John Milton His Life & Times - Chalfont Literary Festival · John Milton His Life & Times. For good...

Chalfont St Giles& Jordans

Literary Festival

12th - 18th May 2008

John MiltonJohn MiltonJohn MiltonJohn MiltonJohn MiltonHis Life & TimesHis Life & TimesHis Life & TimesHis Life & TimesHis Life & TimesJohn MiltonJohn MiltonJohn MiltonJohn MiltonJohn Milton

His Life & TimesHis Life & TimesHis Life & TimesHis Life & TimesHis Life & Times

For good food, a relaxing atmosphereand a warm welcome� The Crown �

located in the centre of the village.Dining reservations: 01494 875156.

FREE BOTTLE OF HOUSEWINE

Visitors to the Crown during May 2008 willreceive a free bottle of house wine on

presentation of this voucher.

Offer only available Monday-Thursdayevenings for a minimum of two people

dining together and ordering two coursesfrom the a la carte menu.

Poetry Performer Lance Pierson will be appearing atthe Crown at lunchtime on Saturday, 17th May.

See page 26 for details.

Welcome!

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We offer a very warm welcome to you to this, the thirdChalfont St Giles & Jordans Literary Festival. Our Festival,which runs from 12th-18th May 2008, celebrates theQuatercentenary of the birth of the Poet Laureate JohnMilton (1608 � 1674), who came to live in the village in 1665to escape the Plague.In commemorating this great man�s life, we hope to

interest you in some aspects of his work and life and thetimes in which he lived: his poetry, his views on importantevents, the people and ideas of his times, his influencethrough the centuries, and the food, dress, plants andwalks he would have known.Following our previous successes, we are again holding

themedwritten competitions for all ages: see our web site forthe details: www.chalfontstgilesliteraryfestival.orgThe Festival would not be possible without the

sponsorship, help and support frommany, including:Awardsfor All, Binamic, Buckinghamshire Building Society, theChalfont St Giles Parish Council, the Residents�Association,Colman & Green Estate Agents, the Revitalisation SteeringGroup, aswell as other local businesses andmany individualswho have also given their time and energy. Acknow-ledgements are also given in our programmes.We hope that you will find our Festival of interest. We

look forward to welcoming you to The Chilterns. Why notvisit for the day or the week?We have a first class choice ofrestaurants and inns right here in our picturesque village!

The Festival CommitteeKathleenMartin (Chairman)

ZoricaBowie Margaret Hiscock (Treasurer)Joan Buck RenaHumeDick Butterworth Paul LeePamConnor Ann NewcombeSueDorman CarolineNewtonWin&Mike Foxton Elen PealGeorgeGreenfield TimSimmonsPeter HeapsMBE Mary White

The Friends of Milton�s Cottageinvite you to an

Anniversary DinnerSaturday 17th May 2008in the Memorial Hall, Chalfont St Giles

Do join us to drink a toast to John Miltonand enjoy entertainment, music,a glass of wine on arrival,

and a splendid 3 course mealAll are welcometickets £32 per person

Contact : Gillian Jones on 01494 723693

Incidentally�.Why not visit the cottage during the festival?

Open Tuesday - Sunday10 am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm

Highclere Farm

Touring Caravan Parkand accommodation

Newbarn Lane, Seer GreenTel: 01494 874505Email: [email protected]

Contents

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BOOKING FORM................................................... Centre pagesHow to find Chalfont St Giles & Jordans ............... Page 16-17

SPEAKERS (in first name alphabetical order) PageAndrewMotion: An evening with the Poet Laureate ................. 15Anna Beer:Milton � Poet, Pamphleteer and Patriot ................... 4Avril Hart: Costume of the 17th Century ...................................... 9Prof Gordon Campbell:Milton & Islam................................... 27Dr Chris Lintott:

Milton & Galileo � a modern astronomer�s view ................. 20Coral Rumble:Writing poetry ................................................... 19Dinah Livingstone: Poetry and tea ............................................. 6Ivan Day: Tuf-taffety Tarts and Tanseys �Dining in the Age of Milton ...................................................... 11

Janet Murphy:Gardens in the Age of Milton ..................................................... 7

Joan Buck & Donna Savery:An evening with Samson & Delilah ........................................... 8

June Peters: Storytelling .................................................. 19 & 23Lance Pierson: Poetry reading & Lunch at The Crown ........... 26Nicholas Halliday:The Lonely Tree and Other Stories .......................................... 22

