Mendip Living Aug - Sep 2020

ADVERTISING FEATURE
Wells Festival
of Literature
October 16th to 24th 2020
Something to look forward to this autumn...
July should have seen the Festival launching with brochures,
ticket sales and events. So what is happening? The good
news is that organisers are determined that it will go ahead:
the programme is complete, over 30 exceptional speakers are
lined up to offer audiences a cornucopia of challenging and
entertaining topics - history and psychotherapy, travel, science,
politics, philosophy, arts and - not forgetting - food. In addition,
there are currently a number of delivery options. These include
the usual events in Cedars Hall, Wells; a fully virtual Festival
or a combination of the two with authors either live-streaming
from Wells or in their own homes. Festival organisers take
serious responsibility for the safety of all involved and are
monitoring events and taking advice from the experts and all our
stakeholders. All decisions and booking details will be shared
via print and online press, mail-chimp messages to supporters,
Facebook and the Festival website,
www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
The majority of the writers are totally committed to their events
– in person or online – so wraps can come off more of the top
secret line-up. Already announced are Poet Laureate Simon
Armitage, Michael Eavis, celebrating 50 extraordinary years of
the legendary Glastonbury Festival; Rachel Johnson, sharing
indiscreet, witty and brutally honest secrets from her memoir,
and Max Porter, to discuss Lanny, long listed for the 2019 Booker
Prize, at the ever popular book group event.
The Festival poster displays only a fragment of the rich, topical
menu; spies and thrillers, rules of contagion, China, a bit of a
stretch, unconscious bias, Oliver Cromwell, food, re-wilding,
Jane Austen’s Bennett sisters…. In addition newsreader Tom
Bradby’s espionage novel, Dr. Rachel Clarke’s take on the NHS,
Charles Spencer’s 1120 sinking of the White Ship, A.C. Grayling’s
history of philosophy, Charles Moore’s whodunit gig on the fall
of Margaret Thatcher, an ecological event with the Somerset
Wildlife Trust…. watch out for more to come.
Of course, £2.93p of every £10.00 ticket funds literacy support,
and creative events with writers and theatre groups in our local
schools. Many continued during lockdown with more to come.
Joining Friends of the Festival also offers 10% discount, priority
booking and a possible free future Friends event. Keep an eye
out for more and make a firm date in your diary.
www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
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