Sunday 15 April 2012

Hexham Book Festival

There is just a week to go until the famous Hexham Book Festival kicks off:
The full programme can be studied here: http://www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk/2012programme/

but the reality is that it lasts from Monday April 23rd, 2012 until 3rd May 2012.
Hard to pick a stand out must go to event in a sea of talent as this year's seventh festival is back with its most vibrant line up yet.
- There's the brightest and best of new fiction;
- a rich mix of gardening, food, and travel writers;
- trenchant views on art, politics and philosophy with Brian Sewell, Polly Toynbee and AC Grayling;
- the importance of truculence from seasoned politician Tam Dalyell
- and swashbuckling words from former poet laureate Andrew Motion.
There are still tickets left to some events at the Queen’s Hall if you have not already booked. The literature and workshop events are the key events for me but as to the stand out speakers if I get the chance I will defintely go to hear the great Tam Dalyell - the iconic Labour MP from Scotland who was a giant of parliament in the 70's-90's. Polly Toynbee I hear too much of in Westminster but Motion and Grayling are both masters of poetry and prose.

As always we must pay tribute to the amazing team who are putting this event on, the sponsors, and marvel at the way a town of barely 10,000 in Northumberland can put on such an event