Literature Festival at Sea 2022.

Charles Cumming’s experiences working for the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) led to a successful writing career. His novels have been translated into thirteen languages and won him the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.

Dame Mary Beard is one of Britain’s best-known Classicists. Her written work includes the Wolfson Prize-winning Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town, and she has also worked in television, presenting several TV series such as Meet the Romans.

Matt Chorley is a Times columnist and editor of the award-winning Red Box political newsletter and podcast, in which he tries to make sense of what is happening in politics. He joined The Times in 2016.

Simon Winchester is the bestselling author of The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, Krakatoa, The Map That Changed the World, and The Surgeon of Crowthorne (The Professor and the Madman). He was awarded an OBE in 2006.

Maggie O’Farrell is the award-winning author of the Sunday Times no. 1 bestselling memoir I Am, I Am, I Am, and eight novels. Her works have won the Costa Novel Award (2010) and a Somerset Maugham Award.

Mick Herron’s seven Slough House novels have been shortlisted for eight CWA Daggers, winning twice, and shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year four times.

Rachel Johnson has worked for national newspapers since the age of 23 and has written four novels. Rachel is a co-presenter on Sky News’ The Pledge topical debate show and makes frequent appearances on Question Time, Any Questions, Newsnight, Marr and other programs.

Damian Barr is an award-winning writer, journalist and host of his own infamous Literary Salon. Maggie & Me, published by Bloomsbury, was BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week, and the Sunday Times named it their Memoir of the Year.