Friday 13th—Sunday 22nd March 41st Lancaster Literature ... · Friday 13th March - Sunday 22nd...

Litfest 2020

Friday 13th—Sunday 22nd March

41st Lancaster Literature Festival

Letter from the Chair

This year we celebrate the 41st Lancaster Literature Festival and we hope you will

enjoy the programme we have to present to you. This year the festival will be running

from the 13th March – 22nd March. We believe we have a programme which provides

an excellent variety of events suitable for all ages.

The festival will be launched on 13th March at the Priory and we welcome Professor

Robert Barrett, Head of the Eden Project Learning to talk about the exciting plans for

Eden North on Morecambe Bay. This is a fabulous opportunity to discover more about

this project.

We are delighted to bring to you two exhibitions during the festival which will be

showcased at Lancaster Library. The first is called ‘Migrations’ and we are honoured to

host this international exhibition in Lancaster which features the work of many artists

from across the world exploring the subject of migration through illustrations. The

second exhibition ‘In Pursuit of Peace and Hope’ has been created locally by young

refugees covering three countries South Africa, Turkey and Uganda. The work has

been led by Dr Melis Cin from Lancaster University.

To bring the exhibitions to life we have our first Illustration Day featuring two

illustrators. Illustration and the power of illustrations to tell compelling stories is

something that Litfest wants to promote further in our programmes.

We have an impressive array of authors and poets this year, beginning with

best-selling Norwegian author Lars Mytting. We are also proud to showcase the work

of eminent thinker A.C. Grayling who will appear on both Saturday and Sunday.

Following last year’s successful events featuring writing and translation we conclude

our first weekend with an evening focusing on emerging Gulf literature on Sunday.

During the week we have a workshop ‘On Rejection’ presented by Dr Inés Gregori

Labarta exploring the complex nature of the creative process.

On Wednesday we are thrilled to host Stacey Halls who will be in conversation about

her new book The Foundling which follows her highly successful book The Familiars.

Stacey is no stranger to Lancashire as she was born in Rossendale and The Familiars is

based in Lancashire. The venue will be Lancaster Castle which is highly appropriate as

the castle features in her first book.

Lancaster Litfest

is Funded by:

We explore the genre of memoir and how we define its boundaries on Thursday

evening. This event will feature Jenn Ashworth who has previously appeared at Litfest

festivals and also ran a successful short fiction course for us. This time she is

accompanied by John Schad and they will be in conversation with Polly Atkin.

Our poetry weekend opens with one of Britain’s best loved poets Ian McMillian. Ian

will be working with a local school during the day and you will be able to experience

his own unique performance at Lancaster University’s Nuffield Theatre in the evening

as he opens our Poetry Weekend. This will continue with a full day of poetry on

Saturday 21st starting with a Baby, Bounce and Rhyme session, which is a brilliant way

to introduce babies to the wonderful world of language. This will be followed with a

set of double bills featuring Sean O’Brien and Victoria Adukwei Bulley; Paul Farley and

Tara Bergin. The day will conclude with A new Divan –a lyrical dialogue between East

and West.

Our storytelling finale event will feature Emma Rucastle who will be encouraging us all

during a fun and interactive performance to listen, tell and create stories.

Throughout the month of March our podcast telling the story of The Stone king will be

free to download. This is a fabulous way to interact with our beautiful Williamson

Park. Listen to the story of The Stone King as you walk around the park being led by

the storyteller.

Finally, this is my first year as chair of the festival and I would like to thank the

wonderful Jacqueline Greaves for the superb work she did as chair of the festival for

many years. The festival has achieved it’s 41st year because of her drive and

commitment. A huge thank you to the board for once again creating a festival to be

proud of and to be enjoyed by everyone. I would also like to thank all our sponsors for

their contribution to the festival this year and we are indebted to Lancaster City

Council in particular for their continued support. A special mention should also be

made to Acahtes Philanthropy who have sponsored us this year and provided

invaluable support throughout the year.

Julie Bell

Friday 13th March 7:30pm

For our opening event we are delighted to welcome Robert Barratt, Head of Eden Project Learning, to talk about the exciting plans for Eden North on Morecambe Bay, to explain how it fits into Eden’s international programme and to champion the importance of involving children in environmental education. The plan is for a destination that combines indoor and outdoor experiences, connecting people with the internationally significant natural environment of Morecambe Bay while also enhancing wellbeing. Robert’s emphasis will be on a new vision for what a seaside resort in the twenty-first century could be, including reimagined lidos, gardens, performance spaces, immersive experiences and observatories. Central to the carbon neutral project is a series of pavilions inspired by mussels, which like the original Eden Project in Cornwall could house a variety of environments. The project is wonderfully imaginative and the impact on the area would be huge. After his talk, Hamish Mills of Lancaster Youth for the Environment (LYFE) will interview Professor Barratt, followed by an audience Q&A.

