The first confirmed speakers and events for the fifth Guernsey Literary Festival have been announced
The festival will take place from 10 – 14 May 2017 and is set to be a cultural highlight for 2017, featuring a heady mix of talks and workshops by well-known fiction and non-fiction writers and performers, with humanitarian and author of ‘Taken on Trust’ Terry Waite leading the line-up.
The four day festival will be centred in and around Guernsey’s capital, St Peter Port, and will offer a varied programme in celebration of literature that will appeal to all, from bookworms and aspiring writers to families looking for a fun day out.
Joining Terry Waite on the list of confirmed speakers so far for the 2017 festival are:
Chris Riddell, the 2015 – 2017 Children’s Laureate, Costa Children’s Award winner, artist and The Observer political cartoonist; Harry Baker, world poetry slam champion and author of ‘The Sunshine Kid’; Anita Anand, presenter of ‘Any Answers’ on BBC Radio 4 and author of ‘Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary’; bestselling historical authors Duncan Barrett and Nuela Calvi, who are currently writing a book about the occupation of the Channel Islands; Robin Lustig, political journalist and former presenter of ‘The World Tonight’ on BBC Radio 4 and ‘Newshour’ on BBC World Service; and Andrew Stegall, filmmaker, writer and director of debut feature film ‘Departure’ starring Juliet Stevenson, amongst others. In addition also confirmed is novelist, travel writer and academic Sarah Moss, author of ‘The Tidal Zone’ and historian and explorer Huw Lewis-Jones who works as a polar guide in the Arctic and Antarctica each year and details his experiences in the fascinating ‘Polar Exploration in the Nineteenth Century: Heroism and National Identity’.
Other events include a Roald Dahl special for families where Mr & Mrs Twit will be ready to welcome kids into the magical world of Roald Dahl as storyteller John Kirk reads from ‘The Twits’.
The Guernsey Literary Festival has also teamed up with Guernsey Museums to host Museums at Night on 12 May. The evening, set in Castle Cornet will incorporate live music, author talks, poetry readings, children’s activities, a book fair and castle tours. Entry to all outdoor events at the castle will be free with ticketed events to talks available to purchase in advance.
The Festival will also incorporate readings of the winning entries of the Guernsey International Poetry Competition, which will be hosted and judged by a renowned poet. The winning poets will have the chance to see their poems on the island’s buses as well as at Guernsey Airport. There will also be a special prize-giving event for the winners of the WriteStuff children’s writing competition sponsored by Julius Baer.
Tickets will be available from £6 at: www.guernseyliteraryfestival.com
Direct flights to Guernsey operate year round from London City, Gatwick and Stansted, as well as many regional UK airports with Aurigny (www.aurigny.com) and Flybe (www.flybe.com).
Return flights from London Gatwick to Guernsey with Aurigny are priced from £100 per person and flight time is one hour.
For more information on Guernsey, visit www.VisitGuernsey.com