Ways With WordsFestival of Words and Ideas
Dartington, Devon3 – 13 July 2015
We are often congratulated on our efficiency; the smooth organisation of the festivals; how calm we seem to be: it is one of the positive aspects of running Ways With Words. Much can go wrong at a festival – and often does – but we try to plan well in advance so the festival can be pleasurable for everyone: the speakers who attend, the visitors who flock to Dartington Hall, ourselves and the staff. What is the point of having a festival where the stress levels are so high no-one feels relaxed or able to enjoy this truly amazing time?
This is not to minimise the amount of work it takes to achieve this. There are numerous rotas for each part of the festival. At the start of each Ways With Words we spend a lot of time ordering books, flowers, wine; checking that we know exactly when speakers are arriving and departing; arranging and briefing volunteers – and lots more. But the reason behind the mundane tasks is to deliver a memorable festival: to get people thinking, questioning, talking and laughing; to make sure that visitors have an interesting, challenging and unforgettable time. That is the main purpose of a festival. It is necessary to make sure that the administrative details are arranged but throughout we try not to lose sight of the bigger picture.
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WELCOME to Ways With Words at Dartington Hall. If you like to relax with books, ideas, beautiful gardens, good food, warm conversation, then you will love this festival. Many do and return each year. Join them!
Kay Dunbar, Stephen BristowChloë and Videl Bar-KarFestival Directors
Enjoy the Bigger Picture at Ways With Words
Title Sponsor
Festival Sponsor
Official Bookselling Partner
Event Sponsors
Support in Kind
I knew at once – nearly twenty years ago on my first visit – that Dartington was a special, perhaps unique, festival. Nowhere else do so many distinguished speakers inform and entertain in an atmosphere of such informality. Readers and writers, talkers and listeners mix, match and blend. I must miss this year’s festival. But I shall be back for the twenty fifth anniversary celebrations in 2016. I do not need to tell you to enjoy yourselves in my absence. You are at Dartington. Enjoyment is unavoidable.
President’s Introduction
Roy HattersleyFestival President
Friday 3 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £24 (not including event 4)
Alice Oswald and Paul Keegan –In ConversationTed Hughes Memorial Event
Alice Oswald is an eminent poet
who, in 2010, won the inaugural Ted
Hughes Poetry Award. Paul Keegan
worked as Poetry Editor at Faber
and Faber where he edited Ted
Hughes’ poetry.
Together they discuss ‘A Ted
Hughes’ Bestiary’, a selection of
poems chosen by Alice Oswald.
In association with Carol Hughes
and Faber and Faber
Paul HeineyThe Quest
After his son committed suicide,
aged only 23, television presenter
Paul Heiney decided to set sail on
a voyage to Cape Horn to connect
with his son’s ‘voice’. This turned
out to be an important emotional
journey. Paul Heiney currently
presents the ITV prime-time show
‘Countrywise’.
12.30pm
Great Hall
£10
24pm
Great Hall
£10
Terry WaiteInspiration for Fiction: Life’s Vicissitudes
Unbelievable that being a hostage in
Lebanon with well over four years
spent in solitary confinement means
you learn to make people laugh, yet
Terry Waite has written a charming,
funny story that reminds the reader
that life is worth living.
Simon ArmitagePoet, Walker and Troubadour
As a sequel to Simon Armitage’s
acclaimed bestseller ‘Walking
Home’ he has written ‘Walking
Away’ – the story of his travels on
England’s south west coast. He acts
as a troubadour – giving poems in
exchange for bed and food. He’ll
offer poems and stories of his travels
today.
35.30pm
Great Hall
£10
48pm
Great Hall
£10
The Ted Hughes Memorial Lecture
Paul KeeganAlice Oswald
Simon A
rmitage
Paul Heiney
Terry W
aite
Saturday 4 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £48 (not including event 11)
Karen Armstrong Stanley Wells
Margaret HeffernanCompetition Celebrity Change: A New Way of Thinking
The Olympics, X-Factor, The Rich
List, The Nobel Prize: everywhere
you look there is competition – for
fame, money, attention, status. Being
top seems to be everything – but
what is it costing us? Margaret
Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO
and writer. Her motto is, ‘Let’s not
play the game, let’s change it.’
Karen ArmstrongReligion and Violence
Karen Armstrong is one of the
world’s leading commentators on
religious affairs. She spent seven
years as a Roman Catholic nun in
the 1960s and now is a writer and
broadcaster. She is a best-selling
author of over 15 books. Her latest
is ‘Fields of Blood: Religion and the
History of Violence’.
Stanley WellsShakespeare Performed
Stanley Wells (described by Ways
With Words’ President Roy
Hattersley as ‘Our greatest authority
on Shakespeare’s life and work’)
gives an assessment of the specific
talents and claims to greatness of
individual actors. He examines what
it takes to be a great Shakespeare
actor.
Mary Portas talks to Peter StanfordHow Mary Portas Became ‘Queen of Shops’
Mary Portas regularly travels around
the world advising on retail strategy.
Her continued advocacy of our
High Streets led to an independent
review commissioned from the
British Government. She tells of
her upbringing in a large, Irish family
where she was a magnet for trouble.
Margaret Heffernan Mary Portas
510am
Great Hall
£10
611.45am
Great Hall
£10
71.30pm
Great Hall
£10
83.15pm
Great Hall
£10
sponsored by
sponsored by
Saturday 4 July – Great Hall
Peter Stanford A.C. Grayling
Peter StanfordJudas
Writer and broadcaster Peter
Stanford deconstructs that most
vilified of Bible characters: Judas
Iscariot, who famously betrayed
Jesus with a kiss. He investigates
how the very name Judas came to
be synonymous with betrayal and,
ultimately, human evil.
