Having operated in Folkestone under various guises for over fifty years, the Folkestone Book Festival is now under the Creative Foundation's management. The Festival brings together authors, artists, musicians, creative writers, playwrights and other performers in a week that celebrates books, literature and creative writing.
When? November 2 -10th, 2012
Where? Folkstone, Kent.
Who? 2012 See below
How much? Check site
Festival Website: www.folkestonelitfest.co.uk
An invitation from Geraldine D’Amico Festival curator
It’s been a huge pleasure to programme the festival. I’ve fallen in love with Folkestone, its famous past residents but above all the sense of energy and hope I felt in the Creative Quarter, the beautiful and arresting art scattered around town and all the wonderful people I met who helped me and advised me.
History has been a huge part of the festival and so it is again this year: from the very history of our planet through the Romans, the Normans, forgotten Queens, to the Raj, the Gentry, the treatment of TB in seaside resorts and Sir John Major on the history of music hall.
Fiction makes a strong appearance with Judy Finnegan (of the much loved Richard & Judy show), Sandra Howard and Jon Canter, and two Polish writers on troubles in their country. We even have two festival reads: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach with the author herself talking about its adaptation to the screen.
We open the festival with John
Hegley’s verbal pyrotechnics and there will be more poetry with Being Human. We will have music with the magical Piers Faccini and the fantastic Canadian band the Fugitives, laughter with Pam Ayres, sport with golf addict David Godwin, food with Mary McCartney and James Wang and of course workshops, a tour of 20th century art, free events offered by UCF and fun events for kids. I really hope everyone will find something that captivates, entertains or makes them think.
Last but not least, I wanted the festival to look forward: this is why we have award-winning Science Fiction author Christopher Priest with us but also events on the future of the Arab World, the economic choices facing us and as our final talk, an optimist’s tour of the future, a sure way to end on a positive and hopeful note.
Come and say hello. Your feedback will be much appreciated.
Previous festivals : VICTORIA HISLOP, KATE MOSSE, RICK WAKEMAN, JO BRAND, JAMES TAYLOR, BILL PERTWEE & BRIAN LAVERY, VIC REEVES, CHRISTIAN WOLMAR, DAVID AARONOVITCH Sir Max Hastings, Andy Kershaw, Barry Cryer, Francine Stock, Nicholas Parsons, Francis Pryor and Johnny Ball
Born in the sixties to an Indian mother and an English jazz musician father, Alison McQueen grew up in London and worked in advertising for twenty-five years before retiring to write full time. Her 2012 historical Indian epic, The Secret Children, was received to excellent reviews and has been translated into severallanguages. Her latest novel, Under The Jewelled Sky, was 
published by Orion in 2013.
Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2012, the 2012 Costa Book of the Year and shortlisted for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
With this historic win for ‘Bring Up the Bodies’, Hilary Mantel becomes the first British author and the first woman to be awarded two Man Booker Prizes (her first was for ‘Wolf Hall’ in 2009).
By 1535 Thomas Cromwell is Chief
Featured Book Spot Available for Hire. Contact us for details
This inaugural event for this British Overseas Territory will bring together around eighty world-class speakers who will take part in talks, discussions and debates on a variety of topics ranging from children’s books to crime writing, history and cuisine.
The event is being organised under advice from the Oxford and Woodstock Literary Festival crews.