WELCOME TO THE THIRD FAVERSHAM LITERARYFESTIVAL taking place in various of the town’s historicvenues: the Old Brewery Store, Guildhall, AlexanderCentre, The Limes and Shepherd Neame Visitor Centre’s15th-century function room, as well as the newer ArdenTheatre. There’s a packed programme of events from 19 to23 February, plus writing workshops and local authorreadings on the 15th & 16th.

Opening night on 19 February celebrates Kent cheeseand ale in the company of raconteur cheesemonger NedPalmer. Will Self returns to Faversham and other headlineevents include Melvyn Bragg, Jenny Eclair, Lemn Sissay,Dame Joan Bakewell, Ken Livingstone and Sarah Perry.

The programme I hope has something for everyone. Asusual, lots of great nature writers, including theinspirational Tim Dee on spring and bird migration, plusKent nature writers Katherine May, Caroline Crampton,Lara Maiklem and Caroline Greville.

Politics features strongly on the programme with JackStraw discussing the Middle East; Gavin Esler on Brexit;plus talks on the refugee crisis, Trump and the USA, andhard-hitting political fictions addressing dictatorship,genocide and writing in exile.

Fiction highlights include the much-acclaimedhistorical debut by Sara Collins; Naomi Wood andElizabeth Macneal writing on the Bauhaus andPre-Raphaelite art movements; Lee Rourke on mother-sonrelationships and grief; Maggie Gee and William Shaw oncrime in Kent; and much more. Taking fiction on the road,Peter Fiennes and travel writer Sara Wheeler discuss theliterary greats of Britain and Russia.

For music lovers, I’m very excited to feature StephenMorris from Joy Division and New Order; and Tracey Thornfrom Everything But the Girl. For football fans, a wonderfulaccount of the game on the theme of class.

Exciting new additions to the programme - AbbeyPhysic Garden will be hosting a session on mental healthwith local author Stephen Gillatt; plus an all-day poetryhub in The Limes on Saturday 22nd, with special guestpoet Luke Wright - a whole day of poetry plus our nowregular Friday-night Poetry Slam.

There’s events and activities for children and youngadults, and an unmissable event for all the family withmuch-loved author Michael Rosen telling funny stories,funny poems and, of course, pulling funny faces! I hope you enjoy the festival.

AMANDA DACKOMBE Festival Director

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE VIA THE FESTIVAL WEBSITE

FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL IS SPONSORED BY SHEPHERDNEAME LTD, QUEENBOROUGH FISHERY TRUST, SWALEBOROUGH COUNCIL & FAVERSHAM TOWN COUNCIL.

UNDER-11 AND UNDER-18 SHORT STORY WINNERSSATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY - PRESENTATIONALEXANDER CENTRE, MAYOR’S PARLOUR 10.30am

ALL AGESSATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, ALEXANDER CENTREMichael Rosen 11am-12noonThe much-loved author on the importance of play, sillypoetry and What’s So Special About Dickens? An event forall the family. £7

SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY, GUILDHALLCrafts and stories 11am-2pmAll welcome. Breakfast drinks and nibbles will be served.Free

YOUNG ADULTSATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, ARDEN THEATREThe Art of Short Fiction 11am - 12 noonFlash fiction, short stories, prose poems: all seem to bethriving these days. Three young specialists in the shortform read extracts from their work and discuss theirmethods. 11am-12noon £5

Photography - Laurence Cendrowicz, Ray Burminston, ITV, Warren Jackson, Justine Stoddart

Graphics - hughribbans.com Printed by Abbey Print, Faversham

OPENING NIGHTWEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY, THEOLD BREWERY STORENed Palmer, A Cheesemonger’sHistory of the British IslesCheese lovers rejoice! Join NedPalmer for a four-course taster menuof Kent cheese and ale plus cheesybanter from Monty Python to‘postmodern cheese’ - every cheesetells a story. 7-9pm £20

THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARYALEXANDER CENTREJack Straw, The English JobThe former home secretary talks toJulia Wheeler about Britain’srelationship with Iran and exploresthe culture and history of thisfascinating country. 5-6pm £8

Will Self, WillThe cultural and political icon talksto Lee Rourke about his memoir,which opens up about addiction,his life as a young adult and hisfictional trajectory - a funny, intenseand anarchic journey into the mindof one of Britain’s most daringwriters. 7-8pm £18

FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARYALEXANDER CENTREJoan Bakewell and Maggie Gee,Kiss and PartShort stories from a stellar list ofwomen novelists in celebration of awriter’s need for ‘a room of one’sown’, as Virginia Woolf put it.7-8pm £6

FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY THE LIMESPoetry SlamFierce, funny, political, romantic,brilliant… Luke Wright’s poemshave been lauded by everyone fromPatti Smith to The Libertines. PlusKent talent bidding for the slam title.7.30-11pm £5

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SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, ALEXANDER CENTRE Day pass £5 for YA events in the Mayor's Parlour

Telling Stories through Characters 12.30-1.30pmCreate an exciting, fully formed character to drive the plotand hook the reader. With Carina Buckley.