Peter Hennessy and John Sergeant – In ConversationThe State of British Politics
Ways With Words reunites Radio
4’s ‘Broadcasting House’ election
pundits: Lord Hennessy, one of the
most prominent writers on the
political and social history of Britain,
and the favourite broadcaster and
journalist, John Sergeant, discuss the
state of British politics, post-election,
today.
A.C. GraylingThe Challenge of Things
Prof. A.C. Grayling’s latest book
‘The Challenge of Things’ encourages
readers to engage with the world and
to think imaginatively about troubled
times. Expect to be enlightened and
enlivened by his talk. A.C. Grayling is
Professor of Philosophy and Master
of the New College of Humanities,
London.
95pm
Great Hall
£10
106.30pm
Great Hall
£10
118pm
Great Hall
£10
Day Ticket: £48 (not including event 11)
John Sergeant Peter Hennessy
sponsored by
Saturday 4 July – Barn – Science of the Body
Day Ticket: £40
Joe Herbert
Jane Haynes and Martin ScurrDoctor, Doctor I feel like a pair of curtains…
As pressure mounts on NHS services
psychotherapist Jane Haynes and GP
Martin Scurr lift the ‘white’ mask to
explore doctor/patient relationships,
the much-changed role of the GP and
to ask what draws someone to the
profession in the first place?
Adharanand FinnThe World of Japanese Running
From the fabled Marathon Monks
who ran a thousand marathons in a
thousand days, to the relay race ‘The
Ekiden’, Devon runner and Guardian
blogger, Adharanand Finn, discusses
Japan’s complex running culture and
tells what he learnt on the run.
Joe HerbertTestosterone, Sex and Power
Sex, aggression, winning, losing,
gangs, war: the effects of
testosterone are entwined with
them all. The Cambridge Emeritus
Professor of Neuroscience, Joe
Herbert explains how these
chemicals, produced in tiny amounts,
exert powerful influences on bodies,
brains and lives.
Lucy Fry Triathlon for the Tri-curious
A triathlete virgin at thirty-one, Lucy
Fry thought she knew her limits, but
at thirty-two she completed not just
one but five triathlons. She takes
us on a personal journey from the
sofa, into a sports bra and across the
finishing line.
Raymond Tallis The Life that is Lost
A personal meditation on death
by one of our leading thinkers and
writers. Raymond Tallis looks back
on his world from the standpoint of
his future corpse, pondering upon
the impossibility of contemplating
death, the failing mind and being
mourned.
12 10am
Barn
£10
1311.45am
Barn
£10
141.30pm
Barn
£10
153.15pm
Barn
£10
165pm
Barn
£10
Lucy Fry
Sunday 5 July – Barn – Mind Matters
Day Ticket: £40
Julia Ponsonby Dylan Evans
Guy BrowningA Guide for the Perplexed
Most of us consider ourselves the
most normal person we know.
Humourist and writer of the long-
running ‘How To’ Guardian column,
Guy Browning takes a look at how
to be ‘uniquely normally normal’.
He explores ‘How to Procrastinate’,
‘How to be Simple’, and ‘How to be
Vague’.
Nigel WellingsDe-cluttering the Mind
Nigel Wellings has been teaching
and writing about the relationship
between psychotherapy and
Buddhism for many years. He offers
tips on meditation and explores
many practical ways to get our
mindfulness unstuck and establish a
regular practice.
Suzanne O’SullivanIt’s All in Your Head
Few of us are fully aware of how
dramatic our body’s reactions
to emotions can be. Consultant
neurologist Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan
looks at the world of psychosomatic
illness as she encourages an
exploration of the intimate
connection between mind and body.
Julia PonsonbyMindful Baking, Mindful Feasting
Head of Food at Schumacher
College, Julia Ponsonby, delights in
the happiness shared food brings. She
feels we should be fully present with
the task of cooking. Creating meals
also requires discrimination when
sourcing ingredients, ensuring they
are wholesome, local and seasonal.
Without this integrity a dissonance
will creep into lives.
Dylan EvansAn Experiment in Living
To discover what it would be
like in a post-apocalyptic world,
Dylan Evans founded The Utopia
Experiment where a community lived
free from modern technology and
comforts. He talks about his extreme
personal reaction to the experiment.
17 11am
The Barn
£10
1812.30pm
Barn
£10
192pm
Barn
£10
203.30pm
Barn
£10
215pm
Barn
£10
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 27)
Sunday 5 July – Great Hall
Marina Cantacuzino Salley Vickers
Marina Cantacuzino talks to Peter StanfordRevenge and Forgiveness
How can you respond to the
unforgivable? Can you move
on without forgiveness? Marina
Cantacuzino has collected stories
from those who have much to
forgive. She tells of The Forgiveness
Project, a charity that helps victims
and perpetrators of violence, tragedy
or injustice, and explores ideas
around forgiveness, reconciliation
and conflict resolution.
Salley VickersFiction – Short and Long
Salley Vickers talks about her
new collection of short stories.
Former lecturer in literature and
psychoanalyst, author of the best-
selling ‘Miss Garnet’s Angel’ and six
other acclaimed novels, including
her latest ‘The Cleaner of Chartres’,
Salley Vickers’ thoughtful talks always
leave the audience asking questions
about literature and life.