Dr Nick Foxton: �Myself am Hell� ............................................. 29Dr Sharon Achinstein:Citizen Milton � an overview of his life and work .................. 31

Prof Tom Luxon: Milton on marriage & friendship ................. 30Dr Tony Williams: Milton and the Victorians ........................... 21Wendy Lewis: Children�s book illustrating ................................ 19Win Foxton &Ann Newcombe: The Plague ............................ 13

WORKSHOPSNicholas Halliday:Adults�Workshop: How to write for children ......................... 12

Gill Smith: Workshop: How to write poetry ............................. 24Jackie Marshall-Ward: Dance of the period ............................ 25

OTHEREVENTSPanel discussion led by John WaiteThe influence of John Milton down the ages ............................ 28

Choral Evensong ........................................................................ 32Guided Village Walks .................................................................5Living History ............................................................................22Prizegiving .................................................................................33School day ..................................................................................19

The biographerAnna Beer is Lecturer in Literature at theDepartment for Continuing Education, University of Oxfordand a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford�s newestpostgraduate college. In addition, she holds a ResearchFellowship at St Mary�s College, Strawberry Hill.She published the first biography of Elizabeth

Throckmorton, the wife of Sir Walter Ralegh (Bess: The Lifeof Lady Ralegh, Wife to Sir Walter, Constable, 2004) four yearsago.Milton: Poet, Pamphleteer and Patriot (Bloomsbury,

2008) is her second book for a general readership. It is notjust a biography of Milton but also an account of thetumultuous years through which he lived. Anna�s focus isless on Milton�s personal life than on Milton the man:nonconformist, republican, controversialist.

AnnaBeer�Milton � Poet, Pamphleteer and Patriot�

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Monday 12thMay at 7.15pm for 8.00pmChalfont StGiles ParishChurch

Aide Memoire: No of tickets booked: ___________

Tuesday 13thMay andSunday 18thMay at 10.00am

OnTuesday 13thMayandSunday18thMay, gentlewalkswill beheld in conjunctionwithChalfont StGiles Literary Festival tocelebrate the 400thAnniversary of JohnMilton�s birth.The total distance is about four miles and will include time

for a little sightseeing. A guide from the Chiltern Society willaccompany both walks.The walks will start at 10.00am fromBlizzardsYard car park

(behind the Co-op in Chalfont St Giles) and head for Jordansto visit the grave ofWilliam Penn, founder of Pennsylvania andhis wife, Hannah. Following a disastrous fire in 2005, the interiorof the 17th Century Quaker Meeting House may not be open tothe public as it may still be undergoing renovation planned formidMay completion.Walkers will return via Seer Green to Chalfont St Giles and

Milton�s Cottage which will be open specially for any walkerswho wish to visit. Walkers may also like to visit the ReadingRoom at 3pm for a cup of tea with poet Dinah Livingstone - seenext page.

GuidedVillageWalks

Milton�s Cottage visit:Special group rate of £3 per personincluding an overviewby theCurator

The Chiltern Society, a charitywith around 6,500 members, isone of the largest environ-mental groups in England

directly associated with the conservation of one of thecountry�s finest protected landscapes. It has over 400 activevolunteers who protect the Chilterns� heritage landscapes,buildings and rivers, maintain Chiltern footpaths andbridleways, publish footpath maps, lead walks, cycle ridesand photographic trips, and help Chiltern farmers.For more information and to join the Chiltern Society,

contact Tracey Read on 01494 771250 or the website:www.chilternsociety.org.uk.

Tuesday 13thMay at 3.00pmReadingRoom,High Street

Poetry andTeawithMilton andDinahLivingstone

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DinahLivingstonehadarural childhood in theWest ofEnglandbuthas lived forthe last forty years inCamdenTown,where shehas run the small pressKatabasis since 1967. She has receivedthreeArts CouncilWriter�sAwards for her poetry and editsthemagazine Sofia.Her most recent poetry collections are Kindness (2007),

Presence (2003) and Time on Earth: Selected and New Poems,published by Rockingham Press in 1999; she has published ninepamphlets and seven books of poetry.She is a very experienced reader and has given many poetry

readings in all kinds of venues at home and abroad and is atranslator with a special interest in Latin American poetry andprose.Dinah ran the well knownCamdenVoices Poetry Group from

1978 to 1998, to whom her Poetry Handbook for Readers andWriters (Macmillan 1992) is dedicated. Her most recent prosebook, The Poetry of Earth, is a long essay on poetry and othermatters.Dinah will read some of her favourite poems and passages

from Milton and later some of her own poems. There will beplenty of time for discussion.

