Page 24 - link magazine

• Welcome to the seventh Swindon
It lva Festival of Literature, first of
.^^ the century, and longest yet.

Swindon • It promises plenty!
Like wise words from Kate Adie about the challenges of gathering
S news and presenting news; insightful comment from Fay Weldon on
the role of the novel in the twenty-first century; millennium
^erat 4-N conversation and new university for Swindon celebrations with
Professor Theodore Zeldin and Robert Lacey; poetic wit and wisdom
from Wendy Cope and Brian Patten; social sciences made fiction from
Tony Parsons and Maureen Freely; illustrated talks on churches and crop circles from Simon Jenkins and
Lucy Pringle; the third Clive Brain Memorial Lecture on arts in education from Professor Ken Robinson;
best-selling comic writing from Tony Hawks and Jasmine Birtles; consolations of philosophy and seductive
storytelling from Alain de Botton and Cat Weatherill; international short stories on stage, performance
poetry in pubs, all-day children's events and story walks; and of course, the now nationally famous Dawn
Chorus and Swindon Slam! And a great deal more! Thirteen days of literary frolics, earnest exploration, teasing
talks, laudable lectures, crazy competitions, serious stuff, and comic guff. The urge to communicate
is unstoppable.
Each day there will be three or more events, at midday, teatime, and in the evening, carefully spaced and placed,
to enable you to attend almost every event, should you have the stamina! The at-a-glance Festival diary is
featured on the next page.A full programme is available at libraries, arts and information centres or from the
Swindon Festival of Literature, Lower Shaw Farm, Shaw, Swindon,Wiltshire SN5 9PJ.Tel: 01 793
771080. Mark your own diary, so that during the first thirteen days of May you join us, to celebrate life,
through literature, together. Come along, and surprise yourself, in Swindon!