Venue: The Priory, Priory Close, Lancaster LA1 1YZ

Tickets: £12 Full/ £10 Concession/ £8 Student

Tickets can be purchased in a variety of ways:

Online: www.litfest.org

In Person: Lancaster & Morecambe Visitor Information Centres

By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Festival Launch: Eden North -

A new vision for Morecambe Bay

Professor Robert Barratt is the Head of Eden Project Learning, and is a specialist on children’s participation in environmental education. Formerly Professor of Education at the University of Gloucestershire, and prior to that Director of Education at Bath Spa University, he is currently researching the impact of the Anthropocene on the school curriculum and children’s learning. Robert has collaborated on large scale education research projects with colleagues from Australia, USA, Russia and Europe, and recently published a new International Handbook with Springer on Childhood Nature (2018).

This event is sponsored by:

‘Eden’s mission is to explore our dependence on the natural world, to use that understanding to excite people into delivering transformation where they live and to ask really serious questions about what a great future might look like for all of us.’

Tim Smit, Co-Founder of the Eden Project, and Executive Chairman of Eden Project International

Achates Philanthropy works for and with the cultural sector

to enable resilience with integrity.

www.achates.org.uk

Achates Philanthropy is delighted to sponsor

Lancaster Litfest’s 2020 Launch Event:

‘EDEN NORTH

A New Vision for Morecambe Bay’

http://www.achates.org.uk

Exhibitions: ‘Migrations’ and

‘In Pursuit of Peace and Hope’

'In Pursuit of Peace and Hope' is a free photographic exhibition which you can see at Lancaster Library 13-22 March from 10am to 5pm, featuring photographs that have been taken by young refugees and host community members in South Africa, Turkey and Uganda. The images were taken as part of a project that looks at the use of photographs as a tool for building peace between these groups within those three countries; it was led by Dr Melis Cin from Lancaster University and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Venue: Lancaster Library, Market Square, Lancaster LA1 1HY

Entrance is free and no ticket is necessary

Friday 13th March -

Sunday 22nd March

This year Litfest plays host to not one but two beautiful exhibitions which will

be on display at Lancaster Library throughout the festival.

'Migrations' is an exhibition of images and personal messages from picture book illustrators across the globe. The exhibition aims to express support for and solidarity with hundreds of thousands of human migrants who face immense difficulties and dangers in their struggle to find a better and safer place to live. The exhibition was first shown at BIBIANA, Bratislava, in September 2017 and has been put together and exhibited by the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society.

Petr Horacek, author and illustrator of many picture books, such as Silly Suzy Goose, A New House for Mouse, Elephant, Puffin Peter, The Greedy Goat and Blue Penguin will read, draw and talk.

In Petr’s books a fly can talk, an elephant sits in the bath and a goat can eat your pants.

Anybody who loves children books, good stories and wants to know how to make a picture book is welcome!

You are never too old to enjoy a good picture book!

Illustration Day:

Workshop 1 - Petr Horacek


Tickets: £5 or ILLUSTRATION COMBO £8




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Saturday 14th March 11:30am

Petr Horácek was born on 30th June 1967 in Czechoslovakia. He grew up on the outskirts of Prague. From the age of 15-19 Petr studied at the High School of Art in Prague. The school specialised mainly in design. From age 19 Peter worked in a state design studio for two years. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Art in Prague from 1988. Petr graduated as a Master of Fine Art in 1994. As a student Petr met his English wife Claire and in1995 they moved to England. Petr started to write and illustrate books soon after his first child was born. The first books ‘Strawberries are Red’ and ‘What is Black and White?’ were published in 2001 and he received the Books For Children Newcomer Award in the same year. Since then Petr has written and illustrated many books for children. In the UK he is mainly published by Walker Books and his books are translated into many languages. Petr has won awards for his books in Britain, USA and Holland.

Twitter: PHoracek Website: www.petrhoracek.com

http://www.petrhoracek.com

Illustration Day:

Workshop 2 - Nadine Kaadan


Tickets: £5 or ILLUSTRATION COMBO £8




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Saturday 14th March 1:00pm

Nadine Kaadan is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator from Syria now living in London. She has published many books in many countries and her mission is to encourage a reading culture in the Arab world. Nadine’s work with young refugees has captured the attention of CNN and the BBC, both of which broadcast special features on her books Tomorrow and The Jasmine Sneeze. She is the 2019 winner of the Arab British Centre Award for Culture.

Join award-winning Syrian author and illustrator Nadine Kaadan in an interactive storytelling and art workshop. Listen to her read from her books The Jasmine Sneeze and Tomorrow and learn all about the rich culture and proud history of Damascus and the courage of the Syrian children. Then create and send your own images and messages of hope on postcards to be sent to children living in refugee camps in Lebanon.