Juliet BarkerThe Peasants’ Revolt
Why did a diverse group of ordinary
men and women unite in armed
rebellion against Church and State
to demand a radical political agenda?
The dramatic and shocking events
of the Peasants’ Revolt provide the
backdrop to Juliet Barker’s latest
fascinating book. The acclaimed
historian and distinguished
biographer of the Brontës and
Wordsworth will talk of this violent
incident in medieval England with her
usual authority and style.
2211am
Great Hall
£10
2312.45pm
Great Hall
£10
242.30pm
Great Hall
£10
Juliet Barker
sponsored by
Sunday 5 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 27)
Will Hutton
Will HuttonCreating a Productive Economy
Britain is beset by a crisis of purpose.
We don’t have an innovative,
productive economy but instead a
capitalism that extracts value rather
than creates it. There is massive
inequality, shrinking opportunity and
a society organised to benefit the top
1%. Compelling and sharp insights
from the bestselling author of
‘The State We’re In’.
Matthew DennisonThe Extraordinary Life of Vita Sackville-West
Aristocrat, literary celebrity,
Sissinghurst’s ‘Rose Queen’,
devoted wife, lesbian, recluse,
iconoclast: Vita Sackville-West was
many things, but she was never
straightforward. Matthew Dennison
reveals a renegade, brave and
charismatic woman who was often
misunderstood.
Ros Brady and Simon BarronSoil Songs . . . and More
Top lyricists and superb musical
duo Barron Brady return to the
Great Hall. Acclaimed for their fresh
acoustic style, articulate, sensitive
songs and stylish performance
tonight they launch a book of lyrics
illustrated by Simon. His illustrations
will form a backdrop to tonight’s
entertainment.
Simon Barron and Ros Brady
254.15pm
Great Hall
£10
266pm
Great Hall
£10
278pm
Great Hall
£10
Matthew Dennison
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 33)
Monday 6 July – Great Hall
Judith Wolfe Jane Hawking Marc Morris
Judith WolfeC.S. Lewis and the Inklings
Dr Judith Wolfe is a lecturer in
Theology and the Arts at St Andrews
University. Her latest book on C.S.
Lewis is entitled ‘C.S. Lewis and
His Circle: Essays & Memoirs from
the Oxford C.S. Lewis Society’. She
and her fellow editors spent five
years sorting the material to make a
selection for this revealing book. She
adds her analysis of this enigmatic
figure today.
Brian Cathcart Waterloo
It took three days for the
momentous news of Wellington’s
victory to travel from the blood-
soaked battlefield of Waterloo to the
decorous dining rooms of Regency
London. Brian Cathcart, Professor
of Journalism at Kingston University,
gives a gripping, entertaining account
of this race.
Jane HawkingMarriage to Stephen Hawking
Jane Hawking relates the inside story
of her marriage to Stephen Hawking,
the eminent physicist with motor-
neurone disease. She confronts the
painful dilemmas of a relationship
blighted by the pervasive effects of
fame and wealth.
Marc MorrisThe Road to Magna Carta
Dr Marc Morris, presenter of the
series ‘Castle’ for Channel 4, tells
the dramatic story of King John – the
greedy, cowardly and cruel villain,
familiar from the tales of Robin Hood
– whose leading subjects famously
forced him to issue Magna Carta,
a document binding him and his
successors to lead better lives.
28 10am
Great Hall
£10
2911.45am
Great Hall
£10
301.30pm
Great Hall
£10
(or £15 to
include
event 38
at 4.30pm
today)
313.15pm
Great Hall
£10
Brian Cathcart
sponsored by
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 33)
Monday 6 July – Great Hall
Horatio Clare John Hegley
Horatio ClareOn the Ocean
The acclaimed nature writer Horatio
Clare tells of ‘the men who maintain
the world’, the ships they sail and
the seas they cross. Part-travelogue,
part-oral history, his view is sharp-
eyed and huge-hearted. He gives a
moving tribute to those who live and
work on the great waters, far from
land.
John HegleyNew and Selected Potatoes
The UK’s favourite performance
poet, comedian and musician returns
to Dartington, mandolin in hand,
with a collection of pieces new and
older, sung, spoken and awoken with
dance. He meditates upon family,
celery and happier Daleks.
Light and lyrical. Deep and daft.
Come and sing.
‘Scandalously talented’ Sunday Times
‘Awesomely mundane’ Independent
325pm
Great Hall
£10
338pm
Great Hall
£12
Waterstones proudly supports
The Telegraph Ways With Words Festival
We look forward to seeing you there.
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Day Ticket: £37
Monday 6 July – Barn – Miscellaneous: Day of Everything
Mat Prowse and Mitch Tonks
Chris WindleMale Behaviour
Why do male friends express
affection by casual acts of violence?
Why do men pee high up a wall?
Journalist Chris Windle attempts to
answer these questions and provide
reassurance for any man seeking to
understand his own actions, or any
woman puzzled by male behaviour.
Simon Williams, Susan Taylor, Kirsty Peake and Jade Moon In the Tracks of the Wild Wolf
The UK’s wolf ambassador, Kirsty
Peake, shares stories about her work
with the Yellowstone National Park
wolf packs. She is joined by Jade
Moon from Bone Song, performing
an extract from her version of Red
Riding Hood and Susan Taylor and
Simon Williams with their poems on
wolf lore.
