Page 20 - link magazine

20
Swindon Wide
Lit Fest plans to defy triskaidekaphobia

Al, As winter turns to spring and snowdrops spear up through frozen
ground, work towards the next Swindon Festival of Literature goes on
apace, writes festival director Matt Holland.
Making plans for May for a fan-
tastic festival of outdoor literary
frolics and indoor intellectual de-
.{o]^y^R lights, requires a particular leap of
faith not only because of all the
work involved but also because
this will be Swindon's thirteenth
festival of literature. Now is the
ti me that the lit fest team makes
that leap, tries to keep the faith.
• MOT TESTING AND and rise above suspect numerical
superstitions.
REPAIRS the schedule gruelling. First there
The timetable is a tight one and
is funding. An arts festival costs
• EXHAUST TYRES AND money, which is not always easy to
secure. Then there are authors,
BATTERIES performers and venues to be found Slam, a Children & Families Week-
end, plus a wide range of literary
and booked. This means count-
less letters, journeys, meetings. talks, performances. discussions,
• AIR CONDITIONING 'phone calls, not a few tricky nego- and readings at arts venues, the
university, libraries, schools, pubs,
tiations, and the occasional slice of
SERVICE luck. No different, perhaps, to any- parks, and even woodlands in and
around Swindon.
one else's business
DON'T GET CAUGHT OUT
and work in these It is all very excit-
p O challenging 21st ing!
°oo
n VALET ► • Century times. The festival's pro-
SERVICE I - gets underway things file and reputation
As the new year
continue to grow. At
Oo are looking good. Au- every level, it has be-
1
n CAR HIRE Book a winter service thors already booked come a fantastic cel-
ebration for Swindon
to appear for 1 to 13
now May include veteran of things well written
and things well said.
BBC news reporter
Kate Adie, top. with People of all ages
Free collection & delivery her book Nobody's and backgrounds
Chi/d, prize-winning have a very good
Free loan columnist and social ti me.
commentator Mat _ They get together,
cars (subject thew Parris, former meet authors, join in
to availability) Tory minister turned novelist and lively talk, explore new ideas, and
television celebrity Anne Widdi- even have a laugh!
Lift to and combe, above, Oxford professor The full festival programme will
from work and arts commentatorJohn Carey. be published on 16 March. To go
BBC2 and Radio 4 arts reviewer on the festival mailing list, call
Mark Lawson, glamorous televi- 771080 or mail: swindonlitfest@
Wash and sion historian Bettany Hughes, lowershaw farm.co.uk
vac with all northern poet and funnyman Les www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk
Barker, alternative magazine edi-
servicing tor and friend of Prince Charles • triskaidekaphobia: a quick look in
the dictionary will reveal all.
Satish Kumar, actress and voice of
FISH BROTHERS many parts Anna Massey, and lo- Backing the festival
cal author and lively new kid on the
TO BOOK OR FIND OUT MORE PLEASE best-seller block Annie Waller. The 2006 Swindon Festival of Litera-
CONTACT RONI. CHRISTINE OR ANDY ON ture is made possible by funding from
Negotiations are also underway the Arts Council of England, South
01793 645510 with Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, West, whose support represents rec-
Melvyn Bragg, Nick Hornby, Roger ognition of what has been achieved in
McGough, and an array of other literature development in Swindon.
Financial support is also provided by
FISH BROTHERS writers and performers. Dominic Winter Book Auctions. Swin-
^ Q This year's triskaidekaphobia- don Borough Council, the University of
NISSAN defying thirteenth Swindon Festi-
Bath in Swindon, Swindon Learning
val of Literature starts in Lawn Partnership, Lower Shaw Farm and
ALL AK Woods at dawn on Bank Holiday the Open University, as well as valu-
Monday 1 May with the ever popu- able support and assistance from First
i SERVICING OFFER lar Dawn Chorus. Great Western, the National Union of
Apart from the above-mentioned Teachers, the Evening Advertiser,
i NAME famous names, the subsequent 12 Holland Handling. Acorn Press,
Waterstone's and Borders Book-
days also include the Clive Brain
n REG NO Memorial Lecture, the now nation- shops, Friends of the Festival, a host
of other local organisations and indi-
Valid until 31 March 2006 ally-famous Swindon Poetry Slam, viduals and of course. The Link
the second Swindon Youth Poetry