Tickets: £5




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808


Illustration Day: Picture

Book Panel Discussion

How can illustration and other art forms help us and the next generation explore and understand stories of migration? Join renowned picture book creators Nadine Kaadan (Tomorrow, The Jasmine Sneeze) and Petr Horacek (Blue Penguin, The Last Tiger) along with Dr Inés Gregori Labarta, Jake Hope and others for a discussion about the power and purpose of visual language in an unsettled world. The event will take place within an exhibition of illustrations from the picture book ‘Migrations’ (Otter-Barry Books, 2019) and images from ‘In Pursuit of Peace and Hope’, a photography project with young refugees in Uganda, South Africa and Turkey.

We will conclude our illustration day with a panel including both our workshop leaders and many more figures from the world of picture books. Join us for this fascinating discussion packed with insight into the creative process and this wonderful creative area of the publishing industry!

Acting as a welcome and support network to those refugees who come to Lancaster and Morecambe. We provide destitution grants for Asylum Seekers, we pay for essential travel to solicitors and police stations and new arrivals receive a Welcome pack

We are made up of a number of individual volunteers as well as various organisations who support and facilitate our work:

The Bike Project Churches Together Claver Hill CVS East Meets West English Classes Global Link Global Village Kitchen Lancaster Quakers RAIS Red Rose Refugees The Sewing Circle The Tara Centre St Thomas Church The Violin group

For more information, or to get involved and volunteer, please contact: [email protected] Donations welcome.

www.lancasterandmorecambe.cityofsanctuary.org

mailto:[email protected]

https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flancasterandmorecambe.cityofsanctuary.org&data=02%7C01%7C%7C905ab77002014a22821d08d775bca7ff%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637107325456727381&sdata=x9Ki5cPyVbeuPgeT0WT6%2FMXYeJ8y

We are delighted to welcome leading Norwegian writer Lars Mytting to open the festival's fiction strand. Celebrated for publishing Norwegian Wood, one of the most unlikely non-fiction bestsellers of recent years, Lars Mytting is also the author of the immensely successful novel, The Sixteen Trees of the Somme.

That novel tells the story of Edvard, his taciturn grandfather Sverre, estranged great uncle Einar, the love of two women and the mystery surrounding the death of his parents when Edvard was a boy of four. On the day his grandfather dies, a beautifully hand-crafted coffin arrives at the undertakers and the mystery of his parents' death resurfaces, demanding to be solved. The story takes Edvard and the reader on a journey to Shetland, then France, and back through the Second World War to Ravensbrück and further back still to a carefully planted wood of sixteen trees on the Somme before reaching its devastating ending.

His new book, the historical novel The Bell in the Lake, tells the story of a headstrong young woman in the 1880s,

who dreams of a life beyond marriage, hard work and children, and finds herself torn between the new pastor and a talented architecture student from Dresden. Lars will talk about The Sixteen Trees of the Somme and introduce The Bell in the Lake.

Lars Mytting, a novelist and journalist, was born in Favang, Norway, in 1968. His novel The Sixteen Trees of the Somme was awarded the Norwegian National Booksellers’ Award and has been bought for film. Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way has become an international bestseller, and was the UK's Bookseller Industry Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year in 2016. The Bell in the Lake, the first of a trilogy, was a number one bestseller in Norway and nominated for the Norwegian National Bookseller’s Award 2018.

Lars Mytting

Venue: The Storey Auditorium, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1TH





By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Saturday 14th March 3pm

Venue: The Great Hall, Lancaster University, North Spine, Bailrigg , Lancaster LA1 4YW

Tickets: £13.50 - £9.50 web advance or £15 - £11 on the door


Online: www.lancasterarts.org

In Person: Great Hall Booking office, The Great Hall Complex, Lancaster University

By phone: 01524 594151


We are proud to continue our partnership with Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University and delighted to welcome Professor A.C. Grayling back to Lancaster University for what will be a remarkable ‘In Conversation’ event.

A.C. Grayling’s The History of Philosophy, is the first authoritative and accessi-ble single-volume history of philosophy to cover both Western and Eastern tra-ditions. From one of the world’s most eminent thinkers, Grayling asks what we have learned, but also what progress is still to be made.

Please join us for what is sure to be a highly stimulating conversation on the history of thought and ideas, and the value of critical thinking. For students of life of all ages.