Mitch Tonks and Mat ProwseA Small Restaurant by the Sea
The Seahorse restaurant in
Dartmouth champions some of the
best local fish and shellfish. The menu
tours Europe’s great fish dishes.
Cooking over a charcoal fire is a
speciality. Mitch Tonks and co-owner
Mat Prowse share their passion to
enthuse, cook and inspire others to
enjoy seafood.
James Ward A Romp Through Your Pencil Case
What does ‘shatter-proof resistant’
mean? What are the uses of Blu-Tack?
James Ward celebrates the role of
the humble biro and answers many
stationery related questions. Comedy
for those who like quirky facts and
curious stories.
Film – The Theory of Everything (12A)
This is the extraordinary story of one
of the world’s greatest living minds,
the renowned astrophysicist Stephen
Hawking, who falls deeply in love with
fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde.
Stars Oscar-winning best actor, Eddie
Redmayne, and Felicity Jones.
34 10am
Barn
£10
3511.45am
Barn
£10
361.30pm
Barn
£10
373pm
Barn
£10
384.30pm
Barn
£7
(or £15
to include
event 30
at 1.30pm
today)
Day Ticket: £40
Tuesday 7 July – Barn – Legacy
Sonia PurnellClementine Churchill – War and Peace
Clementine Churchill was Winston’s
emotional rock and trusted
confidante whose influence over
her husband and the Government
would now appear scandalous. Sonia
Purnell, investigative journalist and
author of Boris Johnson’s biography,
sheds new light on this emotionally
interdependent partnership.
Daisy Hay The Angel in the PM’s House
The devotion between the wild Mary
Anne Disraeli and Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli is evident in their
passionate letters to one another.
Daisy Hay discusses the social and
political rise of the Disraelis and the
stubborn refusal of Mrs Disraeli to
conform.
Rob Magnuson SmithThe Spirit of Eric Gill
Eric Gill’s unconventional behaviour
and enduring influence permeates
Rob Magnuson Smith’s novel set
in the Sussex village of Ditchling,
where nothing is quite as it appears.
Magnuson Smith, explains how he
came to write this subtle comedy.
Hugh Aldersey-Williams Thomas Browne in the 21st Century
Sir Thomas Browne, a 17th
century physician was fascinated by
everything from nature to religion,
to new medical practices and to the
‘vulgar errors’ of his patients. His
wit, curiosity and remarkable prose
inspired writers such as Sebald,
Woolf and Borges. Hugh Aldersey-
Williams reveals what we’ve kept and
what we’ve lost of this extraordinary
thinker.
Andrew WilsonDark Genius
Alexander McQueen first shocked
the world with his visionary fashion
design and then, aged 40, by
committing suicide. Andrew Wilson
examines the life of of the bad-boy
designer who rose from the tough
East End of London to the hedonistic
world of fashion design.
3910am
Barn
£10
4011.45am
Barn
£10
411.30pm
Barn
£10
Sonia Purnell Rob Magnuson Smith
423.15pm
Barn
£10
435pm
Barn
£10
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 49)
Tuesday 7 July – Great Hall
James Russell Deborah Moggach
James RussellA Remarkable Talent: Eric Ravilious
James Russell is the author of a new
book on the watercolours of Eric
Ravilious, the distinguished British
artist. This is published alongside an
exhibition at the Dulwich Picture
Gallery which James Russell has
curated.
Deborah MoggachInspiration for Fiction: The Weight of Betrayal
What is the inspiration for Deborah
Moggach’s latest novel ‘Something to
Hide’ a warm, witty and wise novel
about the unexpected twists that
later life can bring? Has her success
with ‘The Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel’ and ‘Tulip Fever’ influenced
her subsequent writing?
William WaldegraveEntering Politics
‘Why did you go into politics in the
first place?’ This is a question that
the former Conservative Cabinet
Minister has found himself asked,
and indeed asked himself, over the
years. Lord Waldegrave talks of his
upbringing and gives some answers.
4410am
Great Hall
£10
4511.45am
Great Hall
£10
461.30pm
Great Hall
£10
Wiltshire Landscape - Eric Ravilious
sponsored by
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 49)
Tuesday 7 July – Great Hall
William Waldegrave Julie Summers Polly Toynbee and David Walker
Polly Toynbee and David WalkerRadical Rule
In their latest book Polly Toynbee
and David Walker warned against
dismissing Cameron as bland. He
has been more radical than Margaret
Thatcher, they suggest. She privatised
industries; he planned to dismantle
the whole of the welfare state.
Come to argue or agree with these
Guardian journalists.
Julie SummersWartime Fashions
Julie Summers is the bestselling
author of ‘Jambusters’, about the
Women’s Institute in the Second
World War. Now she turns to the
fashions of World War II and gives
a talk full of humorous facts and
fascinating photos.
Judy Finnigan with Richard Madeley – In ConversationInspiration for Fiction: Mother Love and Loss
Away from the television screens
Judy Finnigan has found the time to
write her second novel ‘I Do Not
Sleep’ the story of Molly Gabriel who
lost her 20-year-old son, Joey, in a
terrible sailing accident.
She discusses with her husband,
Richard, how her fiction happens.
473.15pm
Great Hall
£10
485pm
Great Hall
£10
497.30pm
Great Hall
£10
Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley
Wednesday 8 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 55)
Jonathan Fenby Dom Joly
Julie SummersKeep the Home Fires Burning
The Women’s Institute pulled
rural Britain through the Second
World War with pots of jam, a
spirit of ‘make do and mend’ and
loads of vigour. Julie Summers, in
‘Jambusters’, reveals their nitty-gritty
approach to the conflict, a story that
inspired the major ITV drama series
‘Home Fires’.
