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A poster for the book launch, featuring a digital drawing of a compact mirror and a handkerchief with a red lipstick stain on the corner. The text reads: 'In Conversation: Rebecca Birrell. 7pm, 16 July 2026. Kettle's Yard house.'
Artwork specifically produced for this event by artist Sing Yun Lee, 2026, courtesy of the artist ©Sing Yun Lee
For Adults

In Conversation and Book Launch: Rebecca Birrell 'Venus, Vanishing'

16 July, 7-8.15pm (doors open at 6.30pm)

Join us in the Kettle’s Yard house to celebrate author Rebecca Birrell’s debut novel Venus, Vanishing. Birrell will be in conversation with novelist and poet Megan Hunter, followed by a Q & A, book signing and drinks reception and an opportunity to purchase the book.

Book Now £10 (£8 Friends, £5 students), booking required (includes a complimentary drink)

Venus, Vanishing is a passionate page-turner about desire, art, and the stories lost to the darkness of history. Birrell’s first work of fiction will be discussed in the context of her acclaimed book This Dark Country: Women Artists, Still Life and Intimacy in the Early Twentieth Century.

About Rebecca Birrell

Rebecca Birrell is a writer, art historian and curator. Her novel, Venus, Vanishing, will be published by Picador in the UK in July 2026 and Henry Holt in the US in October 2026. Her first book, This Dark Country: Women Artists, Still Life and Intimacy in the Early 20th Century was published by Bloomsbury in 2021. A Guardian/Observer Art Book of the Year 2021, it was described as ‘a striking act of collective empathy.’ She was Curator of 19th and 20th Century Paintings and Drawings at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and prior to that, had curatorial roles at The Charleston Trust, the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, and the Jewish Museum.

Praise for Venus, Vanishing:

“A radiant vision of art against evil . . . a bold, moving novel”

Megan Hunter, author of Days of Light

Photo: Sophie Davidson

About Megan Hunter

Megan Hunter is a prizewinning novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Her first novel, The End We Start From (2017) was listed for various awards and adapted into a major motion picture starring Jodie Comer. She is currently adapting her second novel The Harpy (2020) for film with Red Planet Pictures. Her dramatic monologue Salt of the Earth premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2024. Her third novel, Days of Light, was published internationally in 2025, and the paperback in spring of this year. Megan’s other writing has appeared in the White Review, the TLS, Literary Hub, Vogue, Elle, BOMB, and elsewhere. She lives in Cambridge, UK.

Photo: Annie Dressner

Access

Please note, for conservation and security reasons, no bags or large coats are allowed in the house. Limited bag storage is available at reception.

This event will take place in the extension of the house which is accessible, with some limitations. The upper part of the ground floor extension area is accessible for wheelchair users and the ground floor extension area of the house is newly accessible for wheelchair users with a ramp. There is no lift to the upper floors of the house. If you call in advance or ask at the information desk we can reserve an accessible seat for you. Please get in touch on 01223 748100 or email mail@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk.

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View down a street with the entrance to Kettle's Yard on the right hand side.

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