Tuesday 13thMay at 8.00pmReadingRoom,High Street

JanetMurphy�Gardens in the Age of Milton�

JanetMurphy studied at theTonbridge part of theUniversityof Kent, Canterbury part time for two years and received aDiploma in HDMG (History and Design Management ofGardens).She advanced her knowledge of Garden History for a

further two years by attending lectures and courses at theGarden History Museum taught by Caroline Holmes, AnnaPavord (who wrote the book The Tulip) and Sir Roy Strong.She worked for Croydon Adult Education part time

teaching day courses on the Medieval/Tudor, Victorian andRenaissance gardens and also for the WEA (Workers�Educational Association) Adult Education on eight weeklycourses called Garden History through the ages, includingsome garden design and visits to gardens such as HeverCastle in Kent and Great Dixter in Sussex.In the past, Janet has done garden design work for private

clients which she much enjoys.Janet will discuss the garden plants that Milton would

have known and especially small cottage gardens.

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Tuesday 13thMay at 8.00pmJordansVillageHall

Joan Buck & Donna Savery�An evening with Samson & Delilah�

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In the first part of the evening Joan Buck (pictured above left)provides an insightful glance at SamsonAgonistes and bringsherknowledgeof the text tobear inadiscussionof and readingsfromMilton�s �dramaticpoem�.Donna Savery (pictured above right) will then discuss

changing representations and interpretations of theDelilah figure,and will consider Milton�sDalilahwithin the context of literaryand cultural canons. Her lecture will include readings anddramatisations from actors and undergraduate students and shewill draw upon texts which range from the classical, tocontemporary literary readings of Delilah, found in the works ofCarol Ann Duffy and in popular culture through such likes asthe dulcet tones of Tom Jones.

Joan Buck is a retired lecturer in literature andmedieval history.She currently runs a bookshop in Chalfont St Giles and one inCornwall.

Donna Savery is Senior Lecturer in Drama at BuckinghamshireNewUniversity and Kingston University. She has worked as anartistic director andwriter for Fragmented Ego Theatre Companyand her most recent play MILF is currently in rehearsal forproduction this summer in London and Edinburgh. Her PhDwhich she is currently researching, is in Representations ofwomen�s capacity to be both creative and destructive inclassical and contemporary dramatic texts.

Wednesday 14thMay at 2.00pmReadingRoom,High Street

AvrilHart�Costume of the 17th Century�

Avril Hart retired from the Victoria &Albert Museum in1997 where she had specialised in historical dress, herparticular responsibilities focusing on Men�s Dress andFans.Before her retirement she published for V&AM

publications a book on Ties and was co-author with hercolleague Emma Taylor on Fans and with Susan North onFashion in Detail.As a complete contrast to writing and giving lectures,

Avril was subsequently commissioned to produce a series ofline drawing illustrations for Satina Levey�s book TheEmbroidery of Hardwick Hall, a catalogue published by theNational Trust in 2007.Avril will discuss and illustrate the fashions for both men

and women during the lifetime of JohnMilton.


When there�s a rumble in your belly, Come down to the Deli,For a welcome and a smile, Don�t drive another mile.

Great big meals, snacks and cakes,Teas and coffee with home bakes.

For presents, hampers, groceries � We also stock all of these,And sandwiches with more than cheese �

There�s no more rhymes � just visit � PLEASE!!

Open 7 days � Mon-Fri 07.30-17.00 �Sat 08.30-16.00 � Sun 10.00-16.00

Find us on the village green or call 01494 871099We�re 3 minutes� walk from Milton�s Cottage!