Jonathan FenbyUnderstanding France
Jonathan Fenby, former editor of
the Observer and the South China
Morning Post, tells of France’s
history including its struggle to
become the leader of the European
union. France has undergone huge
social changes and he asks what
this nation, which considers itself
exceptional, really stands for.
Dom JolyClowning About
Dom Joly shot to fame in 2000
with his anarchic Channel 4
hidden-camera comedy programme
‘Trigger Happy TV’. The day it aired
everything changed and suddenly Joly
was famous; reality was weirder than
any fiction he could conjure up. With
frankness and self awareness he tells
of his adventures in show business.
5010am
Great Hall
£10
5111.45am
Great Hall
£10
521.30pm
Great Hall
£10
sponsored by
Wednesday 8 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 55)
Phil Hammond
Anne O’BrienDartington Hall in Medieval Times
Anne O’Brien is a bestselling,
historical novelist whose passion is
giving voice to the lost women of
history. Today she tells the story of
Elizabeth of Lancaster, daughter of
John of Gaunt and cousin to Richard
II, who married John Holand, for
whom Dartington Hall was originally
built.
Yasmin Alibhai-BrownEngland: Historical and Contemporary Position
One of Britain’s foremost cultural
commentators on politics, multiracial
societies, faith and human rights,
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown tells of her
love for England; a country attracted
to diversity and difference. She
reflects on what it means to be
English today.
Phil HammondThe NHS and You
Dr Phil Hammond, an NHS doctor,
journalist, broadcaster and comedian,
offers advice on both surviving and
shaping the UK’s national health
system. He presented five series of
‘Trust Me, I’m a Doctor’ on BBC2,
encouraging patients to be more
involved, assertive and questioning.
He appears regularly on national
radio and television speaking up for
patient power and a more honest
and transparent NHS.
533.15pm
Great Hall
£10
545pm
Great Hall
£10
558pm
Great Hall
£10
Anne O’Brien Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Wednesday 8 July – Barn – Rural Writing: WIld Ways
Day Ticket: £40
Martin Hughes-Games Charlie Elder
Martin Hughes-Games Life in the Wild
Martin Hughes-Games has filmed
natural history programmes over
three decades. The BBC Springwatch
presenter shares his perilous
adventures on location, involving
huge elephant seals, man-eating
tigers, bloodthirsty bats and tiny, but
very painful, centipedes.
Philip MarsdenThe Shape of the Land
When writer Philip Marsden moved
to a remote farmhouse in Cornwall,
the intensity of his response to
the landscape prompted a journey
westward through the Neolithic
ritual landscape of the Moors and
mysterious china clay country, to
the granite tors and tombs of Lands
End. He asks why people have strong
reactions to certain places.
Charlie Elder Diversity on our Doorstep
Seeking out the beautiful and the
bizarre, Charlie Elder searches for
Britain’s rarest animals. He shares
tales of the hunt for unusual wildlife
in Britain’s hedgerows, fields and
waterways. No stone will be left
unturned – literally!
Hugh ThomsonOld Ways
Take a ramble along drover-paths,
tracks and trails through 400 miles
of countryside with travel writer
and TV documentary maker,
Hugh Thomson, who has travelled
from the centre of England to its
outermost edge taking excursions
into neglected areas of English
history.
Matthew Kelly Moorscape
Much debate surrounds modern
Dartmoor as South West Water
seeks to sell parcels of ‘redundant’
land. Devon-born Matthew Kelly
discusses the past, present and future
of the moor. Did druids officiate
there? Can bogs be drained and
crops grown? Is it the place for a
prison?
Today’s events are supported by The Ronald Duncan Literary Foundation which exists to encourage and support creative excellence in the arts, especially poetry, drama and literature and to sustain interest and research in the work associated with its namesake, the poet and playwright, Ronald Duncan.
5610am
Barn
£10
5711.45am
Barn
£10
581.30pm
Barn
£10
593.15pm
Barn
£10
605pm
Barn
£10
• ONLINEwww.wayswithwords.co.uk (from 20 May)
• BY PHONETel: 01803 867373
Telephone lines are open from 10am - 5pm,
Monday - Friday.
Please have your event numbers
and your payment card ready before phoning.
We accept Visa and Mastercard.
• BY POSTPlease complete this form and send with payment
and stamped s.a.e. to:
Ways With Words Festival Box Office,
Droridge Farm, Dartington,
Totnes, Devon TQ9 6JG
Make cheques payable to ‘Ways With Words’.
Please date and sign the cheque but leave the rest blank.On the crossed section (where it says A/C Payee)
write: “not to exceed: (the amount of your order
in words)”.
This is in case some of your order is not available,
in which case we shall complete your cheque for
the lesser amount.
• IN PERSONDuring the festival the box office, on-site at
Dartington Hall, will open 30mins. before the first
event of the day and will close after the start of the
last event of the day.
Please note: Before the festival starts the box
office operates off-site and is open for telephone,
postal and online sales only.
NameAddress
PostcodeTel.E-mail
BOOKING FOR FRIENDSSTARTS WEDNESDAY 13 MAY - max. 2 tickets per event. - for phone and postal bookings only.
GENERAL BOOKING STARTSWEDNESDAY 20 MAY
CONCESSIONS:People aged 24 or under and people on any benefit
related to the forthcoming Universal Credit can buy
tickets normally priced at £10 or less for just £5 if
purchased in person during the festival.
