WHEN was the last time you went to a really good literature event?

Later this year I will be taking part in a unique project with Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Richard Ford in events which will include venues in Fareham and Winchester.

Often any event to do with novelists or poets is held in a corner of a bookshop and so badly publicised that no one comes.

Or else it's a high-profile event in London which no one outside can afford to attend.

The Richard Ford tour is going to change all that and show that literature events are just as exciting as other staged events - and can draw audiences outside London.

Richard is the charismatic author of Independence Day, the novel which burst on to the American literary scene in the 1990s and marked him out as one of America's greatest writers.

He is touring theatres and discussing the themes from his novel with me.

In the build-up to the tour, which takes place in November, readers' groups and college classes will be encouraged to read Independence Day in advance of his visit, which will include readings from Richard's work, a discussion about some of the themes, followed by a question and answer session. Everyone who buys a ticket will receive a free booklet containing unpublished work from the sequel to Independence Day.

I have a copy of Independence Day to be won by a Creative Corner reader.

To win answer to following question:

What event does Independence Day in America celebrate?

The first correct answer taken from the post on April 26 will win.