S T O K E - O N - T R E N T L I T E R A RY F E S T I V A L
8T H / 9T H / 10T H J U N E 2 0 1 7
stokeliteraryfestival.org
W E L C O M E to the S TO K E - O N - T R E N T
L I T E R A RY F E S T I VA L 2 0 1 7
From history to poetry, politics to food, environmentalism
to heritage, great events for young readers and a focus on
our literary heroes from Shakespeare to Austen and Bennett;
the Stoke-on-Trent Literary Festival 2017 again promises to
be an eclectic and inspiring celebration of brilliant books and
outstanding writing in the heart of this most creative of cities.
Our aim has always been to bring the very best writers,
commentators and thinkers to Stoke-on-Trent where there has
always been a great appetite for debate but also with the hope
that we might inspire young people to explore ideas, provide
stimulating encounters with award winning authors, poets and
playwrights and foster the joy of books and reading.
Stoke-on-Trent is rediscovering and celebrating its cultural roots and we are absolutely delighted
to be backing the bid to become UK City of Culture 2021. From a small conversation Tristram
Hunt and I had four years ago we now have a truly established, very warmly received and joyful
festival, busy with book lovers of all ages that attracts friends old and new to Stoke-on-Trent. Our
guests over the past three years have all been impressed with the warm and friendly reception
they’ve received in Stoke and our “festival in a factory” is helping to shine a light on just how
much we have happening in this great city.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and we hope you enjoy this programme as much as the trustees
and the Festival team have enjoyed putting it together. Don’t forget to book in to see behind the
scenes on a factory tour while you’re at the Festival, maybe have a go at creating your own design
in our decorating studio and enjoy our delicious café and beautiful garden too.
We look forward to welcoming you to the best weekend of the summer!
E M M A B R I D G E WAT E R
Festival Trustee
M AT T H E W R I C E
Festival Trustee
TRISTRAM HUNT
Festival Trustee
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)
F E S T I VA L I N F O R M AT I O N F O R
8T H / 9T H / 10T H J U N E 2 0 1 7
B OX O FFICE & WELCOM E
In the Courtyard Tent, selling tickets,
where available, for events throughout the
Festival. (Cash sales)
VE N UE S
Meakin Room: from the courtyard
via the external blue stairs. Alternative,
easy-access entrance for customers with
mobility requirements – please speak to
a volunteer.
Eastwood Room: from the courtyard
by the gift shop via the external blue stairs.
Doors open: 15 minutes before each event.
B O O KS H O P & SIGNINGS
Factory Seconds Shop
Managed by Waterstones, the Festival
Bookshop stocks copies of books by
our event authors (cash and card sales).
Author book signings also take place here.
CAFÉ & REF RESHM ENTS
Light lunches, sandwiches, cakes, hot and
cold drinks and wine or beer by the bottle
are available in the café. Complimentary
teas, coffees and still water also available
from the courtyard tea station. Log
onto our free wifi using ebkitchen
– use hashtag #SOTLitFest to share
your pictures and reviews!
PAR KIN G
Free but limited parking at the
Emma Bridgewater factory. Follow City
Centre parking signs for John Street, Hinde
Street and Birch Terrace car parks nearby.
Box office and marketing supported by the
New Vic Theatre.
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)
F E S T I VA L P RO G R A M M E - 8 T H J U N E
T H U R S D AY
TIM SMIT
Starts: 2pm Venue: TH E MEAKIN RO O M
Our opening event will be a stirring call to regenerate! Tim Smit, he who
discovered the Lost Gardens of Heligan, dauntless creator of the Eden Project
and all round hero of the West, will talk to us about gambling against long
odds and bringing new jobs and optimism to Cornwall.
F E S T I VA L P RO G R A M M E - 9 T H J U N E
F R I D AY
PAU LA B Y R N E
Starts: 12pm Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
Paula Byrne is an acclaimed biographer and at the Festival she will share
her exploration of the lives of the legendary figures of Jane Austen, Dido Belle
and Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy.
JOHN GRINDROD
Starts: 3pm Venue: T HE EAST WO O D RO O M
J U L I A N GLOV E R
Starts: 2pm Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
The Green Belt; a modern mystery of life. It doesn’t appear on maps, it isn’t
signposted and it is hard to know where it lies. Green belts prevent urban sprawl
from spreading and in this enlightening talk John Grindrod tells of the vision
behind their creation, discusses the fiery emotions they stir up and tells a story
of growing up there, recounted in his poignant social history Outskirts.