We operate a ‘carers go free’ policy for people in
receipt of Carer’s Allowance.
Proof of entitlement for the above will be required.
DATA PROTECTION: Ways With Words will not pass on your details
to any other organisation.
TERMS & CONDITIONS: The right is reserved to substitute speakers and vary
the advertised programme if necessary.
All information is correct at the time of going to
press.
Please refer to our website (wayswithwords.co.uk) for full details of our policy on cancellations, ticket refunds and exchanges, and on lost tickets.
TICKET SALES
event £ no. total
eg A.N. Author 10 3 30
FRIDAY 3 JULY
1 Oswald & Keegan (Ted Hughes) 10
2 Paul Heiney 10
3 Terry Waite 10
4 Simon Armitage 10
GH Day Ticket (1 - 3) 24
SATURDAY 4 JULY
5 Margaret Heffernan 10
6 Karen Armstrong 10
7 Stanley Wells 10
8 Mary Portas 10
9 Peter Stanford 10
10 Hennessy & Sergeant 10
11 A.C. Grayling 10
GH Day Ticket (5 - 10) 48
12 Haynes & Scurr 10
13 Adharanand Finn 10
14 Joe Herbert 10
15 Lucy Fry 10
16 Raymond Tallis 10
Barn Day Ticket (12 - 16) 40
SUNDAY 5 JULY
17 Guy Browning 10
18 Nigel Wellings 10
19 Suzanne O’Sullivan 10
20 Julia Ponsonby 10
21 Dylan Evans 10
Barn Day Ticket (17 - 21) 40
22 Marina Cantacuzino 10
23 Salley Vickers 10
24 Juliet Barker 10
25 Will Hutton 10
26 Matthew Dennison 10
27 Barron & Brady 10
GH Day Ticket (22 - 26) 40
event £ no. total
MONDAY 6 JULY
28 Judith Wolfe 10
29 Brian Cathcart 10
30 Jane Hawking 10
event 30 & 38 - Talk & Film 15
31 Marc Morris 10
32 Horatio Clare 10
33 John Hegley 12
GH Day Ticket (28 - 32) 40
34 Chris Windle 10
35 Williams, Taylor, Peake & Moon 10
36 Tonks & Prowse 10
37 James Ward 10
38 Film - The Theory of Everything 7
Barn Day Ticket (34 - 38) 37
TUESDAY 7 JULY
39 Sonia Purnell 10
40 Daisy Hay 10
41 Rob Magnuson Smith 10
42 Hugh Aldersey-Williams 10
43 Andrew Wilson 10
Barn Day Ticket (39 - 43) 40
44 James Russell 10
45 Deborah Moggach 10
46 William Waldegrave 10
47 Toynbee & Walker 10
48 Julie Summers (1) 10
49 Finnigan & Madelely 10
GH Day Ticket (44 - 48) 40
WEDNESDAY 8 JULY
50 Julie Summers (2) 10
51 Jonathan Fenby 10
52 Dom Joly 10
53 Anne O’Brien 10
54 Yasmin Alibhai-Brown 10
55 Phil Hammond 10
GH Day Ticket (50 - 54) 40
56 Martin Hughes-Games 10
57 Philip Marsden 10
58 Charlie Elder 10
59 Hugh Thomson 10
60 Matthew Kelly 10
Barn Day Ticket (56 - 60) 40
event £ no. total
THURSDAY 9 JULY
61 Dominick Tyler 10
62 Danny Dorling (1) 10
63 Vanessa Tait 10
64 Kurt Jackson 10
65 Danny Dorling (2) 10
66 Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi 10
67 George Monbiot 10
GH Day Ticket (61 - 66) 48
68 Alistair Carr 10
69 William Atkins 10
70 Christine Toomey 10
71 James Attlee 10
72 Mark Huband (1) 10
Barn Day Ticket (68 - 72) 40
FRIDAY 10 JULY
73 D.K. Wilson 10
74 Thomas Grant 10
75 Mackintosh & Haynes 10
76 John Carlin 10
77 Laura Thompson 10
Barn Day Ticket (73 - 77) 40
78 Ann Widdecombe 10
79 Graham McCann 10
80 Michael Smith 10
81 Jan Robinson 10
82 Lively, Arditti & Sheers 10
83 Joyce Grenfell at Work 10
GH Day Ticket (78 - 82) 40
SATURDAY 11 JULY
84 Rachel Billington 10
85 Penelope Lively (RLF Talk) 10
86 Steve Hilton 10
87 Alan Johnson 10
88 Linda Blair 10
89 Michael Buerk 10
GH Day Ticket (84 - 88) 40
90 Ziauddin Sardar 10
91 Gerard Russell 10
92 Ben Stewart 10
93 Peter Pomerantsev 10
94 Jules Pretty 10
95 Caroline Craido-Perez 10
Barn Day Ticket (90 - 95) 48
event £ no. total
SUNDAY 12 JULY
96 Priya Parmar 10
97 Jenny Balfour-Paul 10
98 Katherine Norbury 10
99 Georgia de Chamberet 10
100 Holden & Clarke 10
Barn Day Ticket (96 - 100) 40
101 Caroline Lucas 10
102 Martin Bell 10
103 Alice Roberts 10
104 Giles Radice 10
105 Ben Okri 10
GH Day Ticket (101 - 104) 32
. . . but also106 Kim Devereux 6
107 Tom Cox 6
108 Arts Live 6
109 Virginia Baily 6
110 Mark Diacano 6
111 Mark Huband (2) 6
112 Clive Fairweather 10
113 Starting Out and Returning 6
114 New to Oversteps 6
115 Birds, Beasts and Botany 6
116 The Great Escape 6
Oversteps Day Ticket (113 - 116) 20
117 Andy Christian 6
FE1 Christopher North 20
TICKET TOTAL £
Add Annual Friends’ Membership (£15)*
TOTAL £
* Friends receive, by post, a printed copy of each programme for Ways With Words in Dartington, Cumbria and Southwold.
