Welcome to Literature Matters. In this edition we celebrate the British Council's 30th Cambridge Seminar on contemporary literature, which took place in July 2007.

Guests and participants on the lawns of Downing College, Cambridge.

"I’ve never had a medal before (having never been a sporty type), but to my astonishment I received my first at the Cambridge Seminar in 2007. My colleagues - Jonathan Barker, Damian Grant and Alison St Clair Ford - were similarly honoured with gold medallions by a group of delegates who organised an entertaining revue on the final evening. The sharply-honed satire of their readings proved that they had followed every word of the writers who had come to talk to them; this could perhaps be viewed as something of a double-edged sword, but rarely can any British writer enjoy such an attentive, committed and intelligent audience.

A strong bond developed from the very first evening amongst everyone involved. The weather was kind; the questions apposite; the repartee witty; the dialogue intense. Since then, La Repubblica published a glowing three-page report on the event, books were dedicated to us, and a sense of camaraderie and community has lasted and grown. 'The best British Council event I had ever attended,' wrote one delegate - and I can only agree. Read on to find out more from the guests and delegates themselves."

- Susie Nicklin, Director Literature, British Council