Cleckheaton Literature Festival

The very first Cleckheaton Literature Festival is taking place from 7-10 May. Here's the full line up:

7 May

10-12 Bronte Trail with Nordic walkers to see the 'lost' Bronte grave (outdoor event)

10-12 Screenwriting Workshop with Steve Moore

1.30-3.30 War and the Writer with Jason Hewitt

4-6 YA Creative Writing Workshop with Flip and Neverending author Martyn Bedford

6.30-9.30 Poetry Night with Talking Zebras/Cleckheaton Library Poets

7.30-9.30 Lauren Quick author talk (author of The Quick)

8 May

10-12 Children's Poetry event with John Irving-Clarke

1-3 Sci-fi/Fantasy Creative Writing Workshop with Justina Robson, author of the Quantum Gravity series

3.30-5.30 Performance Poetry with performance poet and broadcaster Luke Wright

6.30-8.00 Crime Panel with Northern Crime Award winner Helen Cadbury, Leeds-based author Alison Taft and finalist for the People's Book Prize Leigh Russell

9 May

10-11 Children's activity event with children's author Gillian Rogerson

11 & 3.30 Spin a Silly Story and Story Trail sponsored by Creative Scene (FREE events held at West End Park)

1-3 Tell Tales with Julie Pryke outdoor interactive event (FREE event held at West End Park)

1-3 The Gospel of Loki with Joanne Harris author of Chocolat

3.30-5.30 Dr Who Event with Mark Wright author of the Dr Who Books Who-ology and Wit, Wisdom and Timey-Wimey Stuff

7.30-LATE Adventures with Andy Kershaw with the DJ and travel writer (event held at Whitcliffe Mount High School)

10 May

10-12 Life Writing Workshop with author Alison Lock

1-3 Sci-fi/Fantasy Creative Writing workshop with Ian C Douglas author of the Infinity Trap

3.30-5.30 Down to the Sea in Ships with writer, radio producer and journalist Horatio Clare

Tickets range from free to £8 and are available from: www.cleckheatonliteraturefestival.ticketsource.co.uk

For full details of each event visit:

www.litfestcleck.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LitFestCleck
Twitter: @LitfestCleck
#CLF2015

Background

Cleckheaton Literature Festival was founded in January 2015 and is a community-wide collaboration in the small northern market-town of Cleckheaton, home of the Luddites and Mr Men, with a desire to spread the love of literature to the wider world, especially children, who will be given a free Bookstart pack by the Bookstart Bear at the free family events in West End Park on Saturday 9 May (and those in fancy dress will also get free sweets). Festival partners include Cleckheaton Writers Group, The Friends of West End Park, Kirklees Council, Creative Scene, Reading Matters, Spenborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce and others. In a very short time we have gained a huge amount of support for the festival, which we hope will grow into an annual event for all the family.

Why do we want a literature festival? Firstly, ours will not be highbrow and fanciful, there are plenty of those already, but a friendly festival for the whole family. We want to celebrate the sheer pleasure of reading, of getting lost in that other world and being transformed by it. More seriously, we are aiming to bring the love of reading to those not normally engaged. We see this building into an opportunity for families to learn of, or revisit, the delights of reading and reading together, and so that we can help to support local literacy groups.

For more information visit http://www.litfestcleck.co.uk/