Stranger than Fiction? In light of the recent breaking stories on Sport Doping, author Anne Lauppe-Dunbar will show slides from her research, and discuss her novel Dark Mermaids – theshocking story of a political system that doped its youngsters to sporting superhero status – with anti-doping expert Prof Mike McNamee.                                                                                                            

Shortlisted for the Impress and Cinnamon First Novel Prize, this East German noir thriller is set in 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin wall.  West-Berlin police officer Sophie is called on to investigate the murder of her childhood friend. Sophie is forced to return to the hometown. As she reluctantly delves into the sordid Stasi secrets of those she grew up with, Sophie uncovers a web of horrors centering on her own abusive past as a child swimming star in the GDR.

Dr Anne Lauppe-Dunbar is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Swansea University.  Her first novel Dark Mermaids, tells the story of the doping scandal in the Former German Democratic Republic through a young woman’s search for home.

The novel was published by Seren in September 2015. Anne has short stories in the Seren anthology Sing, Sorrow, Sorrow, First Edition Magazine, The View from Here, Islet Magazine, The Swansea Review, of which she is co-editor, and Bristol Flash Fiction. Her poetry is published with Cinnamon Press, Leaf Books and Seventh Quarry. A number of conference papers are published with Atiner, Gender Forum, the NAWE and eSharp.

Panel interviewer is Professor Mike McNamee BA MA MA PhD FECSS, Professor of Applied Ethics, College of Engineering, Swansea University.  His research interests lie broadly in applied ethics, individually or jointly, in engineering, medicine and sport.   http://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/academic/engineering/mcnameemj/

When: Tuesday 23 February 2016 at 6.30 pm, Swansea University 

Where: The lecture will take place in the Wallace Lecture Theatre, Wallace Building, Swansea University, Singleton Campus.

Cost: Free and all welcome .

Refreshments: Light refreshments will be available prior to the lecture from 6.00 pm in the Wallace Foyer.

To reserve your free place, please visit :  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stranger-than-fiction-tickets-21085343831?aff=es2  

Enquiries: email: riah@swansea.ac.uk  or tel 01792 295190.