A. C. Grayling CBE MA DPhil (Oxon) FRSA FRSL is the Master of the New College of the Humanities, London, and its Professor of Philosophy. He is also a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He is the author of more than thirty books of philosophy, biography, the history of ideas, and essays. He was for a number of years a columnist on the Guardian, The Times, and Prospect magazine. He has contributed to many leading newspapers in the UK, US and Australia, and to BBC Radios 4, 3 and the World Service, for which he did the annual 'Exchanges at the Frontier' series; and he has often appeared on television. He has twice been a judge on the Booker Prize, in 2014 serving as the Chair of the judging panel. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Vice President of Humanists UK, Patron of the Defence Humanists, Honorary Associate of the Secular Society, and a Patron of Dignity in Dying.

A.C. Grayling in conversation:

The History of Philosophy

A.C. Grayling The Good State:

On The Principles of Democracy


Tickets: £12 Full/ £10 Concs/ £8 Student




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Sunday 15th March 11:00am

In A. C. Grayling’s new publication The Good State he warns that ‘there is a ticking time-bomb at the heart of our representative democracy and in more than fifty countries around the world. The problem is as large and widespread as it is serious. Politics is too often the enemy of government – at least, of good government. We need proportional representation. We need to lower the voting age to 16. We need a written constitution. We need to separate the functions and powers of the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. Democracy is for all, not some.’

Join us for this intriguing talk at Lancaster Library as A. C. Grayling explores what ‘The Good State’ that the principles of democracy entail could look like.

New Gulf Literature






By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Sunday 14th March 7:30pm

Layla AlAmmar is the author of two novels: The Pact We Made (Borough Press, 2019), reviewed in The Guardian, The New Arab, and Elle UK, while her second novel, Silence is a Sense (Borough Press/Algonquin) will be published in 2021. Her short stories have been published in The Evening Standard, Aesthetica Magazine, and Underground: Tales for London (Borough Press, 2018). In 2018 she was British Council International Writer in Residence at the Small Wonder Short Story Festival. Layla is currently writing a PhD on Arab women’s fiction at Lancaster University.

Eman Al Yousuf has published three short story collections and two novels: The Window Which Saw (2014) and Guard of the Sun (2015), which won the 2016 Emirates Novel Award. Her third novel The Resurrection of Others is forthcoming. She has published a book of literary interviews with female Emirati writers, Bread and Ink (2015) and writes the weekly newspaper column ‘Woman of the Pen’ and the monthly column ‘Under the Ink’ in the Emirates Culture Magazine. Her short story ‘The Teapot and I’ was made into a play and she wrote the first Emirati feminist short film, ‘Ghafa’, directed by Aisha Alzaabi. Eman is a chemical engineer and graphology coach

and was the first Emirati ever to be chosen for the prestigious Fall Residency Program of International Writers at the University of Iowa. She is currently a writer in residence at Lancaster University in partnership with the British Council as part of the Sharjah Market Focus at The London Book Fair 2020.

Kuwaiti-American writer Layla AlAmmar and Emirati writer Eman Al Yousuf read and discuss their fiction with Dr Lindsey Moore, Reader in English Literature at Lancaster University. In the last decade, literature from the Arab world has bloomed in translation from Arabic (and other languages) as well as in English publication. The spotlight now falls on the Gulf, following the award of International Booker Prize 2019 to Omani writer Jokha Alharthi (with translator Marilyn Booth) for Celestial Bodies. Come and contemplate the Gulf’s literary riches and discuss with two of the region’s rising stars how and why Gulf women are leading new literary trends.

Lindsey Moore is Reader in Postcolonial Literature at Lancaster University and has published extensively on Arab world literature. Her most recent book is Narrating Postcolonial Arab Nations (Routledge, 2017). She is currently co-writing Global Literature and the Arab World, also for Routledge, with her friend Nadia Atia.

On Rejection: A workshop

Tuesday 17th March 7pm

Venue: Waterstones King St, 2-8 King St, Lancaster, LA1 1JN

Tickets: £2




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Being an artist or a writer means to long for connection with others and to be seen while also facing what sometimes may seem like constant rejection. Professional speaker and magician George Parker and writer and illustrator Inés G. Labarta have created a unique graphic novel-workbook on this particular issue. Their work explores why rejection feels so heart-breaking and how to transmute it into fuel for a creative career – rather than seeing it as an end point.

Come to this workshop delivered by Inés to work on different exercises – and even some magic – that will help you feel energised rather than stale in whichever creative enterprise you are pursuing.

Inés Gregori Labarta (Madrid, 1992) is a writer and illustrator based in the northwest of England. Inés writes in both English and Spanish, and her publications include a trilogy of novels, Los Pentasónicos (Edebé, 2008-2010) and the novellas McTavish Manor (Holland House, 2016) and Kabuki (Dairea, 2017). She has a Creative Writing PhD from Lancaster University, where she works as an associate lecturer. In 2018. Inés launched an on-line publication and podcast called The Wandering Bard (https://thewanderingbard.net) that features migrant artists and focuses on the connections between travelling and creativity. You can check her artwork and comic strips at @InesGLabarta on instagram.

