Durham Book Festival - Free Range Reading
Durham Book Festival is a partnership project produced by Durham City Arts and New Writing North.
The festival is programmed by New Writing North, the reading and writing development agency for the north east of England. For more information about New Writing North, see www.newwritingnorth.com.
The festival is produced by Durham City Arts, an organisation that works in partnership to develop projects and events from a base in Durham City. For more information about Durham City Arts, see www.durhamcityarts.org.
Where? Various venues, Durham, County Durham | AA Route Planner
Who? See below. View 2011 programme -
Download full programme (19MB, PDF)
When? Events through September and October, 2011
How much? Some events free; others up to £15
2011 festival highlights include:
● David Miliband talking about international development and the UK’s foreign policy, Alistair Darling revealing the truth behind the credit crunch and reflect on the current debt crisis; and Chris Mullin and Bob Marshall-Andrews, whose outspoken commentaries reflect on life in Blair’s government.
● We're hosting a series of events at the Durham Light Infantry Museum to explore war and the lives of soldiers in both fact and fiction, with General Lord Richard Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, and Sir Rodric Braithwaite, who will talk about the unwinnable wars in Afghanistan. We will also present the first reading of a powerful new play, Wounded, by North East writer Carina Rodney.
● Leading scientist Richard Dawkins will introduce children to the mysteries of the universe; comedian Marcus Brigstocke will reflect on issues of faith; and Jon Ronson will be questioning what it is to be normal.
● What’s Left for the North East? Together with prominent businessmen and policy makers, Richard T Kelly debates the findings from his conversations with figures from across business, academia and politics in the North East, and offers new directions the region can take to create a new economically stable future.
● The festival is also not shying away from international issues with an event about the Arab Spring with visiting Egyptian novelists and a celebration of the fundamental freedom to write in association with English PEN, the organisation that supports freedom of speech across the world, with novelist Pat Barker and poet Jean Binta Breeze rallying for the cause.
As Festival Laureate for 2011, poet Don Paterson will be in Durham for the duration of the festival and will feature in a number of events. In a festival first, Don was commissioned to write a new anthem for Evensong at Durham Cathedral, which will be performed by the choir on Friday 21 October for the first time. The Laureateship is supported by Durham University, one of the festival’s cultural partners.
In advance of the main festival week, Andrew Martin will introduce his new Jim Stringer novel, The Somme Stations, at Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon, on Saturday 24 September. On 12 October, women’s fiction writer Adele Parks returns to her North East roots to launch her new novel, About Last Night, at The Bowes Museum
Programme? Festival Programme 2010
Past Festivals? Kate Mosse, Wendy Moore, Jack Dee, Kachi A Ozumba, Carol Ann Duffy, Andrew Motion, Tommy Wieringa, Richard Milward, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown etc 2010 Will Hutton, Peter Snow, Simon Armitage, Bill Bryson, Liz Jensen, Maggie Gee, Fred Pearce, Rachel Hewitt, Sadie Jones (left) , David Peace, Catherine O' Flynn, Val McDermid
Festival Web? www.bookfestival.org.uk
We apprecicate you insights into literary festivals that you might have attended or are hoping to get too, or your views on award winning books.
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