Rover Tickets and Accommodation Packages
ROVER TICKETSRover tickets give admission to the numbered events
in the programme over a particular period. They
can be bought separately or as part of an inclusive
accommodation package.
‘Festival Extras’, marked ‘FE’ must be purchased
separately.
A Rover ticket guarantees a seat for every event in
the Great Hall.
We hold a set number of seats for Rover ticket
holders in the Barn and other, smaller venues.
These are on a first come, first served basis.
To purchase Rover tickets please write the number
you require in the box and then make payment as
indicated on the front of the booking form.
ACCOMMODATION PACKAGESWays With Words offers 10-night accommodation
packages (ranging from £888 - £1596 pp) and two
5-night packages (from £509 - £854 pp) in Higher
Close or in the Courtyard at Dartington Hall. We
also offer two 3-night weekend packages (from £330
pp) and a 4-night midweek package (from £464 pp) in
Higher Close.
Accommodation varies from comfortable, en suite
bedrooms right in the heart of the festival site to
single, student bedrooms (which share bathroom
facilities) about 2 mins. walk from the main site.
Along with your room and breakfast, packages
include dinner, or lunch and dinner.
All packages include a Rover ticket in the price.
If you are interested in an accommodation package
please phone 01803 867373 and we can advise on
availability and give more details.
BED & BREAKFASTBed & Breakfast accommodation is available in
Higher Close (single rooms sharing bathroom
facilities) at £32 pp/pn.
There is a 2-night and 2 tickets per night’s stay
minimum purchase.
10-day Rover ticket (Price: £350)
• admission to all numbered events
5-day Rover ticket (Price: £240)
• 1st 5-day Rovers begin with event 1
on Friday 3 July and end at 12.45pm
on Wednesday 8 July.
• 2nd 5-day Rovers begin with the
1.30pm event on Wednesday 8 July
until the end of Sunday 12 July.
• Midweek 5-day Rovers run from
Monday 6 July to Friday 10 July.
Weekend Rover tickets (Price: £155)
• 1st weekend Rovers begin with
event 1 on Friday 3 July and end with
the last event on Sunday 5 July.
• 2nd weekend Rovers begin on
Friday 10 July at 1.30pm until the end
of Sunday 12 July.
TO MAKE A RESERVATION for an accommodation / Rover package or for B&B please phone 01803 867373.
Payment in full is required at the time of booking. Cancellations cannot be refunded. Customers are strongly advised to take out holiday insurance.
BAILLIE GIFFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP
Your call may be recorded for training or monitoring purposes. Baillie Gifford Savings Management Limited (BGSM) produces Trust magazine and is an affiliate of Baillie Gifford & Co Limited, which is the manager and secretary of seven investment trusts. Your personal data is held and used by BGSM in accordance with data protection legislation. We may use your information to send you details about Baillie Gifford products, funds or special offers and to contact you for business research purposes. We will only disclose your information to other companies within the Baillie Gifford group and to agents appointed by us for these purposes. You can withdraw your consent to receiving further marketing communications from us and to being contacted for business research purposes at any time. You also have the right to review and amend your data at any time.
Imagination, inspiration and a commitment to the future.Baillie Gifford is delighted to continue to sponsor some of the most renowned literary festivals throughout the UK. We believe that, much like a classic piece of literature, a great investment philosophy will stand the test of time.
Baillie Gifford is one of the UK’s largest independent investment trust managers. In our daily work in investments we do our very best to emulate the imagination, insight and intelligence that successful writers bring to the creative process.
In our own way we’re publishers too. Our free, award-winning Trust magazine provides you with an engaging and insightful overview of the investment world, along with details of our literary festival activity throughout the UK.
To find out more or to take out a free subscription for Trust magazine, please call us on 0800 280 2820 or visit us at www.bgtrustonline.comBaillie Gifford – long-term investment partners
AT BAILLIE GIFFORD WE BELIEVE IN THE VALUE OF GREAT LITERATURE AND IN LONG-LASTING SUCCESS STORIES.
Thursday 9 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £48 (not including event 67)
Vanessa Tait Kurt Jackson
Dominick TylerLandscape Language
Zawn, clitter, shiver, cowbelly:
these are just a few of the words
that Dominick Tyler gathers into
his visual glossary of the British
countryside. Dominick Tyler is a
documentary photographer who has
worked for the Guardian, Le Monde
and Medecins Sans Frontier. He
worked on Kate Rew’s book, ‘Wild
Swimming’. This is an event for those
who love words and landscape.
Danny DorlingEconomic Inequality and Geographical Optimism
Inequality is increasing in the UK,
driving more people toward the
poverty line and affecting social
mobility, life expectancy, educational
and work prospects. Danny Dorling,
a British social geographer and
Oxford Professor of Geography,
gives his entertaining and provocative
views.