Your local picture framer

50 High Street, Chalfont St GilesBucks HP8 4QQ

Tel: 01494 876328

Prop: John Pither

Rosemary�s Gallery

Wednesday 14thMay at 8.00pmMemorial Hall, School Lane

IvanDay�Tuf-taffety Tarts andTanseys � Dining inthe Age of Milton�

Ivan Day has an internationalreputation for his research onBritishandEuropeanculinaryhistory.Aswellbeing as a scholar, broadcaster and writer, he is also a giftedprofessional cook and confectioner. He is noted particularlyfor his re-creations of historic meals and table settings.His work has been exhibited in many museums, including

the Paul Getty Research Institute, Philadelphia Museum ofArt,theMuseum of London, Fairfax House, the BowesMuseum andthe Rothschild Collection. Examples of his work can currentlybe seen in the V&A British Galleries and in the Great ChamberBuffet at Chatsworth House.His recent books have been Eat, Drink and be Merry (Philip

Wilson 2000), Royal Sugar Sculpture (Bowes Museum 2002)and The Art of Cookery (Southover Press 2005). He is currentlyworking on a book called Cookery in Europe 1650-1850 to bepublished by the Greenwood Press in 2008. Ivan was thepresenter of the six part British TV series Hungry for the Past(Granada 2005) and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4programmes such as The Food Programme, You and Yours,Thinking Allowed and Woman�s Hour. He has been historicconsultant to many television programmes including The TimeTeam, The Edwardian Country House and Edwardian SupersizeMe.Ivan is an enthusiastic educator and entertaining public

speaker. He has lectured widely throughout Britain, Europe andthe USA. He also runs unique practical courses on periodcookery, many of which take place in an historic kitchen in hisown home, a seventeenth century farmhouse on the edge of theEnglish Lake District. You can find out more about Ivan and hiswork from his prizewinning website www.historicfood.com

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Thursday 15th May 11.00am -12.00 noonInfants School, School Lane

NicholasHallidayAdults�Workshop:

How to write for children

After working in the publishing industry for over fifteenyears, Nick Halliday launched his career as a children�swriter in December 2005 with his company Halliday Booksand the publication of The Lonely Tree.As writer, illustratorand publisher of his first book, he drew on his previousexperience as a freelance designer and illustrator to puttogether a long-held ambition. The Lonely Tree has beenuniversally praised and is one of a trilogy, with the secondpart, The Little Oak, being published later this year. Lastautumn, Nick published his delightful tale, The Scummage.He also has many other children�s characters and ideas inthe pipeline. Through his foreign rights agent his books arenow selling in many countries around the world.Nick is part of the Chalfont St Giles Literary Festival and

the Bath Literary Festival this year, as well as running otherchildren�s writers� courses. He has been on the judging panelfor The Romantic Novelist Association Awards, appeared onITV News, The Weakest Link and been a guest presenter onRadio Oxford. Nick also runs workshops in schools and is apopular speaker at writers� groups.This is a one hour workshop covering all aspects of writing

for children.


Thursday 15thMay at 2.00pmReadingRoom,High Street

Win Foxton&AnnNewcombe�The Plague�

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ThePlague came toEngland in 1665 and JohnMilton came toChalfont StGiles in September of that year to avoid thePlagueinLondon.Milton�s former pupil Thomas Ellwood found the cottage for

him and apocryphally said to the poet, on being shown themanuscript ofParadise Lost, whichMilton completed inChalfontSt Giles, �And now what of Paradise Regained?�In this illustrated talk, Win (pictured above right) and Ann

(pictured left) will describe and discuss various aspects of thePlague and how it affected the people of England.BothAnn andWin havemedical backgrounds which sparked

their interest in this subject.

Paradise LostOn July 4th and 5thChalfont StGiles will hosta dramatic version ofParadise Lost, performingMilton�s words in the place hewrote them.

To get involved in this production or just to findout more, please contact Paul Lee [email protected] or 01494 876647.

Supporting theChalfont StGilesLiterary Festivalwith book sales

[email protected] email:[email protected]

YHAJORDANSWelders Lane, Jordans 01494 873135

A small self-catering lodge set in its own groundswith parking, patio andBBQ area. Ideal for families,individuals and groups.

Family rooms from £45.Individuals from £13.95Rent the whole hostelat weekends from £550.Twenty-two beds in total.

Chalfont St Giles

07742 11 12 13Opening hours:

