiction, and cannot resist a biography, as I find other peoples' lives fascinating. Perhaps that's why I became a psychotherapist. Now retired, I have discovered nature writing. It is proving to be a great joy and Suffolk has given us some of the best. Finally, but no less importantly, I can't resist a crime novel- the cosier the better!