October is Lit Fest season

Bristol is awash with literary and book-related festival activity in October, with major performances, readings, discussions and workshops happening throughout the month. Joe Melia looks forward to the events and highlights some of the writers who will be appearing.

Produced and organised by Bristol-based charity Poetry Can, which aims to increase “opportunities for everyone to participate in and enjoy poetry”, this year’s Bristol Poetry Festival runs from October 6 to October 19. The festival, which has been a highlight of Bristol’s literary calendar for more than twenty years, boasts a great line up of local, national and international poets. Writers and performers who will be appearing include T.S. Eliot Prize winner Sarah Howe, Rishi Dastidar, Lydia Towsey, Joelle Taylor, Bridget Minamore, Raymond Antrobus and Liz Berry. Local favourites including Claire Williamson, Glenn Carmichael and Lucy English are also on the bill.

In addition, Poetry Can have teamed up with regular Bristol spoken word and poetry nights such as Milk Poetry, Raise the Bar, and Hammer and Tongue for festival specials. The fortnight of events will take place at various venues across the city including Arnolfini, The Mackay and the Alma Tavern.

Bristol Festival of Ideas’ 2nd Festival of the Future City, which takes place from October 18 to October 20, is an ambitious three-day event aiming to be “the largest public debate about the future of cities”. It brings together a staggering line up of nearly 200 writers, artists, performers, politicians, scientists, academics, journalists, filmmakers and others from all over the world.

The discussions, talks and debates will explore major problems, challenges and opportunities facing cities across the globe including how growing inequality and segregation can be halted; what effects rapid digital and technological innovation have on city living: what is needed to create sustainable cities; and what the consequences for cities might be with increased devolved powers. Writers appearing include David Olusoga, Kit de Waal, Sabrina Mahfouz, Vanessa Kisuule, Sian Norris, Inua Ellams and George Monbiot.

Most Festival of the Future City events are free but booking is required.

And towards the end of the month, Bristol’s distinctive Festival of Literature returns with 10 days of events, performances and workshops in unexpected places.

Highlights include Bristol’s high flying crime and thriller writers, CJ Taylor and Sanjida Kay, headlining a Crime in the Caves evening of readings; Womad founder, Thomas Brooman, joining Gill Loats, Bertel Martin and Richard Jones to discuss the Bristol Sound, and a series of collaborations with Flow Restaurant including a night of great food from the Flow team and brilliant poetry with Rebecca Tantony, Malaika Kegode and Stef Mo.

Bristol Festival of Literature takes place from October 19 to 29.

Some of the scores of writers appearing at Bristol Festivals in October – clockwise from top left: David Olusoga, Sarah Howe (photo: Hayley Madden), Sanjida Kay (photo: Barbara Evripidou), Karen McCarthy Woolf, George Monbiot and Malaika Kegode.

Slightly further afield Bristol writers are making their presence felt at other major UK festivals in the West. The 2017 Cheltenham Literature Festival, the 68th edition of what is the longest-running event of its kind in the world, has several Bristol writers as part of its line up.

Writer Nikesh Shukla, who is also editor of Rife Magazine based at Watershed, is one of five Guest Directors of the festival charged with bringing “fresh perspectives and voices” to the 10-day jamboree.

Multi-slam champion Vanessa Kisuule returns to Cheltenham to perform new work including excerpts from her Bristol Old Vic produced show, Sexy. The Bristol-based poet will be joined by Malaika Kegode, founder of Bristol’s Milk Poetry events, whose debut poetry collection Requite has recently been published by Bristol’s Burning Eye Books.

Also on the bill is Bristol 24/7’s very own Culture Editor, Steve Wright, who will be discussing Banksy with BBC Arts Correspondent Will Gompertz.

Other main attractions include Hilary Clinton, Roddy Doyle, Salman Rushdie, Nadiya Hussein, Maggie O’Farrell, Jackie Kay, Robert Webb, Miranda Hart, Simon Schama, Ian Rankin, and Lemn Sissay.

The Cheltenham Literature Festival runs from October 6 to October 15

And over in Bath, Bristol-based writers and artists will be appearing alongside some of the biggest names in children’s literature at this year’s Bath Children’s Literature Festival – Europe’s largest book festival for younger readers.

Headliners of the programme include the UK’s Number One Bestselling author Julia Donaldson, best known for The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom and Stick Man; Liz Pichon, the multi-talented author and illustrator behind the Tom Gates series; much loved author and illustrator of the How To Train Your Dragon books, Cressida Cowell; Bath-born superstar, Jacqueline Wilson, best known for her books and CBBC series Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather; former Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney; and Nadiya Hussain, winner of the Great British Bake Off, who will be sharing her favourite recipes and stories from her new family cookbook and storybook compilation

Bristol writers and artists appearing include comic creators The Etherington Brothers, writer and illustrator Robert Starling, and writer, illustrator and cartoonist Joe Berger.

The festival runs from September 29 to October 8

For full information including timings, venues and ticket prices for all five festivals please visit:

www.poetrycan.co.uk/about/bristol-poetry-festivals/bpf-2017.html

www.ideasfestival.co.uk/seasons/festival-future-city/

unputdownable.org/

www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/whats-on/grid

bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature/

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