Mon & Tue: by appointment 10am-7pmWed & Thu: by appointment

12 midday-10pmFri & Sat: walk in 9am-5.30pm

Thursday 15thMay at 7.30pmChalfont StGiles ParishChurch

Andrew MotionAn evening with the Poet Laureate

AndrewMotionwasborn in1952.HereadEnglishatUniversityCollege,Oxfordandsubsequently spent twoyearswritingaboutthepoetryofEdwardThomas foranM.Litt. From1976 to1980he taught English at theUniversity ofHull; from 1980 to 1982he edited the Poetry Review and from 1982 to 1989 he wasEditorialDirector andPoetryEditor atChatto&Windus.He isalsoProfessorofCreativeWritingatRoyalHolloway,Universityof London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.AndrewMotionwas appointed asPoetLaureate inMay1999.He says: �My poems are the product of a relationship between

a side of my mind which is conscious, alert, educated andmanipulative, and a sidewhich is asmurky as a primaeval swamp.I can�t predict when this relationship will flower. If I try to goadit into existence I merely engage with one side of mymind or theother, and the poem suffers.�I wantmywriting to be as clear as water. No ornate language;

very few obvious tricks. I want readers to be able to see all theway down through its surfaces into the swamp. I want them tofeel they�re in a world they thought they knew, but which turnsout to be stranger, more charged, more disturbed than theyrealised.�Andrew will talk both about his own poetry and that of the

former Poet Laureate, JohnMilton.

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Photo©AdrianMealing

How to find us

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Festival Venues1 Jordans Village Hall7 Milton�s Cottage8 The Memorial Hall, School Lane9 Garden Associations Hall &

Guide Hall, School Lane10 Reading Room14 The Crown15 Parish Church

Accommodation2 YHA Jordans 01494 8731353 Highclere Farm 01494 8745054 The White Hart 01494 872441

19 The Ivy House 01494 872184

Restaurants & Pubs4 The White Hart 01494 8724415 Milton�s Head 07875 7795906 Milton�s Indian/Thai 01494 875005

11 The Fox & Hounds 01494 87215113 The Feathers 01494 58140014 The Crown 01494 87515616 The Deli 01494 87109917 Merlin�s Cave 01494 87510118 Mr Poon�s Chinese 01494 87020019 The Ivy House 01494 872184

Welders Lane

Seer GreenLane

To Chalfont St Peter

To Amersham

Mill Lane

Silver Hill

School Lane

Deanway

ToBeaconsfield

NewbarnLane

Twitchells

Lane

Narcot

Road

1

2

34

56

7

8 9

10 13

11

14

15 16

P

How to find us

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By roadChalfont St Giles is only an hour�s drivefrom London or half an hour from WestLondon, Aylesbury, High Wycombe andWatford. Take Junction 16 or 18 off the

M25 or Junction 1 or 2 off theM40. The village is situatedalong the A413 betweenAmersham and Denham.

For those using satellitenavigation, the centre of thevillage is found at postcode HP84QQ.

By public transportThe Chiltern Line from

Marylebone to Banbury/Birmingham stops at GerrardsCross and occasionally at SeerGreen & Jordans. Both stationsare close to the 305 bus whichruns, infrequently, to ChalfontSt Giles. The 353 which runsbetween Gerrards Cross and

Amersham also stops at Chalfont St Giles.The Chiltern Line from Marylebone to Aylesbury

links with the Metropolitan Underground and stopsat Chalfont & Latimer station as well as Amersham.There are taxis available and the distance from thesestations to Chalfont St Giles is only three to fourmiles.To plan your journey use: www.chilternrailways.co.

uk or www.buckscc.gov.uk/travelinfo or ring 08457 4849 50 National Rail Enquiries 0870 608 2 608 BusTraveline.

On foot or by bicycleChalfont St Giles is well served by public footpathsand cycle routes, and has good connections with theextensive path network of the Chiltern Hills.

To London

Vache Lane

A41317 18

P

19

A delightful old-fashioned bookshopfull of antique illustrated books and

others on all subjects.Comfortable and interesting.

5 High Street, Chalfont St GilesTel: 01494 871512

Joan Buck(closed onMondays)

GILES OLD BOOKS

Fancy Dress & Accessories HireBalloon Art

Themed PartiesWedding Favours & Bombonieres4 The Green, High Street, Chalfont St Giles

Tel: 01494 874364 Fax: 01494 872683www.all-dressed-up.co.ukwww.all-dressed-up.co.ukwww.all-dressed-up.co.ukwww.all-dressed-up.co.ukwww.all-dressed-up.co.uk

Friday 16thMay from 10.00amfor school children only at:

Chalfont StGiles Infants SchoolJordans Infants School

Chalfont StGiles JuniorSchool

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WendyLewisChildren�s bookillustratingWendy will be talking to thechildren and will also be in thevillage on Saturday morning(17th May) to sign copies of herbooks.

CoralRumbleWriting poetryCoral will recite some of herpoetry and explain to thechildren how to write poetry.

