The Essay: Let Me Take You There

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The Essay: Let Me Take You There: Inua Ellams

Inua Ellams

Let Me Take You There

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Leading writers share the secrets of their internal places of refuge in times of crisis.

Leading writers share the secrets of an internal place of refuge in times of crisis. Inua Ellams recalls the Grand Hall of Battersea Arts Centre and a kitten called Pluto.

Where can we escape to at times when we are cooped up, locked down, trapped indoors? Some people recall a a real location - a favoured corner to which they return again and again, such as the Swedes call a "wild strawberry place"; others find a refuge deep in the imagination. 

In these exceptional times, Radio 3 has specially commissioned five major writers to share their special place, and each night of the week, one of them offers to take us there and share it with us. 

The playwright Inua Ellams chooses a place no longer there, - the Grand Hall of Battersea Arts Centre in South London, which once, long ago, before it was burned down, offered him refuge at a time when he believed all was lost for him and his family. He takes us back to that place and time, and to a small cat, Pluto, who brought him new hope - hope that was soon to be fulfilled. 

Producer: Beaty Rubens

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Leading writers share the secret of an internal place of refuge in times of crisis.

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