This year, the LitFest Launch, hosted by one of the North’s foremost writers, James Nash, features local poets, open mic, music, tombola and a showing of last year’s Lawnswood Poetry Slam video.
Thanks for their help to: Brotherton Library, Headingley Craft Fair, Leeds Libraries, Leeds Rugby Foundation, Irish History Month, North Leeds Life and Wade’s Charity.
The Well-Being Fund grant is awarded by local Ward Members through the Inner North West Area Committee.
Books will be on sale at most author events. Thanks to Radish Bookshop.
Local poets, writers and dramatists also join in: Linda Marshall launches her second poetry collection, Half Moon Glasses, at Flux Gallery; Leeds Combined Arts stages Headingley’s Halcyon Days and Ted Hockin conducts a literary walk; Lucht Focail muse on the Seventh Sense; and Theatre of the Dales together with Trio Literati present Moon’s Farm, 84 Charing Cross Road and Newly Unearthed Letters as the LitFest’s finale.
At North Lane’s Café Lento there is an evening of short stories and at Salvo’s Salumeria on Otley Road Mark ‘Snowboy’ Cotgrove – jazz musician, author and journalist - shares his insights and stories over a casual Italian supper.
There are also events for children and young people including: the wildly successful poetry slam at Lawnswood School conducted by Michelle Scally-Clarke and kindly supported by Wade’s Charity; the Leeds Rugby Arts writing competition; and, in collaboration with East Leeds FM and playwright Peter Spafford, a radio writing adventure for the children of local primary schools Shire Oak and Spring Bank. Chris Mould the author and illustrator of a number of books for children also visits Headingley Library to talk about his books and to draw too.
This year the famous Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds opens the doors to its Poetry Archives for the LitFest and Dave Russell (Professor of History and Northern Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University) talks about novelist
Phyllis Bentley (1894-1977).
Martin Wainwright, Northern Editor of the Guardian speaks about Headingley, part of the True North and Headingley’s female sleuth, Kate Shackleton, is brought to life by her creator, crime writer Frances Brody aka Frances McNeil and her Audiobooks reader Maggie Mash.
Martin Wainwright, Northern Editor of the Guardian speaks about Headingley, part of the True North and Headingley’s female sleuth, Kate Shackleton, is brought to life by her creator, crime writer Frances Brody aka Frances McNeil and her Audiobooks reader Maggie Mash.
The LitFest, with the theme A Sense of Place runs from 16 – 27 March 2010 and is headlined by the controversial Yorkshire novelist David Peace, who focuses on his recent Occupied City and on his ‘faction’ novel GB84, about the Miners’ Strike, the twenty-fifth anniversary of which takes place in March.
The Cottage Road Cinema is also showing The Damned United a film based on David’s novel of the same name.
Linda Marshall
Michelle Scally-Clarke
David Peace
(picture by Naoya Sanuki)
(picture by Naoya Sanuki)
