Hello booklovers,

Less than a month until the 2019 Felixstowe Book Festival! The excitement is palpable, we can’t wait to get started. On Sunday we were delighted to welcome Maggi Hambling and Nicola Upson to the Orwell Hotel – a lovely snippet of further things to come.

We are thrilled to have such a thriving selection of poetry events to offer you all at this year’s festival. Kicking off the festival weekend on Friday the 28th June, we are pleased to welcome back festival favourites, Martin Newell and the Hosepipe Band. Fast becoming a regular feature of the festival, Martin and the band will be treating us to their ‘Greatest Hits’.

On Saturday the 29th June, the poetry magic continues. Festival patron Esther Freud and her half-sister Annie Freud will be discussing Annie’s wonderful poetry collections, alongside family tales and memories of childhood. Anita Jones Debska will also be joining us to present The Language Land, a celebration of the Polish countryside depicted in poetry and prose. This remarkable session will be accompanied by Polish music, a display of Polish artwork and some rather delicious Polish gingerbread!

We are delighted to also be joined by Lucy Popescu and Hassan Abdulrazzack. Lucy, a writer and editor with a background in human rights, has published her second anthology of writings, A Country to Call Home, following the vast success of her first anthology, A Country of Refuge. A Country to Call Home focuses on the experiences of children and young adults in matters of asylum seeking, migration and refuge. Lucy will be joined by Hassan Abdulrazzack, a playwright with a history of fascinating works tackling these same issues, who is one of the many contributers to this anthology.

If these fascinating sessions whet your poetic appetite, and you fancy giving writing poetry a go yourself, look out for more information about poetry workshops over the festival weekend here: https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/events/categories/poetry

Not long to go now!

All the very bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

We’re back, with further news of our fantastic festival programme for children and young people!

Rounding off our Saturday events, we have two sessions perfect for young history enthusiasts. We are lucky enough to be joined by the Sutton Hoo Roadshow, following their highly successful visit to Felixstowe Library earlier this year. Come along to dress up as Anglo Saxons, handle historical treasures and learn about our amazing local history. Following the roadshow, we are delighted to welcome author Ally Sherrick who will be hosting ‘Operation Buried Treasure’, a session all about her book ‘The Buried Crown’. Inspired by real life events that occurred in Suffolk around the Second World War, Ally will guide you through your own exciting story of buried treasure.

Sound good? Well if you can bear any further excitement, look no further than Calling Mission Control. Festival favourites Rapscallion Theatre company will be taking us back 50 years, to when man first landed on the moon. A jam packed sessions, crammed full of drama, craft and general lunar fun, not to be missed!

On your return to earth you will be met with a giggle-filled array of events, namely ‘Let’s write funny’ with Ruth Fitzgerald and ‘The Funny Life of James Campbell‘. Ruth, the author of the crackingly comical ‘Emily Sparkes’ series, will be chatting all about funny stories and how to have a go at writing them yourself! If that leaves you with further comedy questions, then stick around and meet author James Campbell. James, author of the ‘The Funny Life of Pets’ and ‘The Funny Life of Teachers’, will be answering all of life’s big questions surrounding topics such as exploding fish, non-stop pooping hamsters and what teachers do when they get home from school (i.e. resume their real life as an undercover detective).

Well, I don’t know about you, but this all sounds quite exhaustingly wonderful! Keep your eyes peeled for even more festival fun over the rest of the week.

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team

Hello booklovers,

Half term is upon us! I hope readers, young and old, are enjoying that lovely school-holiday feeling. We see this as an appropriate time to start making a fuss about our magnificent children’s programme, on offer at Felixstowe Library over the course of the festival weekend.

Kicking off the 2019 children’s events in the library is Felixstowe.docs. Under the wonderful guidance of author (and festival favourite!) Hayely Long, the students of Felixstowe Academy have been working hard on our festival writing project, compiling a truly magnificent anthology of their own poetry and prose all about their home town. The students will showcase and perform their work at the event, providing a fitting start to the festival weekend. Over the course of the festival weekend, you will find Hayley and her merry band of creative writers in the library and along the prom performing their work to whoever is lucky enough to listen.

Next up we are delighted to welcome author and illustrator Alex Milway and his Hotel Flamingo Draw-along! If you like singing, drawing and general hilarity then this session is the one for you! Join Alex as he takes you on a rip-roaring, giggle filled journey to the Hotel Flamingo and get to know all its rather unusual guests…

For the young detectives amongst us, why not stop by for Potkin and Stubbs: Creeps, Crimes and Comedy. Author Sophie Green will be interviewed by a panel of voracious young readers who have formed our 2019 festival book group. Enter the weird world of budding journalist Lil Potkin and her pal Ned Stubbs, which will take you on the twisting and turning and sinister journey through the underworld of Peligan City. Not to be missed!

