The Lit Fest Newsletter
The past week has seen festivals quickly adapt their programmes to the changing times and the launch of some brand new virtual festivals. Emergency appeals have also been launced for both Hay (£96k has been raised) and Charleston…
Amidst the new festivals popping up, however, it was great to see one established festival showing that we do more than put on some book events - demonstrating the important role we can play in bringing local communities together…
“Here at Ilkley Literature Festival, we would like to offer our assistance to those being affected by the escalating Coronavirus pandemic. If you are self-isolating but need some shopping or prescriptions delivering, we will do all we can to help.
Please don’t hesitate to get in contact if you would like some assistance, or indeed if you are willing and able to offer assistance to others. It might be that we can coordinate our efforts for maximum effect over these difficult times. Please send an email to info@ilkleylitfest.org.uk or give us a call on 01943 601210”.
Hay Goes Online
Hay Festival announced it will be producing its “first fully digital edition” this May with a promise of webinars, workshops and live social media Q&As. A new Hay Festival Podcast has also been launched with the first episode featuring Hay Festival president Stephen Fry in conversation with Phillipe Sands. Users can sign up to acccess the festival’s digital archive for £10 per year. Films from the Programme for Schools series of events are available for free.
The New Festivals…
This is a joint effort between the online lit events company MyVLF and authors Kit de Waal and Molly Flatt. It’s supported by BBC Arts (although I’m not quite sure how). It has specifically reached out and asked existing literary festivals to get in touch - and hopes to put together a programme that will include events badged by different festivals. It will take place from 8-10 May.
Kit De Waal explained, “Over the past few weeks, as one literary festival after another shut down due to Coronavirus, we recognised the devastation this would cause to organisers, authors, publishers, booksellers and readers alike. So we came up with the idea for an event that would not only help boost the industry in a difficult time, but showcase the brilliance of our national book festivals to a whole new audience. Cancelled literary festivals in the UK wanting to get involved should email festivals@bigbookweekend.com
Launched originally as HouseBound, this is organised by author Georgia Codd. It is taking place from Monday 27 April to Sunday 3 May 2020 with authors Sarah Perry, David Lammy, Robert Webb, Maya Goodfellow, Stanley Donwood, Nikesh Shukla, Lola Olufemi, Paul McVeigh, Intisar Khanani, Max Porter, Pip Adam, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, Will Harris, Jasbinder Bilan and has a partnership with Wasafiri magazine. Their full programme is yet to be announced.
Started by the author Dr Carolyn Jess-Cooke this runs from 27th March - 11th April. With 8-10 events every day, they have a pretty impressive roster of authors lined-up including Maggie O’Farrell and Louise Welsh. The events are being hosted on Zoom.
The stand-up and author Robin Ince’s Comic Shambles network is also running a Stay at Home Festival. Their events are being live streamed on YouTube with an ongoing schedule. As you would expect from the co-host of the Infinite Monkey Cage, there are lots of comedians and scientists taking part. Inlcuding Professor Brian Cox, Jo Brand, Stewart Lee, Stephen Merchant and many other well known names.
Started by broadcaster and chair of many events at Hay, Paul Blezzard, the Lockdown Lit Fest has a website but few details so far of its programme. From the video Paul has posted, it looks like it will be live webcasting author interviews and panel events over the coming weeks (so not on a specific weekend).
BIG LIT: The Stewartry Book Festival
Chrys Salt from Big Lit got in touch and I am sharing an extract from her email as I’m sure it mirrors the sentiments of many others…
“I convene BIG LIT: The Stewartry Book Festival - a four day Lit Fest in SW Scotland www.biglit.org due to happen April 16-19. After so much work in booking our writers, compiling our brochures (5000 now to recycle!!!), developing our website, raising sponsorship/ funding etc etc, having to postpone was a bitter but necessary pill.. Especially as we will not now be paid for our work, nor will our clever designer.
But we are in the same boat as many, and better off than most.”
Online audiences at Huddersfield
As recorded in a previous newsletter, Huddersfield Literature Festival 19-29 March was one of the first festivals to move events online. They saw a dramatic increase in social media engagement as a result. On Facebook, Festival posts reached almost 25,000 people in the month of March and engagement increased by 60%, while on Twitter, the Festivals mentions were up by 215% at 398, while tweet impressions were up by 227% at 249,000.
Stratford Literary Festival launches online resources for kids
Annie Ashworth and her team at Stratford have also been busy. They have launched Sharing Stories a free-to-access page of online video content aimed at young children and parents who are stuck at home.
Those appearing include: Jeanne Willis, author of over 150 books, reading The Bog Baby; the popular author-illustrator Steven Lenton reading Princess Daisy and the Dragon; the official World Book Day illustrator Rob Biddulph teaching us how to draw Gregosaurus and the Odd Dog Out; Sarah McIntyre giving a masterclass on drawing Grumpycorn; Lydia Monks, illustrator of several of Julia Donaldson’s books, with a lesson on illustrating her Ladybirds; Tracey Corderoy reading her charming story Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam; and award-winning author Philip Ardagh showing us how to draw a rabbit from Bunnies on the Bus.
The Stratford Literary Festival and The Salariya Book Company have also just announced the winner of the 2020 Children’s Picture Book Prize. The judges decided that two winners will share the prize - Jo Surman for Snow, the book she has written and illustrated, and Kael Tudor for the story he has written: One Goose, Two Moose.
The prize of £1000, which will be shared between the two winners, includes career advice from one of the judges, United Agent’s Jodie Hodges.
Over and out…
That’s it for this newsletter. Please follow us on twitter and instagram, add us to your press release list and feel free to get in touch if there is anything you would like us to write about: mathew@bookamp.co.uk. You can get your fellow lit festival colleagues to sign up here.