MANY of the speakers at this year’s Wells Festival of Literature, from 15th to 23rd October, are literally or metaphorically at home in Somerset but the event has a world-wide reach, not only via the internet but also in the home countries of the festival competition entrants. Somerset is the base or inspiration for speakers…
MERE Literary Festival is back this year, from 11th to 15th October, after the 2020 Covid cancellation, and the programme has talks and events for all ages and tastes. From a child’s delight in tiny woodlice to the horrors of chemical weapons, from the fascinating secrets of Deepest Wiltshire to the very public scandals that…
THE latest talk in the Help Our Planet series at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, focuses on the return of beavers to English rivers for the first time in many centuries. Rewilder, farmer and conservationist Derek Gow’s HOP talk, on Tuesday 12th October at 7pm, is called Bringing Back the Beaver and its Pals. Gow has…
BATH Children’s Literature Festival, a celebration of story-telling, illustrations and books for “curious young minds” returns this year with a starry line-up, from Friday 24th September to Sunday 3rd October. Speakers include the Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell, fitness star Joe Wicks, Dapo Adeola, Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, Sophie Dahl, Irish comedian David O’Doherty, Chris…
DORSET’s Tears in the Fence Literary Festival returns to Stourpaine from 2nd to 5th September with an interesting line up of poets and writers. Most events take place in the village hall with music, open readings, talks and discussions, book signings and a bookstall. The 2021 festival, entitled Digging Deeper: Roots and Remains, will explore…
CIDERMAKING has been at the heart of country life for hundreds of years. But the fascinating story of how this drink came into existence and why it became so deeply rooted in the nation’s psyche has never been told. In his new book, Cider Country – How an Ancient Craft Became a Way of Life,…
A JAZZ and spoken word work called Comfort In Chaos will be premiered at the 1532 Performing Arts Centre in Bristol on Saturday 18th September. Composed by Harriet Riley (Paraorchestra) and Pete Judge (Get The Blessing), Comfort In Chaos highlights growing concerns about homelessness and the work of Bristol charity, 1625 Independent People, which works…
ORGANIC gardening expert Sally Morgan is coming to Castle Gardens at Sherborne on Thursday 2nd September to launch her new book, The Healthy Vegetable Garden. Delving into natural, chemical free approaches to soil, biodiversity and managing pests and diseases, this free event will give growers of all abilities the opportunity to learn how to maintain…
AN exhibition of ceramics, screen prints and life drawings at the Slade Centre at Gillingham, running to 4th September, is a celebration of the work of the Dorset artist, Elizabeth Adam. A book to accompany the exhibition is being launched on 21st August. It features photographs of Elizabeth’s house, studio and garden taken by Kirsten…
DORSET poet Catherine Simmonds and artist Rachel Sargent have a second joint exhibition, from 29th September to 5th October at Shaftesbury Arts Centre. The Plymouth gallery, in Hyde Park Road, will show Far West – A Cornish Coastline, following artist residencies at Cape Cornwall, where, Rachel says, “we delved into the rich natural history of that…