Richard Beard

Richard Beard is the author of six novels and three non-fiction works. His most recent novel, Acts of the Assassins, was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and described by Philip Hensher in the Guardian as extraordinarily funny and the gloriously futile project of telling the story of Jesus's death and resurrection, and the subsequent martyrdom of all the disciples, one by one, in the manner of a police procedural.He is Director of The National Academy of Writing, and a judge for the inaugural Costa Short Story Award.

In The Day that Went Missing, writer Richard Beard goes in search of the truth about his brother Nicholas, who drowned on a family holiday in 1978. Nicky was rarely spoken of again, and Richard will discuss the making of the book and the changes in how we deal with grief.