words@fromefestival

Frome is famed for literary creativity, with more than its fair share of novelists, poets, authors, playwrights, writers’ circles and book clubs. So our 2009 programme has something for every age group as well as appealing to a wide diversity of tastes.

As in previous years the library is at the heart of our literary events, featuring a range of workshops and talks – look out especially for the Writers and Publishers Day on Sunday 5th July. Throughout the day there’s advice on every aspect of writing from poetry to screenplay. We’re especially pleased to welcome Barry Cunningham from lively new children’s publishing company The Chicken House – the man who pulled Harry Potter off the slush pile! - with editor Imogen Cooper and Rachel Ward, author of Numbers, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.  Best-selling novelist Debby Holt  will be giving tips on writing romantic comedies and we’ve also got top London agent Jane Judd on hand to discuss writers’ manuscripts in pre-booked one-to-one sessions.

 Poetry-lovers can enjoy street performances as the Hat-box Poets take to their soapboxes to declaim verses on the hour.  This was hugely popular last year, so make sure you’re around Cheap Street on the first Saturday - where you can also watch the Writers in Residence penning their pieces in shop windows.  The winning story will be picked by Lindsay Clarke.

The Merlin has a new open-mic event: Poetry foyer -Touching Joy. Poets from prestigious Bath Poetry Café will be joining Rose Flint and Rosie Jackson at the Merlin Theatre on Friday 10th in a foyer session of poems to celebrate the festival season.

Another unmissable event, on Thursday 9^th, is Arab Writing Today featuring three internationally-acclaimed writers, Samuel Shimon,  Amjad Nasser and Adania Shibli.  Held at Trinity hall, with food and music to set the mood. Click here to visit Banipal - the magazine of modern Arab literature.

Our prestigious and highly successful Frome Festival Short Story competition, which closes at the end of May, reaches its grand finale on Saturday 11^th with the Literary Lunch at the Old Bath Arms.  After-lunch speakers novelist Sophie King  and journalist Charles Nevin will present prizes to the winners.  

Younger readers and writers are as ever well-catered for!  Saturday 4^th has three events at the library for children:  Popular author Jeremy Strong  will whisk them off on a Hundred Mile an Hour Road Show in the morning and there are Storybox sessions in the afternoon.  And on Saturday 11^th the littler ones - ages 3-6 can meet the Crocodile - and make a mask - with Kathryn White.  There are two prize-givings that day too: the Kumon book review competition and for budding poets, the Postcard Poetry Competition - which is open until June 30^th so pick up your flyers at the library now.

 Sir Benjamin Baker, eminent British civil engineer, was born in Keyford in 1840 and his visionary genius is a central theme in this year’s fesival. Local writer and tutor Rosie Jackson is running a creative workshop inspired by his achievements in ‘Bridging Distances’ as part of the celebrations at Rook Lane on  Tuesday 7 July.

And if you like talks, back at the library we have the more fascinating insights into writers’ lives: ’shameless’ confessions of Paula Williams on Monday afternoon and the journey of a novel from inception to completion by Lindsay Clarke the same evening, and readings from poems and letters of Romantic poets Keats and Shelley by Helen Wynter and Susan Date on Wednesday evening.

We hope if you like writing or just listening, you’ll come and join us.

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