The Island Britain Bought
Join author Diane M. Hinds for a talk about The Island Britain Bought.
Event details and ticketsForthcoming Events
3 November 2026
How Trinidad passed from Spanish to British hands, and what that meant for the people already living there.
With Diane M. Hinds, author of Conquerabia: The Struggle for Identity
Date
Tuesday 3rd November 2026
Time
2:30-3:30 pm
Venue
Oswestry LibraryArthur Street
Oswestry
SY11 1JN
Meet the Author: Diane M. Hinds
Writing the History Nobody Taught You
Date: Monday 9 November 2026
Time: 6pm-7pm
Location: West Hampstead Library, Dennington Park Road, NW6 1AU
Diane will talk about her novel Conquerabia: The Struggle for Identity and explore the lesser-known history of Trinidad. Discover how she researched the past and brought overlooked stories to life through historical fiction. The event will also include a Q&A.
Free event - booking is required.
Book your free place on Eventbrite
Public event
- Time and date
- Venue
-
The Combined Meeting Room, Forum Library,
Southend-on-Sea, Essex
The Island Britain Bought
Trinidad’s passage from Spanish to British rule, and its consequences for the island’s people.
- Venue
- Dudley Library
- Time
- About the talk
- Diane M. Hinds explores Trinidad’s passage from Spanish to British rule and the lasting consequences of that transformation for the island’s people.
Swiss Cottage Library: Author Talk: Diane M. Hinds - The Island Britain Bought
Join Diane M. Hinds for an author talk about The Island Britain Bought.
Venue: Swiss Cottage Library
Time: 6:30 pm
View event details
Thomas Picton & Luisa Calderon: The Trial That Challenged Britain’s Empire
- Date
- Wednesday 18th November
- Time
- 5:30-6:30 pm
- Location
- Holborn Library, Camden Council, Mezzanine, 32-38 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8PA
About the event
Join author and historian Diana M. Hinds for a 45-minute talk about Luisa Calderon and Governor Thomas Picton in colonial Trinidad, followed by a 15-minute Q&A. Discover how a landmark trial exposed abuses of power and challenged Britain’s view of empire.
Talk details
Writing the History Nobody Taught You takes audiences behind the scenes of Conquerabia: The Struggle for Identity, Diana M. Hinds’ novel about Trinidad, from Columbus’s arrival in 1498 to the British conquest in 1797.
Few people were taught this history at school. Much of it was recorded by governors, missionaries and planters, leaving the voices of enslaved Africans and Indigenous people largely absent.
In this talk, Diana explains how she researched a past that was barely documented: reading colonial records against the grain, piecing together lives from ledgers, maps and fragments, and deciding where the historical record ends and imagination begins. She also introduces Adisa, the novel’s protagonist, whose hard-won ability to read and write becomes a quiet act of defiance.
Ideal for readers curious about overlooked histories and writers seeking practical guidance on bringing them to life, the talk lasts 45 minutes, followed by questions.