Stacey Halls was born in 1989 and grew up in Rossendale,

Lancashire, as the daughter of market traders. She studied

journalism at the University of Central Lancashire and

moved to London aged 21. She was media editor at

the Bookseller and has written for publications including

the Guardian, Stylist, Psychologies, The Independent, The

Sun and Fabulous. The Foundling is her highly anticipated

second novel.

Stacey Halls in conversation

Venue: Shire Hall, Lancaster Castle, Castle Parade, Lancaster LA1 1YJ





By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Wednesday 18th March 7:30pm

Stacey Hall’s debut novel took the literary world by storm exploring the fascinating tale of Fleetwood Shuttleworth who was the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall at the time of the Pendle Witch trials. In her highly anticipated second novel, The Foundling, she explores families, se-crets, class, equality, power and the meaning of motherhood. Stacey Will be interviewed by Rachel Pollitt, Manager of Gawthorpe Hall.






By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

The Rise of the Memoir

Thursday 19th March 7:30pm

What is a memoir? How do we define its boundaries? In this event two local authors will read from their recent publications, Jenn Ashworth’s memoir-in-essays Notes Made While Falling and John Schad’s experimental biography Paris Bride. Both books cross the boundaries of traditional genre classifications reaching for something new and brimming with possibility. Jenn and John will follow their reading with an insightful discussion chaired by friend of the festival Polly Atkin.

Jenn Ashworth’s first novel, A Kind of Intimacy, was published in 2009 and won a Betty Trask Award. On the publication of her second, Cold Light (Sceptre, 2011) she was featured on the BBC’s The Culture Show as one of the UK’s twelve best new writers. Her latest book is a memoir-in-essays, Notes Made While Falling. She lives in Lancashire and teaches Creative Writing at Lancaster University.

John Schad is Professor of Modern Literature at University of Lancaster. His books include Victorians in Theory (1999), Queer Fish: Christian Unreason from Darwin to Derrida (2004), a memoir, Someone Called Derrida (2007), a novel The Late Walter Benjamin (2012), and an experimental biography called Paris Bride (2019). He has also had two retrospectives published - Hostage of the Word, 1993-2013 (2013) and John Schad in Conversation (2015). He has read his work on BBC Radio 3’s ‘The Verb’ and at various literary festivals, and has adapted his work for the stage.

Polly Atkin lives in Cumbria. Her first pamphlet bone song (Aussteiger, 2008) was shortlisted for the Michael Marks Pamphlet Award, 2009, and second, Shadow Dispatches (Seren, 2013), won the Mslexia Pamphlet Prize, 2012. Her first full poetry collection Basic Nest Architecture was released by Seren in 2017. This was followed by a third pamphlet, With Invisible Rain (New Walk Press, 2018). She has taught English and Creative Writing at several universities. She is a Penguin Random House WriteNow mentee, for a non-fiction book reflecting on place, belonging and chronic illness. In 2019 she co-founded the Open Mountain initiative with Kendal Mountain Festival, which seeks to centre voices that are currently at the margins of outdoor, mountain and nature writing.

Photo by Martin Figura

LITFEST NEEDS YOU!

Interested in volunteering

to help with the festival?

Email [email protected]

Friday 20th March 7:30pm

Poetry Weekend: Ian McMillan -

To Fold The Evening Star

Venue: Nuffield Theatre Lancaster University, North Spine, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YW

Tickets: £13.50 - £9.50 web advance or £15 - £11 on the door



In Person: Great Hall Booking office, The Great Hall Complex, Lancaster University

By phone: 01524 594151

To begin our final weekend we are once more partnering with Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University. It is a very special treat to be welcoming the poet and Bard of Barnsley, Ian McMillan, to open our poetry weekend!

One of Britain’s well-loved poets, performers, broadcasters and entertainers, McMillan has been injecting soul and vibrancy into the UK literary scene for over two decades. His humorous and witty observations of everyday life, fused with his northern, working-class voice has made him a household name.

McMillan’s recent book To Fold The Evening Star – New and Selected Poems gathers work from eight key collections, distilling an essence of McMillan’s diversiform poetry and short prose. Hilarity and tenderness, gravity and light, are interwoven into a bountiful poetic fibre.

‘'the verbal gymnastics of a north country Spike Milligan coupled with the comic timing of Eric Morecambe' - Frome Festival

Bard of Barnsley Ian McMillan hosts weekly hit radio show The Verb. He’s Poet-in-Residence for Barnsley FC, The Academy of Urbanism and, until recently, English National Opera. He’s a regular on BBC Breakfast, Pointless Celebrities, Coast, Countryfile, Pick of the Week, Last Word, The Yorkshire Dales and The Lakes (C4) … He was featured on The South Bank Show and cast away on Desert Island Discs. His rip-roaring poetry shows are legendary. Cats make him sneeze.