Poetry and Climate Change 2 - 3pmPoetry workshop on global issues, with Galway poet PeteMullineaux.

Dr Who 3.30-4.30pmCreate new planets and aliens in this year’s Doctor Whoworkshop. With writer AK Benedict for an hour ofinvention and timey wimey shenanigans.

The 10 Golden Rules of Comics 5-6pmComics writer Guy Adams has called on some of thebiggest names in the industry to present their 10 vital rulesin making comics. Put their tips into action by writing yourown comic strip.

The Uninvited Guest 6.30-7.30pmLocal author Angus Rorison’s dark comedy full of eccentriccharacters, a made-up kingdom, a humongous chef, aghost, and a few musical tunes thrown into the mix.

CHILDREN’S EVENTSChildren must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY, ALEXANDER CENTREJo Simmons, 11am-12noon My Parents Cancelled MyBirthday is a hilarious tale of wish fulfilment gone wrong.A tale that every child will relate to! Year 3-6. £3

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, GUILDHALL

Nicola Parkhouse 12.30-1.15 Where Is Maggie’s Moo? Free

Heidi Bryant 1.30-2.15 The Adventures of Vince the Cat Free

Julia Woolf 2.30-3.15Duck and Penguin Are Not Friends Free

ADULT WRITING WORKSHOPS (See website for details)

SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY, GUILDHALLThe Inklings The Faversham-based writers’ group readselections from their recent work. Free 5.30-7pm.

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www.favershamliteraryfestival.org

FAVERSHAMLITERARYF E S T I VA L19 - 23 February 2020

P ROGRAMME

SARA COLLINS

STEPHEN MORRIS

NAOMI WOOD

MELVYN BRAGG

JENNY ECLAIR

JACK STRAW

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, THE PHYSIC GARDEN

Stephen Gillatt‘I have been living with mental health problems for 25years. This is my story.’ Mad, Sad Dysfunctional Dad is awonderfully frank memoir by a Faversham-based authorwho talks openly in the hope that it will help others.9.45-10.45am £3

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, ALEXANDER CENTRE

Michael RosenThe much-loved author shares funny poems, funny faces,and wisdom from his latest Book of Play. Plus, What’s SoSpecial About Dickens? An event for all the family incelebration of the 150th anniversary sinceCharles Dickens’s death. 11am-12noon £7

Lemn SissayAwarded an MBE for services to literature, My Name IsWhy is the poet’s story of neglect, misfortune and triumph.In this moving and timely memoir he reflects on hischildhood, Britishness, the institutional care system, race,family and the meaning of home. Host Julia Wheeler.12.30-1.30pm £8

Jenny EclairWith her inimitable wit and observational humour, thewriter, comedian and TV personality talks to Julia Wheelerabout her latest novel, Inheritance, a compelling tale oftragedy and turmoil across generations set in deepestCornwall. Expect liberal helpings of laughter and tears.2-3pm £10

Naomi Wood and Elizabeth MacnealTwo powerful works of fiction set in times of radicalchange for art and society. Elizabeth MacNeal’s The DollFactory, set in London in 1851, brings to life a world thatthe Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood was intent on changing.Naomi Wood’s The Hiding Game enters the Bauhaus artschool in 1922, as political tensions escalate in Germany.Host Daniel Hahn. 3.30-4.30pm £6

Stephen Morris, with Ian PenmanJoy Division and New Order drummer Stephen Morris’smusical memoir Record Play Pause recounts with deadpanwit his incredible career, taking a frank and profound lookat music’s power to define who we are. A coming-of-agestory with plenty of anecdotes and memories, he talks tomusic journalist Ian Penman. 5-6pm £8

Tracey ThornThe singer-songwriter behind Everything But The Girl takesus on a witty, insightful walk through the malignedcommuter town of her youth. Returning to our roots canbe tough… Tracey talks to host Andy Miller about busshelters, local discos, aspirational parents, emotionalcul-de-sacs - and music. 6.30-7.30pm £8

