CENTRAL Library will reverberate with prose and poetry next week as a prelude to the Swindon Poetry Festival next month.

Respected writer and poet Shanta Acharya will visit the Regent Circus library on Tuesday, September 22 to read a selection of her poetry and to talk about her latest book, A World Elsewhere.

The book was published to critical acclaim earlier this year.

Originally from India but now based in London, Shanta is a diverse writer and the author of 10 books, including five volumes of poetry and three books on finance.

Her latest novel focuses on Indian social life in the 1960s and 70s, depicting the life of the Guru family and their daughter, Asha. When she goes to college Asha meets a young man and marries against the wishes of her family – a decision that proves catastrophic, triggers a series of episodes that cast her out of her fold to look for a world elsewhere.

A World Elsewhere has been described as a timeless and universal tale of the human spirit discovering itself.

The talk starts at 7.15pm in the Second Floor Reading Room and Shanta will be signing copies of her books which will be on sale after the event.

The event is presented in partnership with Swindon Poetry as a pre-launch to the Swindon Poetry Festival 2015 which runs from October 1 to 5. Tickets for the event are £5, or £3 for library members, and are available from the Central Library Ground Floor Help Desk as well as all other Swindon libraries.

For more information call Colin Curtis on 01793 463782 or email ccurtis@swindon.gov.uk.