June PetersStorytelling

June will tell fairy stories,folk tales and wonder talesfrom all over the world andher performance will involve

participation, songs and games.

DrChrisLintott�Milton & Galileo �

A modern astronomer�s view�

Friday 16thMay at 8.00pmMemorial Hall, School Lane

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Chris Lintott is a postdoctoral researcher at OxfordUniversity, where he is also a Junior Research Fellowat Somerville College. His work concentrates on thechemical signatures of star formation and the widerquestion of how galaxies form. He is the principalinvestigator for the Galaxyzoo.org project, whichrecruited 125,000 members of the public to help classifygalaxies imaged by a robotic telescope.In addition to his academic work, Chris is heavily

involved in talking about astronomy to the public. Heis co-presenter of the BBC�s long-running Sky at Nightseries, and has written for publications from theTimes to the Royal Opera House programme. Along withSir Patrick Moore and Dr Brian May, he recentlypublished Bang!, a history of the evolution of the Universeand his writing can be found on the web atwww.chrislintott.net.Chris will be talking about Milton�s visit to Italy in 1638 to

meet the astronomer Galileo and putting Galileo�s work in thecontext of modern astronomy.

DrTonyWilliams�Milton & The Victorians�

Friday 16thMay at 8.00pmJordansVillageHall

DrTonyWilliams taught English in secondary schools from1969 to 1997, including twenty-two years at nearbyCheshamHigh School.He took early retirement in 1997 and from 1999 to 2006 was

Joint General Secretary of the International DickensFellowship and a Trustee of The Charles Dickens Museum inDoughty Street, Bloomsbury, in London. He continues to beinvolved in Dickens-related activities, including theorganisation of the Fellowship�s London programme ofevents, and is Associate Editor of its journal, The Dickensian.He is a frequent speaker on Dickens and other literary

topics, both in this country and overseas, including a recent(2006) lecture tour of Japanese Universities.Currently he is a Research Fellow in the School of Humanities

at the University of Buckingham, involved in a project to haveall of Dickens�s Journalism online, edited and accessible to alllevels of user, by 2012, the bicentenary of Dickens�s birth.His topic will beMilton and the Victorians and will develop

and expand on areas he introduced in a previous but briefer talkon the subject.

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Saturday 17thMay 10.00am-3.00pmTheVillageGreen, Chalfont StGiles

LivingHistory


Saturday 17th May at 10.00amReadingRoom,High Street

NicholasHalliday�The Lonely Tree and Other Stories�

Page 22

Nickwill be talking to the children about his tree trilogy andother children�s stories.

See page 14 for details of Nick�s background.

TheLivingHistoryGroup (LHG)will re-enact lifeduring the time of the English CivilWar (1642-1651).

Members will demonstrate the skills ofthe Scrivener and the Pikeman.

Everyonewho learns the pike drill will receivea certificate and gold coin.

Tickets are not required for this event.

June Peters

Saturday 17thMayStorytelling

June Peters is a versatile performer whose rich voice andmusical talentsmakeherworkriveting,movingandmemorable.Shedrawsonsources that comefromMesopotamianclay tablets4,000 years old; from the Arabian nights and ArthurianAdventure; fromGreek,African and IndianMyth; from theFolklore of Ireland, ShetlandandScandinavia; fromanecdotesand scraps ofwisdomandriddles of thenowadays.Her performances for adults will take you on an emotional

journey. Her style has been described as gentle, intense, exciting,direct, intimate, inclusive.She is also an experienced teacher and a workshop leader of

many years� experience, held the position of chair of the Societyfor Storytelling for two years and regularly tours schools acrossSouthAmerica.


10.30am-11.30am in the Barn(behind Merlin�s Cave)

12.15pm-1.15pmin Jordans Village Hall

2.00pm-3.00pm in theGardens Association Hall, School Lane

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Gill has written verses since school, when she says �rhymingmade passing notes in class a little more challenging andfun!�She started to take it more seriously when she found a

couple of local workshops. She attended a one-off sessionand during that she wrote a poem that took second prize in anational competition. She spent her winnings attending apoetry class to learn more and has been writing poetryregularly ever since.Gill teaches for the WEA (Workers� Educational

Association): courses include Creative Writing Workshopsin Slough and Gerrards Cross and a Poetry Workshop inMaidenhead. She also teaches in the Continuing Educationdepartment at the University of Reading.She has no single inspiration but there are a huge number

of poets she has read over the years that she has enjoyedand who have, in various ways, influenced her and her writing.Additionally, Gill appears as a stand-up comic, performing

regularly around the south of England and in Edinburgh eachyear.This is a two hour workshop with a short break.

