Literary Festival aims to inspire children
Young book fans in Devon will not be disappointed by the literary line-up for this year’s Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, which includes everything from Eastern inspired technicolour love scenes, Bollywood pantomime, a robot journeying through space and firm festival favourite, Michael Morpurgo.
On Friday 19 September, Pupils from St Peter’s High School in Exeter will be privilege to a special performance by one of Britain’s most exciting poets and performers, Daljit Nagra. Daljit will be performing his one man show, The Retold Ramayana, a modern, multicultural and multi-faith reinterpretation of enchanting Eastern stories told to him by his grannies. His book, Ramayana, was published in 2013 and shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize for Poetry.
On Saturday 20 September, Devon-based award-winning author, Philip Reeve, and British-American illustrator Sarah McIntyre, will join forces to create fantastic adventure stories bursting with eccentric characters and quirky humour in their show, Cakes in Space. The show will take children aged between seven and twelve on a hugely entertaining adventure through space with Astra and her robot, Pilbeam, on a mission to far away land, Nova Mundi.
Philip and Sarah are the creative team behind the brilliant Oliver and The Seawigs. Philip is based in Devon and the author of the award-winning Mortal Engines and Here Lies Arthur. Sarah has been involved in various books including You Can’t Eat a Princess and Morris the Mankiest Monster.
Also on Saturday 20th will be Michael Morpurgo, former Children’s Laureate and the author of over 130 books for children and adults including Private Peaceful, The Butterfly Lion, Farm Boy and Kensuke’s Kingdom.
His bestseller, War Horse, was adapted into a hugely successful stage production by the National Theatre in 2007 and continues to tour internationally. It has also been made into a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Michael’s stories have been translated into many languages and he enjoys travelling all over the UK and abroad, telling his stories and encouraging children to tell theirs.
This family friendly event offers adults and children aged eight years and above the chance to hear Michael talk about his experiences of writing about the First World War with his collection Only Remembered. He will also be talking about his forthcoming novel, Listen to the Moon, which is about submarines and islands and the sinking of The Lusitania.
Festival Committee Member, Sonia Lapwood, said: “We have had a lot of requests over the previous years for events that are aimed at children, so we are really pleased that this year we have secured shows that will appeal to both children and adults. Childrens shows bring with them a wonderful energy, imagination and vivacious animation that will add to the lovely festival atmosphere that is created by having a whole host of talented authors in one small town. We are all really looking forward to this year’s event.”
The line-up for this year’s festival also includes critically acclaimed and talented authors such as prize-winning author Paddy Ashdown, founder of the Women’s Fiction Prize, Kate Mosse, popular comedian and writer Mark Watson, author and broadcaster Louise Doughty and scientist, inventor and author, James Lovelock and many more.
Among the returning authors are Festival President and double Man Booker Prize winner Dame Hilary Mantel DBE, who last week was made a dame for services to literature and Rachel Cooke, lead feature writer at the Observer.
Since its modest beginnings six years ago, the festival has grown from strength to strength and each year reports record-breaking sales and an ever increasingly buzzing atmosphere at the event by the sea.
Tickets for Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival start from £7.50 and will be available from 28 July 2014. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.budlitfest.org.uk
Tickets can be booked in person or by phone from The Tourist Information Centre: 01395 445 275.
Follow the festival on Twitter @BudleighLitFest or find it facebook https://www.facebook.com/BudleighSaltertonLiteraryFestival