I hope this has whet your appetite! Look out for more news about our fabulous children’s programme throughout the week…

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team

Hello booklovers,

I hope you enjoyed the first part of our festival workshops guide, letting you know all about the workshops happening in various locations around Felixstowe. Now we move on to part two, all about the workshops taking place in our main venue, the Orwell Hotel. Read on for more exciting information…

First steps into research

How to Begin – Simon Sweetman

We are pleased to welcome Simon Sweetman to the Orwell Hotel. Simon researches and writes about cricket as a social commentary, having written three books on the subject. He is currently writing a fourth book all about cricket in Felixstowe, and will be joining us to help budding writers take the plunge into researching and creating new

Starting to write later in life – Pamela Holmes

We are very much looking forward to seeing Pamela at this year’s festival. An inspirational figure to budding writers of all ages, Pamela’s first novel, The Huntingfield Paintress, was published when she was 60 with a second novel published two years later. Come along to this fabulous workshop where Pamela will provide tips and inspiration for writing and getting published in later life. It is never too late to try!

Meet the Felixstowe Scribblers and the Orwell Writers’ League

A hearty welcome back to festival favourites, the Scribblers and OWL. This two hour workshop is the perfect opportunity to meet members of the groups. The Scribblers will be providing a flash-fiction experience, and OWL will be heading up an enjoyable creative writing activity.

St Paul’s and the Shard: creating poems from old and new with Alexandra Davis

Fancy some literary collage? Join poet Alexandra Davis as she guides us through this fun, fabulous, creative workshop where you make your own poem from whichever literary scraps you find! Suitable for writers of great experience and inexperience!

I do hope you have found something suitably inspiring here today… See you next week for further festival news!

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers,

We hope you all had a brilliant (if slightly chilly) bank holiday weekend! How many of you spent it perusing our crime and non fiction events, I wonder… We have further treats in store for you today, in the form of our festival workshops. Taking place at the Orwell Hotel and a variety of other locations around our town, we are delighted to offer you some alternatives to our other fabulous events. Read on to find out more…

Fancy a visit to Felixstowe Ferry?

Writing Shadows: Juliet Lockhart

Join artist Juliet Lockhart at St Nicholas Church, near Felixstowe Ferry, for a creative writing workshop. Juliet aims to help participants to explore character creation through art. Beginning with the creation of your own puppet, Juliet will guide you through the session, making the puppet the focus of your development of a character.

Nature Writing Workshops

Head on down to the Ferry Cafe to meet author Matt Gaw, who will be leading these non-fiction writing workshops. The session will involve a trip to one of Felixstowe’s Martello Towers, sensory walks, writing advice and time to write your own work.

The Publishing Industry: how to get published, attract an agent, attract an editor with Phoebe Morgan

Join author and editor Phoebe Morgan at Felixstowe Ferry sailing club, where she will guide you through both the writing and publishing process, helping you shape your path to becoming a published writer.

Or a trip to the beach?

Containment as creative inspiration: Richard O’Neill  

Following on from a similar event at last year’s festival, we are delighted to welcome back Richard O’Neill and the ‘Container Writing Room’. This interactive story experience delivered from no other location than a shipping container, over the course of the festival weekend. Starting with an introductory talk on the Friday evening, followed by a writing experience on the Saturday and a chance to share writing on the Sunday. For further information, follow the link in the event title above.

Writing for Self Awareness: Amy Dann

Join Amy at her seaside flat for a session on mindful writing. Amy, an accredited psychotherapist, will deliver a writing workshop that uses visualisation and other mindfulness techniques. A trip to the beach will be included, weather permitting, so don’t miss out on this inspirational session.

St Nicholas Church

Creative Writing and Performance: Emma Kittle-Pey and Mark Brayley

At this two hour workshop, with the help of writers Emma and Mark, you will produce a piece of creative writing, ideal for performance to others. Complete with tips and hints about the creation and editing process, this workshop is ideal for beginner and seasoned writers alike!

Look out for a post later on in the week all about the rest of our wonderful workshops that we have on offer at the 2019 Felixstowe Book Festival.

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team

Hello booklovers,

Fancy yourself a mystery? Need to prompt the little grey cells? Look no further than our fantastic array of Crime and Thriller events!

First up, we have Martin Lloyd. In his ‘Passports, Assassins, Traitors and Spies’ talk, Martin will be discussing the significance of passports in the exploits of assassins and spies. Sounds pretty thrilling to me!

If you need a break from all the fun, why not treat yourself to a ticket for one of our famous Vintage Tea Parties, held at Delicious Nutritious in Felixstowe. This year’s tea party will be hosted by festival favourite Mandy Morton who will be chatting about her latest feline detective mystery, Beyond the Gravy.

We are delighted to welcome back Guy Fraser-Sampson and John Nightingale who will be hosting An Evening of Crime in his Lordship’s Library on Saturday 29th June. Chaired by Nicola Upson, Guy and John will be discussing the conventions of the genre, crime fiction past and present and much more.

