As part of the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the History Department at Lancaster University has organised a lecture by an internationally acclaimed author and activist.

Winnie M. Li, whose first novel ‘Dark Chapter’ was a fictional retelling of her own rape in 2008 from the perspectives of both the victim and perpetrator, will speak at The Storey Lecture Theatre, Lancaster, on Monday, November 27, at 6pm.

Winnie explores themes of sexual violence and harassment in her work and her latest novel Complicit draws from her earlier career in the film industry. Complicit has been dubbed a #MeToo thriller and a complex literary achievement that sheds an important light on Hollywood’s darkest secrets.

Winnie's work has received widespread critical acclaim.

Dark Chapter won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, was nominated for an Edgar Award, and translated into ten languages.

And, since it came out last year, Complicit has been selected as a New York Times’ Editors’ Choice, shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award, and listed among the Best Novels of 2022 by Grazia, Glamour, and The Irish Times.

Dr Stephanie Wright, a historian of sexual violence at Lancaster University, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Winnie M. Li to Lancaster. Winnie’s novels force us to confront the root causes of sexual violence and society’s complicity with them, ultimately allowing us to imagine a more hopeful future.”

Members of the public are invited to join Winnie and academics from Lancaster University to discuss her experiences of writing about sexual violence in the age of #MeToo.

With Dr Zoe Lambert (Department of English Literature and Creative Writing) and Dr Stephanie Wright (Department of History), the free event is sponsored by the Society for the Social History of Medicine (sshm.org), Iredell Trust and Lancaster University’s Law School.

Tickets are free, but booking via Eventbrite is essential: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-sexual-violence-in-the-age-of-metoo-tickets-731399945927?aff=oddtdtcreator