Julian Glover is variously a Guardian columnist, speechwriter and government
special advisor whose newly published biography Man of Iron - Thomas Telford and
the Building of Britain has shot straight into the best seller lists. Where better to
discuss the grandfather of the Industrial Revolution than in Stoke-on-Trent;
practically the epicentre of that seismic passage in our history?
CHRISTOP HER SIMON SYK ES
Starts: 4pm Venue: T HE MEAKIN RO O M
J ONAT HA N BAT E
Starts: 4pm Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
Christopher Simon Sykes was tour photographer with the Rolling Stones
in 1975 and is much sought after as having a quintessentially English eye. He is known
for beautiful images of romantic places and at the Festival will talk about his new
venture, a project in Stoke-on-Trent to capture the faces of The Potteries.
Jonathan Bate is one of the world’s foremost literary scholars, renowned
for his work on Shakespeare and the poetry of nature, is an acclaimed biographer,
critic, broadcaster and scholar, Provost of Worcester College and Professor of
English Literature at the University of Oxford. We are delighted to welcome him
to the Literary Festival for a discussion on “The Bard and His Afterlife From the
Romantics to Ted Hughes”.
LOYD GROSSMAN
Starts: 6pm Venue: T HE MEAKIN RO O M
E D BA L LS
Starts: 6pm
Loyd Grossman is a true polymath. Following a career in journalism he diverted
into television and has written, presented and devised some of our best known
programmes. Through a lifelong interest in history he has become a champion for
arts and heritage through his work for organisations including the Museums &
Galleries Commission, NADFAS and the Churches Conservation Trust. In a thought
provoking talk, Loyd will ask “What is the use of ‘heritage’ in the post-truth world?”.
Former Chancellor and the undoubted star of the recent series of Strictly Come
Dancing, Ed Balls visits Stoke to discuss his life in politics, how power can be used
for the benefit of others and the lessons that can be learned when things go wrong
as well as a future beyond Westminster. Ed will be in conversation at the Festival
with formidable former newspaper editor and journalist Anne Robinson, well
known for her forensic examination of any subject and her acerbic wit.
ALEX ANDER ARMST RONG
Starts: 8pm Venue: T HE MEAKIN RO O M
CLOV E R S T R OU D
Starts: 8pm Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
Emma Bridgewater says of Alexander Armstrong “If he were not quite the
nicest person I’ve ever met with the most charming manners and ability to make
me snort with laughter in a very unladylike way, well I’d have to hate him because
he’s so good at everything!”. Top comedian, erudite star of TV drama, talented
singer and host of the hugely successful cult TV quiz Pointless; please join us for
a wonderful evening of conversation and humour.
Clover Stroud’s incredibly happy family life fell apart at sixteen when her
mother had a catastrophic riding accident. In unique and emotionally raw prose,
Clover (Emma Bridgewater’s younger sister) has written about her search for
somewhere new to call home that took her to places far and wild. A respected
national newspaper journalist and writer, Clover will share stories from her lyrical,
shocking and sexy memoir that is ultimately an uplifting adventure of love and survival.
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)
Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)
F E S T I VA L P RO G R A M M E - 10 T H J U N E
S AT U R D AY
F E S T I VA L P RO G R A M M E - 10 T H J U N E
YO U N G
READER
EVENTS
SCOOP MAGAZINE M A K IN G WO R K S H O P
Starts: 10.30 - 11.45am Venue: THE D E C O RATI NG S TU D I O
Learn to make your own magazine in this fun, interactive creative session
for 8-12 year olds. Brought to the Festival by Scoop Children’s Magazine this
workshop will enthuse children with the written word and a love for stories by
creating articles, comic strips, reviews and a chance to design their own magazine.
Tel: 01782 381381 to book – no online booking for this event.
JUST SOPH
Starts: 11am Venue: T HE E AS TWO O D RO O M
Just Soph is an exciting new piece of interactive, theatrical storytelling for
curious children and their best beloveds! Have you ever wondered how the
camel got his hump or the elephant got his trunk? Based on Rudyard Kipling’s
Just So Stories with original live music, puppetry and physical theatre. Join
storyteller Soph and a host of curious characters on a very special journey.
Ideal for children aged 4-7 and their families.