Catherine Larner will also be hosting an event with popular crime fiction novelists Elly Griffiths and Nicola Upson. Elly and Nicola are in fact so popular that their event sold out within weeks of tickets being available online. If you haven’t managed to get a ticket this year, you can still purchase Elly and Nicola’s books from the bookstall for signing, if you wish!

All the very bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers,

Our programme is live and brimming with fascinating author talks, workshops and much more. Step aside from fiction a second and have a rootle through our packed out non-fiction events.

New to the festival this year, we offer a hearty welcome to feminist Zeba Talkhani. Zeba is joining us on Sunday 30th of June at 2.30 to chat about her book My Past is a Foreign Country. Zeba’s memoir discusses the restrictions and tensions of life as a young woman growing up in Saudi Arabia and her travels to India and Europe in search of freedom from such restrictions.

We also look forward to seeing Matt Gaw, who will also be visiting us on the 30th at 10am in His Lordship’s Library. Matt will be taking us on an adventure, the subject of his book The Pull of the River: Matt, and his friend James, have traveled the rivers of the UK on a beautifully painted canal boat, discovering long undisturbed and neglected, but no less beautiful, places.

Fellow newcomer to the festival, Vybarr Cregan- Reid, author of Primate Change, will be at the festival on Saturday 29th of June to examine how, over the course of human history, the world around us has changed the human body. Spanning from since man started walking to our future, technology-fuelled world, in this fascinating event Vybarr will guide us through history and to the possibilities of what is to come.

We are delighted to see the return of festival favourites Dr Andrew Monaghan and Alan Johnson. Alan will be discussing his latest work, In My Life, a memoir detailing the influence of music on his life. Andrew is joining us to chat about his new book How to Deal with the Russians, a book analysing the current tensions between Russia and the West and his views on how we should deal with such tensions.

I hope this has sufficiently whetted your appetite! If you want to learn more, pick up a paper copy of the programme or head to our tickets page on the website via this link: https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/events

2 months to go and we are very excited indeed here at the Felixstowe Book Festival!

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team x

Hello booklovers,

April is racing by. Not only does today mark the birth and death of Shakespeare and St George’s Day but the 23rd of April is also… World Book Night!

This wonderful annual event, run by The Reading Agency, is a nationwide celebration of reading, highlighting the importance of reading for pleasure in our everyday lives. Across the country events are held and books given away to those who may not usually read or have access to literature, all to celebrate a most enjoyable and valuable activity. Regardless of age, background or personality, it is a truth universally acknowledged that reading benefits everyone. It allows us the enter worlds of strangers and introduces us to lives completely from our own; it encourages empathy and increases awareness of the trials and tribulations of life in the world around us; it expands our vocabulary and enriches our daily existence. Despite generally being a solitary occupation, reading actually brings us all closer together. This exact ethos is what we hope to emulate here at the Felixstowe Book Festival.

So get out there, pick up a book, support your local library and have a perusal in your local bookshop. Alternatively, you can check out the wonderful work of The Reading agency here and find out more details about World Book Night here.

All the very bookish best for a literary filled World Book Night,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers!

Spring has been springing for a while now and Easter is on its way. As if that is not enough, it’s a busy time here at the Felixstowe Book Festival too! We have had a crazy few weeks distributing our lovely paper festival programmes… have you checked out yours yet? If not, you can find them all over various locations in Felixstowe, including the library and shops on the high street!

In further exciting news, as you may have seen from our Facebook and Twitter accounts, all tickets are now on sale online. Just head to our website, hop onto the ‘Tickets and Programmes’ tab, peruse our events and select your tickets. If you would prefer to purchase your tickets in person, we will have a team of lovely volunteers selling them in Felixstowe Library every Tuesday morning from the 30th of April. 

Last week we launched this years festival Short Story Competition. This year we have chosen an environmental theme, ‘Green’ which any entrants are free to interpret as they wish. Last date for entry submissions is the 23rd of May, so get those creative writing hats on and see what you can come up with! Further information about the competition can be found here: https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/events/19-2ss

That’s all for now folks, keep your eyes peeled on the blog over the next few weeks for more festival news!

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team x

Hello booklovers!

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Mothering Sunday. The big question for us here at the Felixstowe Book Festival is (of course) literary themed… Who is your favourite literary mother? Is it Marmee, or Mrs Bennet? Mrs Weasley or Moominmama? Whilst Becky Sharp may not be the best advert for motherhood, Ma Ingals, of Little House on the Prairie fame, is a fearless pioneer relentlessly forging and defending her family’s life.

As you have gathered over the past few months, we have slowly been releasing information about our 2019 events. Here are a few that we think might be a perfect treat for mum over the festival weekend!

James Runcie, The Road to Grantchester 

Lalage Snow, War Gardens

Elly Griffiths, In Conversation with Nicola Upson

Alan Johnson, In My Life

Simon Heffer, The Age of Decadence

Olivia Beirne, Daisy Buchanan and Beth O’Leary, Fizz and Fiction

We hope you like our selection and please peruse more at your leisure! Have a wonderful Sunday!

Bookish best,

Imogen and the festival team x