Sidmouth Literary Festival announces bumper line up for 2017

THE amazing Christopher Biggins will launch the third Sun, Sea & Books literary festival in Sidmouth next month.

For the first time, the festival is spread over three days and different venues in the town, with Sidholme Hotel, Elysian Fields, hosting the launch roadshow from 10am until 2pm on Friday, June 23.

Christopher, who has appeared in many British TV classics, as well as being one of the Grand Dames of panto, will be interviewed by highly respected local broadcaster, Judi Spiers.

It is the second year Judi has been involved with the festival, and she will also chair a discussion about Crime and Passion between authors Lee Weeks and Lesley Pearse at All Saints Church hall on Saturday, June 24, from 10.30am to midday.

BBC Radio Devon is this year’s festival media partner and David ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald will cover the festival launch live.  Winstone’s, co-founder of the festival, is again the official book seller.

Acclaimed children’s author, Laurence Anholt, will talk about his first full-length novel, The Hypnotist, at Sidholme, before he visits local schools to give a talk and award-winning author Tim Pears, will talk about his new book, The Horseman.

Also at the launch will be Sidmouth historian, Julia Creeke, who is an authority on Sidmouth’s past and will speak about the many guides she has researched and written.

Tom McLaughlin returns to give talks in schools about his children’s books, and, thanks to a grant from Sid Vale Association’s Keith Owen Fund, organisers have staged another poetry competition for ages seven to 17 and adults, as well as poetry workshops at Sidmouth Library on Sunday, June 25, by prize-winning poet Alyson Hallett.

Alyson will judge the competition entries, together with Jurassic Coast poet-in-residence, Sarah Acton.

Storyteller, Clare Viner, will run workshops at Sidmouth Library for children from 9.30am on Saturday, June 24, and mums will be delighted to hear that Sarah Turner, author of The Unmumsy Mum, will be at the library from 2pm (free crèche) to talk about her new book, The Unmumsy Mum Diary.

Karen Byrom, fiction editor for My Weekly magazine, will speak at Sidmouth Rugby Club from 2pm, and tickets will include tea and cakes. She is followed by journalist and author Valerie Grove, who often writes obituaries for The Times, and Bryony Gordon, self-confessed Mad Girl, whose recent interview with Prince Harry gained much publicity and praise.

Rounding off Saturday’s events will be popular novelist Adele Parks at All Saints, from 8pm.  Adele’s latest book, The Stranger in my Home, is about a mother’s dilemma at bringing the wrong baby home from hospital.

Horticulturalist, Anne Swithinbank, will talk to Sidmouth in Bloom’s Lynette Talbot at The Knowle chamber from 10am on Sunday, June 25, and refreshments will be available.

Also talking at the Knowle from 4pm, will be the irrepressible Noel (Razor) Smith, who entered the prison system at 15 and ended up being given a life sentence under Michael Howard’s 2-Strike Act. He began writing short stories and set up a prison magazine.  Released from prison in 2010, he has now written six books, including the newly released The Criminal Alphabet.

An extended How to Get Published workshop for budding writers will be held at Sidmouth Rugby Club from 10am to 4pm, with Penguin author and writer-in-residence, Jane Corry chairing a panel of experts including journalists, novelists and a literary agent.

There will be one-to-one sessions after lunch for those sending in writing to be assessed. 

Local historian and journalist, Sarah Obermuller-Bennett will talk about the real story behind Jerome K Jerome, author of Three Men in A Boat, at the Rugby club from 5pm to 6.30pm. Tea and biscuits included.

The festival ends with a talk by the Queen of Crime, Sophie Hannah, who is described as the ‘new Agatha Christie’, at Knowle Chamber from 7-9pm.

Tickets for all festival events are available from Winstone’s, Sidmouth, Sidmouth Library, Information Centre, Sidmouth and online at www.sidmouthlitfest.co.uk, where you will find more information about events.