HORRID HENRY
Starts: 12pm Venue: T HE ME AKI N RO O M
Join the team from the Horrid Henry TV programme for a fun and interactive
workshop where they’ll share behind the scenes secrets, top tips for writing and
performing and generally will spill the beans! This is the perfect chance to find out
the answers to all those questions you’ve always wanted to ask. Be there and be
horrid; very horrid! For Horrid Henry fans of all ages.
SU SAN MOORE
Starts: 1pm Venue: TH E EA S TWO O D RO O M
Meet Susan Moore, the creative power behind the gripping, action-packed
Nat Walker series. The orphan heiress to her parents’ games empire in
The Emerald Secret, together with her guardian Jamuka and her dragon-robot
Fizz, Nat finds that adventure – and danger – are never very far way. Susan Moore
used to work at Skywalker Ranch and her writing is cinematic, fast-paced and
epic in scale. A brilliant event for gamers aged 8-12 years who love an adventure.
CHARLOTT E GREEN
Starts: 2pm Venue: T HE MEAKIN RO O M
S AT U R D AY
B E N N E TT OF T HE FI V E TOW N S
Starts: 3pm Venue: T H E E A S T WO O D RO O M
Ray Johnson as Arnold Bennett brings, in Bennett’s own words, a
fascinating insight into our city’s greatest writer to mark the 150th anniversary of
his birth. Using extracts from Bennett’s letters, magazine articles, journals, novels
and short stories, Ray brings to life not only a great novelist and critic, but the
man from The Potteries telling how his birthplace influenced his career.
B E E W I LS ON
Starts: 4pm Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
Food writer, journalist and historian Bee Wilson has been described as
“the ultimate food scholar” and we welcome her to Stoke where she will
ask us to consider the psychology of eating, the subject of her latest book
First Bite: How We Learn to Eat, which looks at where our food habits come
from and what it would really take to change them for the better. Bee writes
the weekly “Kitchen Thinker” column in The Sunday Telegraph and has been
named BBC Radio 4’s Food Writer of the Year.
M I CHA E L CR I CK
Starts: 6pm Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
One of Britain’s most formidable and engaging journalists, Michael Crick,
political correspondent for Channel 4 news, will talk about the monumental
recent political changes we have seen as well as the Stoke Central by-election
which he so closely followed. A former Washington correspondent and reporter
for both Panorama and Newsnight, Michael is well known for his award winning
dogged investigative journalism and pursuit of politicians as well as being a
biographer of political and sporting greats.
D E B B I E HOR S FI E L D
Starts: 8pm
Venue: T H E M E A K I N RO O M
Debbie Horsfield’s award winning adaption of the trials and
tribulations of Ross Poldark have captured the imagination of a whole
new generation of fans, making the BBC’s Cornish saga one of the most highly
rated dramas of recent times. Also the dramatist behind some of our best
known contemporary dramas, including Cutting It and The Riff Raff Element,
join Debbie for the Festival’s finale event discussing the success of Poldark
and the challenges of adapting classic literature for television.
Broadcaster Charlotte Green can truly be described as a national treasure.
Until she left in 2013, Charlotte was the voice of Radio 4 where her warm and
perfectly modulated tones reassured millions of devoted listeners from the
Shipping Forecast to news bulletins. We look forward to welcoming Charlotte
to Stoke to share stories from her warm and highly entertaining autobiography,
The News Is Read, that will delight all Radio 4 and Classic FM devotees.
All tickets £6 - buy online or via the New Vic Theatre
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)
F E S T I VA L P RO G R A M M E
T H U RSDAY
F RIDAY
S ATU RDAY
10.30
am
Scoop Magazine
Making Workshop
(Decorating studio)
11am
Just Soph
(Eastwood)
Paula Byrne
(Meakin)
12pm
Horrid Henry
(Meakin)
Susan Moore
(Eastwood)
1pm
2pm
Tim Smit
(Meakin)
Julian Glover
(Meakin)
Charlotte Green
(Meakin)
3pm
John Grindrod
(Eastwood)
4pm
Christopher
Simon Sykes
(Meakin)
Jonathan Bate
(Meakin)
Bee Wilson
(Meakin)
Loyd Grossman
(Meakin)
Ed Balls & Anne
Robinson (Meakin)
Michael Crick
(Meakin)
Alexander
Armstrong
(Meakin)
Clover Stroud
(Meakin)
Debbie Horsfield
(Meakin)
Ray Johnson as
Arnold Bennett
(Eastwood)
5pm
6pm
7pm
8pm
For more information visit stokeliteraryfestival.org or for tickets newvictheatre.org (Tel. 01782 381381)