@IMcMillan www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk Photo by Ruth Bourne

Poetry Weekend:

Bounce & Rhyme


Booking not necessary—entry free

Saturday 21st March 11am

I'm Stacey from Lancaster library and one of the best parts of my job is that I get to sing

songs, read stories and generally make lots of noise at our baby groups three times a week.

It's brilliant to see the smiling faces of all the families that join us at our busy sessions and I

really hope that we'll always be a space where everyone in the community feels welcome.

But today we’ll be bringing Bounce & Rhyme out of the library, to kick off the Saturday of

Litfest’s Poetry Weekend at The Storey!

Bounce & Rhyme is an under 5s session suitable for bouncing babies and tireless toddlers

alike. Our sing-alongs are not only lots of rhyming fun, but also a great way of meeting new

people, helping your child develop their language and motor skills! So get ready to clap your

hands and stamp your feet, and remember… if you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream!

Saturday 21st March 1pm

Poetry Weekend:

Double Bill One - Sean O’Brien

and Victoria Adukwei Bulley We open the Saturday afternoon of our bumper poetry weekend with the first of our traditional double bills, though there’s nothing traditional about either Sean O’Brien or Victoria Adukwei Bulley. They are two very different poets who are each concerned with the way our lives are deeply affected by politics and history.

Victoria Adukwei Bulley is a British-born Ghanaian poet, writer and filmmaker. She is the winner of a 2018 Eric Gregory Award for promising British poets under 30, and has held artistic residencies internationally in the US, Brazil and the V&A Museum in London. She is the recipient of a 2019 TECHNĒ scholarship for doctoral research at Royal Holloway, University of London, and is the director of Mother Tongues, an intergenerational poetry, film and translation project supported by Arts Council England and Autograph. She is a Complete Works Poetry and Instituto Sacatar fellow, and sits on the advisory board of the Poetry Translation Centre. Her debut pamphlet is Girl B.

Sean O’Brien was born in London, grew up in Hull and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. He is a poet, critic, editor, translator, playwright, broadcaster and novelist. His poetry has won many awards, including the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize and the E.M. Forster Award. A large selection of his work was published in Collected Poems in 2012. His collection, The Beautiful Librarians, won the 2015 Roehampton Poetry Prize and his ninth, Europa, was shortlisted for the 2018 T.S. Eliot Prize. His new collection, It Says Here, will be published by Picador in April. He is Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.


Tickets: £10 adult/£8 concession/ £6 student

POETRY COMBO TICKET: £25 adult/£20 concession/ £15 student




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Poetry Weekend:

Double Bill Two - Paul Farley and

Tara Bergin

Tara Bergin was born and grew up in Co. Dublin, Ireland. She is the author of two poetry collections, This Is Yarrow (2013) and The Tragic Death of Eleanor Marx (2017), which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot and Forward Prizes, and chosen as a Best Po-etry Book of the year by The Times and the Irish Times. The process and influence of literary translation was the topic of her PhD research, and has preoccupied much of her writing since. She lives in the Yorkshire Dales and lectures part-time at Newcastle University.



POETRY COMBO TICKET : £25 adult/£20 concession/ £15 student




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Saturday 21st March 2:20pm

Our second double bill of the afternoon brings together another two outstanding poets. Join Paul Farley, shortlisted for this year’s T.S. Eliot Prize, and Tara Bergin, previously shortlisted for both the 2017 T.S. Eliot Award and the Forward Prize, as they make sense of the natural and the urban, actual and imaginative worlds we live in.

Paul Farley was born in Liverpool and studied at the Chelsea School of Art. He is the author of four collections of poetry including The Boy from the Chemist Is Here to See You (1998) and Dark Film (2012), and a Selected Poems (2014). His work has received many accolades, including the E.M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. A regular broadcaster, he has written and hosted many arts features and documentaries for BBC Radio, and in 2012 presented a two-part programme called Goethe and the West-Eastern Divan for BBC Radio 3. His new collection, The Mizzy, is just out and was shortlisted for the 2019 T.S. Eliot Prize. He teaches at Lancaster University, where he is Professor of Poetry.