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, ARDEN THEATRE

Joe Dunthorne, Max Sydney Smith and Xanthi BarkerFlash fiction, short stories, prose poems: three youngspecialists in the short form read extracts from their workand discuss their methods. Joe Dunthorne’s debut novelSubmarine was adapted for film by Richard Ayoade. HostCharlotte Newman. 11am-12noon £5

Clare PollardAn eye-opening journey in a pea-green boat through thehistory of picture books, Fierce Bad Rabbits is a fascinatingand insightful examination of the stories behind ourbest-loved childhood stories, interweaving childhoodmemories, research and more. Host Daniel Hahn. 12.30-1.30pm £5

David Herd and Christy LefteriGiving voice to the Syrian refugee crisis through the powerof stories, former UNICEF volunteer Christy Lefteri’s novelThe Beekeeper of Aleppo and David Herd, coordinator ofRefugee Tales - an ongoing project with established writersthat calls to end indefinite immigration detention. HostJanice Lowe. 2-3pm £5

Ken LivingstoneThe former London mayor talks to Julia Wheeler aboutLivingstone’s London, a celebration of people, places andpolitics that have shaped the landscape - and its dramaticchanges over the last 60 years. 3.30-4.30pm £8

Alia Trabucco Zerán and Sema KaygusuzTwo powerful narratives about historical memory.Longlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize,The Remainder explores the repercussions of history forthe children of those who fought against Chile’sdictatorship. Every Fire You Tend tells the story ofsuppressed and traumatic memories of a genocidalmassacre in Turkey in 1938. Host Daniel Hahn. 5-6pm £5

Hamid IsmailovThe award-winning Uzbek author has crafted anothermasterpiece about the search for truth and wisdom – a taleof exile featuring a wandering philosopher, a pennilesswriter and a bee forced from its hive. Host Daniel Hahn.6.30-7.30pm £5

Jane Wenham-JonesLocal flavour! The author and journalist talks to JulieWassmer about her tale of four women ‘coming of age’ inBroadstairs. Lots of laughs. 8-9pm. £3

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, GOLDINGS ROOM, COURT STREET

John Gregory-SmithThe food writer and chef shares stories and dishes fromSaffron in the Souks, for which he travelled the length andbreadth of Lebanon to bring back its most exquisiteflavours and hidden beauty. Host Chetna Makan.11am-12 noon £5

Gareth E. ReesA darkly satirical work of non-fiction Car Park Life exploreshow the UK’s retail chain-store car park has as muchmystery, magic and terror as any mountain, meadow orwood. Rediscover a common space we know far lessabout than we think. Host Gary Budden. 12.30-1.30pm £3

William Shaw and Maggie GeeWilliam Shaw’s taut thrilller Deadland, set in the broodingshadows of Dungeness, and Maggie Gee’s literary crimecaper Blood, a black comedy set around Margate – theauthors discuss Kent’s social divisions, with murderousresults. 2–3pm £3

Lee Rourke and Will WilesIntellectually playful chronicles of modern Britain, WillWiles’s Plume is a fast-moving Kafkaesque story about analcoholic hack set in contemporary London; in Glitch LeeRourke unflinchingly explores grief, family and theirregularities of everyday life. 3.30-4.30pm £3

Writing Women's LivesIn Plastic Emotions Shiromi Pinto charts the life offorgotten feminist icon and Sri Lankan architect Minette deSilva, and her affair with Le Corbusier; plus short storiesfrom Linda Mannheim's This Way to Departures andAnnabel Banks's Exercises In Control. 5-6pm £3

Peter WilliamsA local Faversham author tells the story In Black and White- Kent’s coalmines and ironworks from the 1920s to the1980s. 6.30-7.30pm. Host Christine Rayner. £3

SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, THE LIMES - POETRY HUB ALL DAY POETRY PASS £10

All-day poetry hub, 11am to 11pm. A great line-up ofpoets and poetry collectives running throughout the day,plus Open Mic sessions and Poets for the Planet.Special guest is Luke Wright, support poet for John CooperClarke: The Remains of Logan Dankworth - a powerfulverse play in the age of Brexit. Crackling with energy, witand passion. See website for timings and poet listings.

SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY, ALEXANDER CENTRE

Tim DeeIn Greenery BBC radio producer Tim Dee explores theidea of spring. Following the migration paths of birds, hefinds inspiration to create his own paths through the wildsof England, from Cornwall to Shetland. Is it possible tokeep in step with a season? 11am-12noon £5

Melvyn BraggThe writer and broadcaster’s latest novel Love Without End:A Story of Heloise and Abelard reimagines the moving andenduring tale of one of history’s greatest love stories: thebrilliant student Heloise and her teacher, the philosopherPeter Abelard, whose dangerous love affair in 12th-centuryParis incurs terrible retribution. 12.30-1.30pm £12

Peter Fiennes and Sara WheelerSojourns around Britain and Russia in the company ofgreat writers. In Footnotes Peter Fiennes brings modernBritain into focus by peering through the lens of the past,following in the footsteps of some of our greatest writers,from Enid Blyton to JB Priestley. In Mud and Stars travelwriter Sara Wheeler takes us on a literary tour of Russia inthe company of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Gogol and other greats.Host Alex Preston. 2-3pm £5

Sara CollinsA compelling historical debut in which a former slaveaccused of murder recounts her life, The Confessions ofFrannie Langton is a bold exploration of passion and thetransgression of boundaries. Collins is a new literary starreminiscent of the best of Sarah Waters. 3.30-4.30pm £5

Gavin EslerThe former Newsnight presenter’s Brexit Without theBullshit is a frank guide to the most momentous change inBritish life for decades, revealing the facts about howBrexit will affect our daily lives. Will Brexit boost jobs? Orwreck the NHS? Or cause food shortages? It may not bethe Brexit you thought you were getting. Host JuliaWheeler 5-6pm £5

Sarah PerryA masterly work from the author of the wildly successfulThe Essex Serpent. Unnerving and unsettling, Melmoth is ahaunting tale about guilt, forgiveness, moral reckoning andhow we come to terms with our actions in a conflictedworld. ‘Scary and smart, but also a philosophical inquiryinto the nature of love and will.’ Host Alex Preston.6.30-7.30pm £10

SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY, ARDEN THEATRE

Alex Preston, Sara Collins and Sara ChurchwellWhat is it to pursue a goal, to strive for an ideal, to followa dream? These are the questions explored in Pursuit, acollection compiled by award-winning novelist AlexPreston. The stories - from some of the brightest and mostexciting voices writing today - tell of determination,endeavour and perseverance against the odds. The bookwas conceived as an accompaniment to a range ofwhiskies! 11am-12noon £5 Includes a shot of malt whisky.

Jon HendersonCan you recall when football’s greatest players shared abond of borderline penury with the fans they entertained?Shortlisted for The Telegraph Sports Book Awards 2019,When Footballers Were Skint: A Journey in Search of theSoul of Football is an important historical record andimmensely entertaining, based on the first-hand accountsof players from a fast-disappearing generation. Host RogerAlton. 12.30-1.30pm £5

Sarah Churchwell‘The American dream is dead’, Donald Trump said whenannouncing his candidacy for president in 2015. InBehold, America, Sarah Churchwell offers a surprisingaccount of 20th-century Americans’ fierce battle for thenation’s soul. Be prepared to have everything you thoughtyou knew about the USA turned on its head. Host JuliaWheeler. 2-3pm £5

Daniel RachelDon’t Look Back In Anger charts the epic highs andcrashing lows of the 1990s and Cool Britannia, from TonyBlair to Noel Gallagher, Tracey Emin and Irvine Welsh.Erudite, thoughtful and funny. Host Andy Miller.3.30-4.30pm. £5

Caroline CramptonThe Way to the Sea: The Forgotten Histories of the ThamesEstuary traces the course of England’s longest river toreveal how the waterway helped shape our nation, findingepic feats of Victorian engineering, artist retreats,shipwrecks, old trade routes and wild riverbanks along theway. Host Peter Fiennes. 5-6pm £5

SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY, GOLDINGS ROOM, COURT STREETLara MaiklemMudlarking traces Kent-based Lara Maiklem’s search forurban solitude and history on the River Thames, what shecalls ‘the longest archaeological landscape in the world’.Known as the ‘London Mudlark’, Lara has been larkingalong the Thames for over 15 years, unearthing finds fromNeolithic, Roman, medieval and Victorian eras that tell herabout London and its lost ways of life. 12.30-1.30pm £5

Katherine MayPart memoir, part exploration of a human condition,Wintering explores the healing nature of the greatoutdoors. The Whitstable-based author recounts her ownyear-long journey through winter, and how she foundstrength and inspiration when life felt frozen. 2-3pm. Host Anna Stanford. £3

Caroline GrevillePersonal and poetic, Badger Clan tellsof how a Kent family becameintimately acquainted with theseelusive creatures. An extraordinary taleof human-animal connectedness.3.30-4.30pm £3

Julie WassmerWhitstable crime writer Julie Wassmertalks about her two most recent talesset in Kent and the importance oflocation to her writing, to includesome stunning photography of Oareand Faversham Creek. 5-6pm £3

FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL 2020