Successful columnist returns to his roots
An award-winning reporter went back to his roots for a special event in West Bromwich.
The Times columnist Sathnam Sanghera appeared at Central Library in High Street as part of the Black Country Big Book fortnight to speak about working as an author and how to get into writing.
For the fifth year running, libraries in Walsall, along with those in Dudley, Sandwell and Wolverhampton, have played host to two weeks of events and activities designed to show that reading is fun. The business columnist made a name for himself after producing his memoir If You Don't Know Me By Now.
Mr Sanghera said: "Writing can be very lonely at times, and it is not for everybody – some people do not care what you write – but it fuels your imagination, and I love getting the written word out there." Having worked part-time for 50p an hour in a sewing factory from the age of 10, Mr Sanghera went to Wolverhampton Grammar School and Cambridge University where he graduated in 1998 with a first in English.
He also scooped the title of Young Journalist of the Year in 2002.
On Friday he was awarded The Mind Book Of The Year award for his novel If You Don't Know Me By Now, which is now called The Boy With The Top Knot. By the time he was eight, Sanghera had not used a phone, been to a cinema, been inside a church or had a shower.
"This is the first time I have been to West Bromwich, and it is lovely; I really like it here," added the 32-year-old.
"The one thing that I remember about growing up was the sense of humour in the Midlands and it still exists today.
"The people have a great attitude, and it is nice to come back to my roots."