Photo By Emmet Bergin

Photo By Leila Romaya

‘The multilingual delights of A New Divan … are inspired by the inspiration Goethe took from Hafiz, and his passionate vision of common humanity across cultural difference’

- Ruth Padel, Financial Times

‘The poets seem to use the Divan not as a bustling street market of imagery but as a lens to look at our times’ - Brian Morton, PN Review



POETRY COMBO TICKET: £25 adult/£20 concession/ £15 student




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Saturday 21st March 3:40pm

Poetry Weekend: A New Divan-

a lyrical dialogue between East

and West

We are delighted to welcome Tara Bergin, Paul Farley and Sean O’Brien to read their English versions of poems by Angélica Freitas, Raoul Schrott and Gilles Ortlieb which they created for the New Divan project. Delphine Grass and Emily Spiers, of the Department of Languages and Cultures at Lancaster University, among others; will read the poems in the original languages, including work by Homero Aridjis, Mourid Barghouti and Gonca Özmen.

The event will be moderated by Bill Swainson, one of A New Divan’s two editors.

Bill Swainson is a freelance editor and literary consultant who has worked for leading literary publishers, including John Calder, Harvill Press and Bloomsbury. He is currently Publisher and Editor in Residence at Lancaster University.

A New Divan contains 24 outstanding new poems by leading international poets, twelve from the ‘East’ and twelve from the ‘West’. Together these poems and their English-language versions create a contemporary lyrical dialogue between cultures based on the themes of Goethe’s West/Eastern Di, including ‘The Poet’, ‘Love’, ‘The Tyrant’, ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Paradise’.

Storytelling Finale:

From Here To There & There to Here


Tickets:£10 Full /£7.50 Concession /£5 Child (11 and under)

SPECIAL OFFER— FAMILY COMBO available for £25 (two adults two children)




By phone: 01524 582394/ 01524 582808

Sunday 22nd March 3pm

Emma Rucastle is a Lancaster-based theatre professional with wide-ranging experience in educational, community and professional theatre. She trained in theatre directing in London and Moscow and works locally and around the UK for organisations including Lancaster's Dukes Theatre, Shakespeare Schools Foundation and Rotherham Underground. She is one of the Makers of Lancaster Fun Palace, a free community celebration of Arts and Sciences held annually the first weekend of October in Lancaster Library.

Join theatre practitioner Emma Rucastle to hear, tell and create stories of Travel and Home and what they mean to us. A fun and thought-provoking interactive performance, including spoken word, rhythm, movement and more - suitable and accessible for all.

Sunday 1st—

Tuesday 31st March

The Stone King

Throughout the month of March our

podcast telling the story of The Stone king

will be free to download .This is a fabulous

way to interact with our beautiful

Williamson Park. Listen to the story of

The Stone King as you walk around the park

being led by the storyteller!

The podcast will be available to download

from our website at:

www.litfest.org

Contact Details & General Information

Litfest

The Storey

Meeting House Lane

Lancaster

LA1 1TH

www.litfest.org

Telephone: 01524 582394

Email: [email protected]

# LancasterLitfest

litfestLancaster

@Litfest

Booking & Tickets

For all Litfest Tickets excluding ‘A History of Philosophy’ and ‘To Fold the Evening Star’

In person: Lancaster Visitor Information Centre By Phone: 01524 582394

The Storey, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1TH

Or Morecambe Visitor Information Centre By Phone: 01524 582808

Old Station Buildings, Morecambe, Lancashire, LA4 4DB

(Monday - Saturday 10am - 4pm) Any remaining tickets will be available

Online: www.litfest.org to purchase on the door - cash only!

For ‘A History of Philosophy’ and ‘To Fold the Evening Star’

In person: Great Hall Complex Booking Office By Phone: 01524 594151

Great Hall Complex, Lancaster University, LA1 4WY

(Monday - Friday 12pm - 5pm)


Concession tickets are available to those in receipt of a pension or unemployment benefits,

students and children under the age of 18.

Student tickets are available for some events to those with a Valid Student ID

Child tickets are available for some events to children under the age of 11

Full price tickets are available to everyone else!

litfest_lancaster

Lancaster Castle

Castle Parade, Lancaster LA1 1YJ

Lancaster Castle is located in Lancaster City Centre.

Parking on-site is restricted. There is a small car park

at the rear of the castle but this is reserved for Court

users only during the week. However, they will

always accommodate visitors with Blue Badges /

mobility problems. Please contact them in advance

to discuss & arrange car parking.

There are also Pay and Display spaces nearby with

two hour meter parking on Castle Hill, and longer stay

parking on Dallas Road and at Parksafe on Damside

Street.

Lancaster Library

18 - 20 Market Street, Lancaster LA1 1HY

There is no immediate car parking outside the

library but there are car parks and disabled

spaces nearby. For more details see:

www.lancaster.gov.uk/parking

Travelling to Events

The Storey

Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1TH

The Storey is located in Lancaster City Centre, just

2 minutes’ walk from Lancaster Railway Station

(follow signs to the city centre). There are several

Pay and Display car parks in and around the city

centre, the closest being Dallas Road and Parksafe

which is accessed via Bridge Lane and Damside St.