Gill SmithWorkshop:

How to write poetry

Saturday 17th May 10.00am-12.00 noonGardens Associations Hall, School Lane

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JackieMarshall-Ward

Saturday 17th May 10.00am-12.00 noonMemorial Hall, School Lane

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Jackie researches, teaches and performs dance in an historiccontext with a background in languages, history and formaldance training.Emphasis isplacedonthe social contextofdance,with reference to costume and etiquette.The continuity and development of steps and technique from

the medieval to the present day is seen as vital for theperformance and enjoyment of dancing.

TheworkshopsIt is commonly thought that the Puritans outlawed dancing as afrivolous and sinful activity; however, the first publication ofEnglish Social Dances appeared in 1651, indicating that therewas a demand for such a book and that dancing was popular.We shall learn the social dances of the period and the steps

that were used during the Commonwealth and early Restoration.Students of dance will find the workshops provide usefulbackground to their studies of early ballet.

No experience necessary.Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes with a small heel.

Saturday 17thMay 1.30pm-3.30pmJordansVillageHall

Workshop:Dance of the Period (1651-1674)

Workshop:Dance of the Period (1608-1651)

BA Hons (London), ADB (Ed),Laban Community Dance Leader,Director of Danse Royale,

Hands on History

See details above.


Saturday 17th May at 12.00 noonTheCrown,High Street

Lunchwith Lance Pierson

Lance Pierson is an actor and professional poetry performerwho aims to take published poetry off the page and bring it tolife.Lance has performed at venues including the Victoria &

Albert Museum, St Paul�s Cathedral and Westminster Abbeyand has also taken his shows to over a dozen literary and artsfestivals around the country.He has created several unique presentations based around

a selection of his favourite English poets. He explores their livesand work by performing selections of their best-known andmostimportant poetry.Until the 20th Century, JohnMiltonwas universally reckoned

to be England�s second greatest poet (after Shakespeare) but heis largely ignored today. For the quatercentenary of his birth,Lance hopes to restore his reputation.

Lunch will be a pre-selected two course meal,details to be included with the tickets.

After the lunch, Lance will entertain withpoetry, including Milton recitations.

Professor Campbell is a Renaissance and seventeenth-centuryspecialist with a particular interest in John Milton.

His work on Milton consists of three parallel projects. First, acollaboration over several years with Thomas Corns (Bangor), JohnHale (Otago) and Fiona Tweedie (Edinburgh) on the provenance of theMiltonic De Doctrina Christiana manuscript, the results of whichwere published in October 2007 by Oxford University Press. Second,a collaboration with Professor Corns on a new scholarly biography ofMilton (also for OUP) which will be published on Milton�s 400thbirthday, 9th December 2008. Third, serving with Professor Corns asthe general editors of an 11-volume edition of Milton to be publishedby OUP, with at least one volume (containing Paradise Regained andSamson Agonistes) ready for publication on the birthday.

Prof. Campbell has served as Chairman and President of the EnglishAssociation and as Chairman of the Society for Renaissance Studies;in 2005 he was Honored Scholar of the Milton Society ofAmerica. Heis a Fellow of the Society ofAntiquaries, a Fellow of the Royal HistoricalSociety, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of theRoyalAsiatic Society and a member of the Selden Society (for Englishlegal history).

Prof. Campbell has strong international interests and he hastravelled to most countries of the world, participating in conferencesand becoming familiar with international issues in higher educationwhich has brought him into close contact with the British Council.

His broader interests in cultural history are at present focused onart and architecture but also include subjects such as legal history andtheology. He has long had a particular interest in the Islamic world andregularly contributes to radio (news) programmes on the Middle East.

In this talk Gordon Campbell brings together his interests in IslamandMilton�s England.Milton�s own views of ancient and contemporaryIslamic societies are distinctive and surprising, and cast some light onthe origins of our present attitudes and dilemmas.

ProfessorGordonCampbellMA (Queen�s, Canada), DPhil,DLitt (York), Dr hc (Bucharest),FSA, FRHistS, FRGS, FRASProfessor of Renaissance Studies

�Milton & Islam�

Saturday 17thMay at 2.00pmMemorial Hall, School Lane


Saturday 17thMay at 4.00pmGardens Associations Hall, School Lane

Panel Discussion�The influence of

John Milton down the ages�

ChairmanJohnWaite

Panellists:

CherylGillanMP

ProfTomLuxon

DrTonyWilliams

DrNick Foxton


Broadcaster JohnWaite (You&Yours, Face the Facts)will lead the discussion. Comewith your questions!

