Bridport Literary Festival

The Bridport Literary Festival is now in its 12th year (2016) and seeks to entertain, intrigue and enlighten all those who read books and love literature. Every year the Festival puts together an eclectic programme of events with writers of fiction and non fiction to help brighten up the gloomy days of November. Audiences are encouraged to engage in discussion on subjects of all kinds in venues all around the town as well explore the dramatic Jurassic Coastline – now a World Heritage Site – which lies a couple of miles to the south and spans the ocean across to Lyme Regis to the west and the Chesil Beach and Portland to the East.

When? 2016 - Sunday 6th - Sunday 13th November

Where? Various venues around Bridport, West Dorset .The Bull Hotel (www.thebullhotel.co.uk) The Seaside Boarding House (www.theseasideboardinghouse.com) The Riverside (www.thefishrestaurant-westbay.co.uk) and Sladers Yard Gallery and Café (www.sladersyard.co.uk) as The Bridport Arts Centre (www.bridport-arts.com) well as the fabulous Electric Palace (www.electricpalace.org.uk) and Symondsbury Kitchen (www.symondsburykitchen.com) are just a few of the local venues supporting the event.

Who? 2016 -This year’s line up includes the environmentalist George Monbiot, media maestro, Jeremy Paxman, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, adventurer Ben Fogle and fiction writers, AN Wilson, Margaret Drabble and Salley Vickers. There are celebrations of William Shakespeare and Lancelot Capability Brown and food feasts with cookery writer, Rachel Roddy and Ottoman expert, Jason Goodwin with musical accompaniment from She’Koyakh. A sprinkling of Children’s events and writers workshops together with a Literary Dinner are just some of the ingredients as well as an evening with national treasure, Alan Titchmarsh. A full programme of events is available on www.bridlit.com

Tickets can be purchased from the Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424 901

Website? Bridport Literary Festival

Festival Director? Tanya Bruce-Lockhart since inception email: [email protected]

About? The Festival is a registered charity no. 1147075 and there is an active Friends of the Bridport Literary Festival which hosts events throughout the year.

Past Festivals? Founded 2005

In previous years, the Literary Festival has hosted events with: Melvyn Bragg, Max Hastings, Peter Snow, Pamela Stephenson, Michael Holroyd and Sebastian Faulks and too many other literary lions and lionesses to mention. One of last year’s sell-out events featured James Rebanks who filled the Electric Palace with his talk about The Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District

Visitor Information?

Once the centre of the rope and net making industry, Bridport is a flourishing market town on the edge of West Dorset. Often described as the Notting Hill-on- sea, the town attracts visitors from far and wide. As well as being considered a foodie centre of excellence, Bridport has lured writers and artists from all over the country who have chosen to abandon urban life and settle for a more peaceful yet inspirational existence amongst some of the most breathtakingly beautiful countryside in England. As well as the annual Literary Festival (www.bridlit.com) Bridport hosts a summer Carnival, The Melplash Agriculture Show (www.melplashshow.co.uk) and the unique Bridport Hat Festival (www.bridporthatfest.org) as well as regular Bridport Open Studios (www.bridportopenstudios.co.uk).

ARCHIVE

For historic reference.

2015 - Alexander McCall Smith, James Rebanks, the Herdy Shepherd, talking about The Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District; James Holland who will mark this year’s Remembrance Sunday with the first part of his WWII History; Louis de Bernieres and Sebastian Faulks (right) along with Gill Hornby and Rosie Millard talking about their latest novels; Prue Leith talking about her departure from cookery books into fiction; members of the Mount family, pere Ferdinand and fils Harry with very different books about India and Greece. A day of talks will be devoted to Waterloo, Adam Sisman will reveal all about John le Carre, as will Fergus Byrne about Felix Dennis and Charles Moore about Margaret Thatcher.

Satish Kumar will give the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Talk on The New Trinity: Soil Soul Society and Dr. Lewis Dartnell will invoke what we must all do in the event of the world imploding.!

2014 Speakers included: James Lovelock, AN Wilson, Horatio Clare, Daisy Goodwin +

Sir Roy Strong with an illustrated talk about: The Remaking of a Garden – The Laskett Transformed

Jonathan Powell in conversation with Andrew Rutherford about his hard hitting new book: Talking with Terrorists: How to End Armed Conflicts

Graham Fawcett with a talk about the poet WH Auden

Alan Johnson MP in conversation with Christian Tyler about the second part of his memoir: Please, Mr. Postman

Felix Francis in conversation with Jason Webster about his latest thriller: Damage

John Carey, the eminent literary critic, in conversation with Howard Davies about his memoir: The Unexpected Professor

Charles Spencer with an illustrated talk about: Killers of the King – the Men who Dared Execute Charles I

James Lovelock, the distinguished independent scientist and futurist, in conversation with Bryan Appleyard about his latest theories: A Rough Ride to the Future

Jung Chang with an illustrated talk about her latest book: The Empress Dowager Cixi.

2012 James Cowden, Johnathan Dimbleby, Liza Antrim, Kate Hubbard and Jane Ridley, PD James, Tariq Ali and David Prysor-Jones and more

In 2010? Suzanne McLead, Casper Walsh, Andrew Graham-Dixon,Zoë Heller, Peter Snow, Michael Laskey, Rachel Billington, Adam Sisman, James Holland, Philip Mansel, Clive Aslet,Annie Freud,Sadie Jones and Melissa Jones, Hugh Warwick, Charles Foster and Peter Owen-Jones, Angie Sage, Daisy Goodwin

2009? David Aaronovitch, Joanna Toye, Tracy Chevalier, Michael Holroyd, Rick Gekoski, Margaret Drabble, Selina Hastings, Andrew Roberts, Louis de Bernieres, Susan Richards, Anna Pavord, Michael Collins, Claire Harman, John Carey, William Fiennes, Alexander McCall Smith and Horatio Clare.