Spend the perfect autumnal evening in the company of Shaun Usher, the curator behind the internationally bestselling phenomenon Letters of Note. Shaun will be in Penarth to celebrate the release of his latest project, Diaries of Note – an extraordinary collection of the most remarkable diary writing from the famous, infamous and everyman alike.

Diaries of Note:

What is more intimate than the diary? Across human history, people have confided in these private pages – recording unvarnished truths, poignant hopes, hidden desires and deepest fears.

In this engrossing volume, Shaun Usher brings together 366 diary entries, each from a different voice. World leaders, artists, scientists, writers, and icons of film and music – including Alan Rickman, Frederick Douglass, Virginia Woolf, Louis Theroux and Emma Thompson – sit alongside those who never sought the spotlight, but whose words resonate with startling power. Beautifully illustrated, the book is a testament to the strength of personal narrative, capturing the most secret, surprising and deeply human emotions.

Shaun Usher’s fascination with old-fashioned correspondence began in 2002, when he and his future wife, Karina, fell in love through letters. That spark grew into Letters of Note – an online archive of correspondence that has been visited more than 100 million times, spawning bestselling books and the celebrated Letters Live stage show. After years of preparation, Shaun’s latest passion project, Diaries of Note, launched online in January 2023, offering a daily glimpse into the lives of others as recorded in their most private moments.