Sunday 18th May at 10.00amGuideHall, School Lane

DrNick Foxton�Myself am Hell�


Sunday 18th May at 10.00amDon�t forget the Village Walk

from Chalfont St Giles to Jordans and back� see page 5 for details

Nick Foxton has degrees in Anthropology, Literature &Philosophy, Creative Writing and American Literature.Until recently he was Field Chair in English Literature atBuckinghamshireNewUniversity and is nowa freelancewriterandacademic.He will be talking about Milton�s Puritanism andAmerican

Literature.


Sunday 18thMay at 2.00pmMemorial Hall, School Lane

ProfessorTomLuxon PhD�Milton on Marriage & Friendship�

ProfessorThomasH.Luxon isCheheyl Professor andDirectorof theDartmouthCenter for theAdvancement of Learning, inNewHampshireUSA.He is currently focusingonearlymodernliterature and Puritanism, but also teaches Shakespeare,critical theory inComparativeLiterature, aswell as courses inWomen�s Studies and Jewish studies.

He has a particular interest in advanced technology inteaching and research in the humanities, and masterminds theaward winning Milton Reading Room www.dartmouth.edu/milton.

He is Vice President of the Milton Society of America andwas previously President of the International John BunyanSociety from2004-2007.Prof. Luxon has publishedwidely onMilton including a book

Single Imperfection: Milton, Marriage and Friendship and thiswill be the subject of his talk.


Sunday 18thMay at 4.00pmMemorial Hall, School Lane

DrSharonAchinsteinMA(AB Harvard, PhD Princeton)�Citizen Milton � an overview of

his life and work�

SharonAchinstein isReader inEnglishRenaissanceLiteratureatOxfordUniversity, aFellowofStEdmundHallandCuratoroftheBodleianLibrary exhibition celebrating the fourhundredthbirthday of JohnMilton, CitizenMilton.She is also the author of the prizewinning Milton and the

Revolutionary Reader, as well as books that reflect her ongoinginterest inMilton�s crossing between political and literaryworlds,Literature and Dissent in Milton�s England and Milton andToleration.She is currently editingMilton�s Divorce Tracts for OUP.An

American transplant, DrAchinstein has spokenwidely onMiltonin the USA, UK and overseas.Her talk looks at how the author of the greatest epic poem in

English, Paradise Lost, was also a reforming prose writer, amember of a revolutionary government and the victim ofcensorship, whose daring positions we now consider vital tomodern governance.

To mark the end of the Literary Festival

Introit: Holy, Holy, Holy by SchubertMagnificat: in C major by StanfordAnthem: The Heavens are telling

(Haydn�s Creation)Soprano: Melissa AlderTenor: Lionel AnthonyBass: Peter Langdale

Hymns to include:Holy, Holy, Holy

Let us with a gladsome mind *The Lord will come & not be slow *

* Words by John Milton

Come and sing and enjoy the service

Choral Evensong

Sunday 18thMay at 6.30pmChalfont StGiles ParishChurch

Literary CompetitionPrizegiving

In the presence ofRobert Lindsay

Professor Gordon Campbell

Page 33

Sunday 18thMay at 8.00pmChalfont StGiles ParishChurch

As in previous years, there is a literarycompetition linked to the Festival.

There are two age categories:11-18 and over 18;and three classes:

poetry, prose and drama.

Entries should use the followingfamiliar quotations which originatedin Milton but which have evolved

over time to:

All hell let looseTrip the light fantastic

Every cloud has a silver lining

Please see the Festival website forfurther details and entry forms:

www.chalfontstgilesliteraryfestival.org

Tickets are not required for this event.

Colman & Green is anindependent local EstateAgent Established in 1989.Our professional teamhas a wealth of knowledgeand experience to guideyou through all aspects ofhouse purchase and sale.

Please contact us if you would like your propertyvalued or if you are looking for a new home,

telephone 01494 871991.

The Directors and Staff of Colman & Green sendwarmest wishes for the success of the Chalfont

St Giles Literary Festival 2008.

John Milton His Life & Times - Chalfont Literary Festival · John Milton His Life & Times. For good...

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