William Dalrymple ~ The Anarchy
Zoom Webinar ZoomWilliam is the British historian of India and is the author of a series of award-winning studies. At our festival he will be speaking about his recent best-selling book The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company which tells the remarkable story of the Company as it has never been told before, unfolding…
Michael Taylor ~ How and why the British defended slavery
Zoom Webinar ZoomFor two hundred years, the abolition of slavery in Britain has been a cause for self-congratulation - but no longer! When the Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1823, it was confronted by a formidable lobby comprising slaveholders, merchants, politicians, journalists and intellectuals. This talk explores the ferocious campaign of the British pro-slavery lobby to preserve…
Steve Richards ~ The Prime Ministers We Never Had – From Butler to Corbyn
Zoom Webinar ZoomTen Chapters and Eleven Prime Ministers We Never Had. Why did those that seemed so close to seizing the crown fail to do so...or were they as close as they seemed? Steve Richards explores the soaring hopes and dashed ambitions of political figures who were for a time as talked about as the Prime Ministers...and…
Martins the Printers Tours
Martins the Printers Main Street, Spittal, United KingdomOne of the few remaining book printers and binders left in the UK, Martins produces a wide range of books for both international publishers and first time authors. The event includes a tour of the working factory. Note that this is a working environment with some noise and changes in floor levels. Tours will begin…
Tom Murray: Creative Writing Workshop ∼ Place is in the Eye of the Beholder
YHA Granary Bridge Street, Berwick upon Tweed, United KingdomThe details of a particular place may seem common to many, but everyone sees or remembers a place differently according to their own emotional narrative. A fiction workshop exploring techniques of how to create character and place so that they work in unison to create a unique narrative. Further information about Tom can be…
Anne Ryland: Poetry Writing Workshop ∼ Painting the Poem
YHA Granary Bridge Street, Berwick upon Tweed, United KingdomThe ekphrastic poem is inspired by another art form, often a painting. Transcending mere description, it is a poetic and imaginative response in which the painting is ‘entered’ and explored. We will immerse ourselves in a range of visual art forms, using them as starting points for poems that are fresh and colourful creations. All…
Cabaret of Words
Pier RedA celebration of the spoken and (occasionally) sung word in this lovely venue. Come along and listen to local writers, poets and performers sharing their creative efforts. This will be a friendly, informal event. Pier Red is licensed, so you will be able to relax with your favourite drink while you enjoy the performance. Doors…
Wendy Joseph QC: Unlawful Killings
Zoom Webinar Zoom∼ Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey Wendy Joseph has just stepped down as one of only a handful of judges qualified to preside over murder trials at the Old Bailey. And one of the few female ones at that. For the first time, she can talk about what it’s really like…
Suad Aldarra: I Don’t Want to Talk About Home
Zoom Webinar ZoomI Don't Want to Talk About Home is not a memoir about war and destruction. It's not about camps or boats. It's about the enduring love for a home that ceased to exist, building a life out of the rubble, and the parts of yourself you lose and find when integrating into a new world.…
Bea Setton: Berlin
Zoom Webinar ZoomA wry, surprising, piercingly contemporary debut about a young woman who moves to Berlin to escape her demons - and what she finds there. For fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Exciting Times and Acts of Desperation. Channelling the modern female experience with razor-sharp observation and witty flair, Berlin announces Bea Setton as…
Nine Arches Press Poetry Reading
Zoom Webinar ZoomJane Burn is a poet and illustrator based in the North East of England. She has won many awards, including the Silver Wyvern at the Poetry on the Lake Festival. Poetry is her true love and the only place where she feels confident, fluent and able to express the unique way she sees the world.…
Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason: House of Music
Zoom Webinar ZoomKadiatu Kanneh-Mason lives in Nottingham and is a former lecturer in English at The University of Birmingham. She has seven children, all of whom are classical musicians and the family has been the subject of several documentaries. What truly sparkles in this eloquent memoir is the joyous affirmation that children are a gift and we…
Dyad Productions: A Room of One’s Own
The Maltings Eastern Lane, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomRebecca Vaughan (Dalloway, Orlando, Christmas Gothic, Austen’s Women, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography) performs Woolf’s 1928 exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality on intellectual freedom and creativity. Take a wry, amusing, and incisive trip through the history of literature, feminism, and gender. Meet Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Aphra Behn, and Shakespeare’s sister –…
Amanda Thomson: belonging ∼ Natural histories of place, identity and home
Holy Trinity Parish Centre Parade, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomRooted in a Scots pinewood in the Highlands of Scotland, belonging is part nature writing, part memoir. Snags are standing dead trees that are so important for the ongoing health of pinewoods, and are what led Amanda to consider how the past (and our pasts) nurture the present. In her session, accompanied by photographs and…
Brian Groom: Northerners A History ∼ from the Ice Age to the Present Day
Berwick Baptist Church Golden Square, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomNorthern England, fashioned by waves of migration, invasions and battles, has had a profound impact on European culture and the global economy. Brian Groom, author of the bestselling, Northerners: A History, From the Ice Age to the Present Day, will outline 180 million years, showing how the north's people, including Borderers, have shaped Britain and…
Brita Granström & Jonnie Wild: The Fussy Flamingo
Berwick Library Walkergate, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomBaby Flamingo is a very fussy eater! "I don't like flingo weed," says Baby. "I'm going to find a family that eats something delicious." This highly interactive session will involve both storytelling (with parts for all the children), and Brita drawing live on screen allowing children to learn and practice the basic strokes of…
Tidekettle Paper: Paper making demo (morning)
Tidekettle 16 Bridge Street, Berwick upon TweedA whistle-stop tour through the history of papermaking from its origins in East Asia to the state-of-the-art teabag machine at Chirnside papermill. Lucy Baxandall will demonstrate Western and Eastern hand papermaking processes and bust a few paper myths along the way. You’ll never take paper for granted again, and there might even be some samples…
Toby Faber: Faber & Faber The Untold Story
Holy Trinity Parish Centre Parade, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomCome on an illustrated tour of one of the twentieth-century's great literary archives, telling the story of how Faber has survived depression, war and the passing generations to become the UK's leading independent publisher. Read about TS Eliot taking on a 'boy named Auden' (but also turning down Animal Farm), Lord of the Flies being…
Siân Thomas: It’s All Been Rather Extraordinary
Berwick Baptist Church Golden Square, Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomJoin the actress Siân Thomas (National Theatre, RSC) as she reflects in interview on the excitement of her early life in Stratford, Ontario, her experience on stage and in films, and her life partnership and travels with the poet Tony Harrison. A notable contributor to audiobooks and Radio 4's 'With Great Pleasure', Sian will be reading…
Storytime at the Library
Berwick Library Walkergate, Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland, United KingdomCome along to the library and enjoy a relaxed storytime session with your little ones in our cosy children's area. Discover your new favourite stories, explore the space and listen to a selection of picture books read aloud by one of our librarians. Smiles and giggles guaranteed. This event is FREE to attend but booking…