The Priory

Priory Close, Lancaster LA1 1YZ

Pedestrians may access Lancaster Priory via the medieval Priory Steps at the top of St Mary’s Parade, or from Castle Park passing the Crown Court.

We are located just a few minutes walk from Lancaster Railway Station.

Unfortunately there is no public parking

available at the church. There is limited

metered parking available on Castle Hill. The

nearest car parks in the city are a short walk

away.

The Great Hall and Nuffield Theatre

Lancaster University Great Hall Complex, North Spine, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4YW

Visitor parking is available including wheelchair accessible spaces. Parking charges, across the entire

campus, only apply weekdays before 6pm.The nearest visitor parking zone for Lancaster Arts is Visitor

Parking Zone A on the north west drive. To access this zone, take the first exit at the main roundabout

and then continue forward for a hundred yards – the parking spaces are then located on each side of the

road. Continue along the ring road to access other parking areas across campus. Blue Badge holders

should either park in Bowland Avenue or next to the LICA building.

For more details see: https://www.lancasterarts.org/visiting/finding-lancaster-arts

Access Information

If you require a large print

version of the brochure please

contact [email protected]

Further access information for our venues can be found by contacting:

Lancaster Central Library Tel: 0300 123 6703 Email: [email protected]

Lancaster Castle Tel: 01524 64998 Email: [email protected]

The Great Hall Complex, Lancaster University Tel: 01524 594151 Email: [email protected]

The Priory Tel: 01524 65338

Waterstones King St Tel: 01524 61477 Email: [email protected]

The Storey Tel: 01524 582226 Email: [email protected]

Disabled toilet facilities are available at The Storey, Lancaster Central Library and Lancaster University.

Disabled parking may be available at The Priory if contacted in advance.

The Storey is fully accessible to wheelchair

users. If you wish to reserve a wheelchair

space in the auditorium please email

[email protected]

Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome.

All details are correct at the time of going to press. We reserve the right to change the programme if circumstances

dictate. Litfest cannot refund money for purchased tickets, except in the case of a cancelled event.

Lancaster & District Festival Ltd, trading as Litfest.

Registered Company No. 1494221. Registered Charity No. 510670.

Waterstones King St

2-8 King St, Lancaster LA1 1JN

5 minutes’ walk from Lancaster Railway Station (follow signs to the city centre). There are several Pay and

Display car parks in and around the city centre, the closest being Dallas Road and Parksafe which is

accessed via Bridge Lane and Damside street.

Programme and Cover art

by Natalie Sorrell Charlesworth

tel:0300%20123%206703




Date Time Event Venue

Friday 13th March 7:30pm Litfest Launch: Eden North—a new vision for Morecambe Bay The Priory

Friday 13th March—

Sunday 22nd March N/A

Exhibitions: ‘Migrations’ and ‘In

Pursuit of Peace and Hope’ Lancaster Library

Saturday 14th March 11:30 am Illustration Day: Workshop 1—Petr Horacek Lancaster Library

Saturday 14th March 1:00pm Illustration Day: Workshop 2 -

Nadine Kaadan Lancaster Library

Saturday 14th March 2:30pm Illustration Day: Panel Discussion Lancaster Library

Saturday 14th March 3pm Lars Mytting The Storey

Auditorium

Saturday 14th March 7:30pm The History of Philosophy:

AC Grayling

The Great Hall

Lancaster University

Sunday 15th March 11am The Good State: AC Grayling Lancaster Library

Sunday 15th March 7:30pm New Gulf Literature Lancaster Library

Tuesday 17th March 7:00pm On Rejection: A workshop Waterstones King St

Wednesday 18th March 7:30pm Stacey Halls in conversation Shire Hall,

Lancaster Castle

Thursday 19th March 7:30pm The Rise of the Memoir:

John Schad and Jenn Ashworth

The Storey

Auditorium

Friday 20th March 7:30pm Poetry Weekend: Ian McMillan -

To Fold the Evening Star

Nuffield Theatre

Lancaster University

Saturday 21st March 11am Poetry Weekend:

Bounce and Rhyme

The Storey

Auditorium

Saturday 21st March 1pm

Poetry Weekend Double Bill 1:

Sean O’Brien and Victoria

Adukwei Bulley

The Storey

Auditorium

Saturday 21st March 2:20pm Poetry Weekend Double Bill 2:

Paul Farley and Tara Bergin

The Storey

Auditorium

Saturday 21st March 3:40pm Poetry Weekend:

A New Divan

The Storey

Auditorium

Sunday 22nd March 3pm Storytelling Finale: From Here to There and There to Here Lancaster Library

Friday 13th—Sunday 22nd March 41st Lancaster Literature ... · Friday 13th March - Sunday 22nd...

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