Literary Events
A ten day feast of monstrous words to celebrate the bicentenary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein will start with a lecture “The Trojan War – Myth & History” by Professor Michael Wood at Rook Lane. The Small Publishers’ Fair at the Silk Mill the following day, hosted by the Frome Writers Collective, makes a popular return for readers and writers alike, and Monday’s Poetry Cafe, welcomes poems on any aspect of the monstrous. On Tuesday you can catch a one-man performance based on a Mark Twain monologue which satirised human rights abuses in the Congo, also at Rook lane, and more monsters are expected in Frankenstein Flash, a short monologue competition on Thursday at the Three Swans
Author talks on Monday 9th include ‘The Six Sixes Revisited’, at Frome Cricket Club; sports writer Grahame Lloyd will present a talk on his book about the famous Gareth Sobers achievement; Sue Hubbard will introduce her novel ‘Rainsongs’, at the Library; Frome Society for Local Study hosts Julian Richards with his latest book: ‘Stonehenge: the story so far’ at the Merlin theatre, and at the Archangel on the 10th Ed Green presents: ‘Wilfred Owen, A Somerset Son & The Great War’.
A guided walk will start at the Black Swan on the 10th to inspire writing and creativity: ‘Walking an Every Day Miracle’, and there will be a poetry walk around Mells on the 14th featuring readings from Siegfried Sassoon and his contemporaries.
For Hammer Horror film buffs, Tony Dalton, the biographer of Hammer filmmaker Terence Fisher will be giving a talk on the director’s work at the Merlin theatre on the 10th followed by a showing of “Frankenstein Must be Destroyed”. On the 12th Revd Colin Alsbury shares a mixture of anecdotes and stories about folk from Frome area, who have produced work or lived lives that have been described as ‘magnificent’, and others who have excited reaction to their ‘monstrous’ behaviour, in a free talk at St John’s church. At the Tin Church on the 14th, Kilter Theatre and local writing company ‘A Word in Your Ear’ present ‘Foraged Fictions – Stories Gathered for a Tin Tabernacle’.
Words at Frome Festival finishes on Sunday on Sunday 15th at the library, three local writers explain their different approaches to their work in Partners in Crime. On the same afternoon, five months of literary effort will be finally whittled down to the winners at the Short Story Competition Prize-Giving: novelist Margaret Graham will award the prizes. The annual book lovers quiz will be held at the Cornerhouse in the evening!
Frome Festival Short Story Competition 2017
There may be several months to go until the 2018 Frome Festival, but preparation for the annual short story competition is already underway. The competition opens to entries on January 1st, although, if previous years are a guide, the bulk of entries will arrive in the last two weeks, many on the last day – all of which makes for a hectic time for organisers and readers in early June!
Entry is by post or online and the rules, plus full details of how to enter, are on the website www.fromeshortstorycompetition.co.uk