Vanessa TaitInspiration for Fiction: Wonderland and Great Grandmother
Vanessa Tait, the great-granddaughter
of Alice in Wonderland, grew up with
all of Alice’s memorabilia. Through
her novel ‘The Looking Glass House’
she sheds new light on one of the
greatest children’s books ever
written.
Kurt JacksonThe Role of Sketching
Kurt Jackson is one of Britain’s leading
artists. The pages of his sketchbooks
reveal how often hastily executed
images can help him to work out
what he wants to achieve on canvas;
they are key to understanding his
inspirations as an artist.
6110am
Great Hall
£10
6211.45am
Great Hall
£10
631.30pm
Great Hall
£10
643.15pm
Great Hall
£10
Dominick Tyler
Day Ticket: £48 (not including event 67)
Thursday 9 July – Great Hall
Danny DorlingGiancarlo and Katie Caldesi George Monbiot
Danny DorlingThe Housing Problem
House prices in London and the
South East continue to rise at
very high rates along with rents.
Meanwhile the existing housing stock
is being used less efficiently, with
more flats and rooms in houses than
ever before being left empty. Come
to discuss the problem and hear
Danny Dorling’s views.
Katie Caldesi and Giancarlo CaldesiVenice – A True Taste
Owners of La Cucina Caldesi
restaurant and cookery school, Katie
and Giancarlo Caldesi transport
us to Venice where they have
unearthed recipes including hot
polpette (salty pork rissoles) and
sweet fritelle (fried custard-filled
dumplings) that have been served on
the streets for centuries.
George MonbiotThe Politics of Hope
Journalist and environmentalist,
George Monbiot, suggests a new,
positive environmentalism in which
nature finds its own way of repairing
our damaged ecosystems.
He presents his ideas and his
philosophy of hope and wonder.
(inc. 30 min interval)
655pm
Great Hall
£10
666.30pm
Great Hall
£10
678 – 10pm
Great Hall
£10
Thursday 9 July – Barn – Journeys
Day Ticket: £40
Mark Huband Alistair Carr
Alistair CarrDesert Travel
Telling tales of rebellion, lost
civilizations and explorers, Alistair
Carr takes us on a dangerous
journey across the remote and
inhospitable Sahel Desert in North
Africa. Colin Thubron said of his
book, ‘It makes you want to go.’
William Atkins The Moor – South to North
As he strides among bell heather,
peat porridge and asphodel, over
moorlands from Cornwall, across
Dartmoor via the Pennines to the
Borders, William Atkins is guided
by the books he reads and the
people he meets: farmers, monks,
ornithologists, gamekeepers,
prisoners, soldiers and walkers.
Christine Toomey Buddha’s Daughters
Foreign correspondent, Christine
Toomey, follows the Saffron Road,
tracing the spread of Buddhism in
women from the remote Himalayas
to the New Mexican desert. She
examines the spiritual paths of ‘kung
fu’ nuns, a princess, a former BBC
journalist and a concert violinist.
James Attlee Writer on a Train
When James Attlee became First
Great Western’s Writer on the
Train he was given the freedom to
explore the line as he wished. He
urges us to reconnect with the very
act of travelling by train, to wonder
where we are and remind ourselves
that the blurred vistas we pass at
speed are human stories.
Mark Huband Travels Around the World: Poetry from America
As an author and award-winning
journalist (the Financial Times,
Observer and Guardian) Mark
Huband has spent the past 25 years
travelling the world, from Africa and
the Middle East to South-East Asia
and the Americas. ‘American Road’ is
his debut collection of poetry.
6810am
Barn
£10
6911.45am
Barn
£10
701.30pm
Barn
£10
713.15pm
Barn
£10
725pm
Barn
£10
Friday 10 July – Barn – Crime and Punishment
Day Ticket: £40
D.K. WilsonThe Murder of Hans Holbein
Historian and novelist D.K. Wilson
discusses an unsolved Tudor crime:
the murder of Hans Holbein, King
Henry VIII’s portrait painter, in
1543. The mystery of what actually
happened remains just that.
Thomas Grant Courtroom Drama
As a practising barrister, Jeremy
Hutchinson QC defended the
notorious and the infamous, with
clients such as Christine Keeler,
Great Train Robber Charlie Wilson
and Howard Marks. His biographer,
Thomas Grant, scrutinises some of
Hutchinson’s most remarkable trials,
providing an insight into Britain’s
post-war social, political and cultural
history.
Clare Mackintosh and Elizabeth HaynesCrime Fighters to Crime Writers
Clare Mackintosh spent twelve
years in the police force, including
time in the CID, and now writes
crime fiction full-time. She is in-
conversation with Elizabeth Haynes,
a police intelligence analyst and
novelist. They discuss their transition
from crime fighters to crime writers.
John CarlinThe Fall of the Blade Runner
On Valentine’s Day 2013 South
African Olympian and Paralympian
Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend,
Reeva Steenkamp, four times through
a bathroom door. He was found
guilty of culpable homicide. Journalist
and author John Carlin explores
Pistorius’ journey from sporting icon
to convicted killer.
Laura ThompsonThe Story of Lord Lucan
In November 1974 a nanny named
Sandra Rivett was bludgeoned to
death in a Belgravia townhouse. The
following morning, her employer,
the Earl of Lucan, disappeared. He
hasn’t been found since. Acclaimed
biographer Laura Thompson
forensically examines the possible
truths behind one of post-war
Britain’s most mysterious murders.
7310am
Barn
£10
7411.45am
Barn
£10
751.30pm
Barn
£10
763.15pm
Barn
£10
775pm
Barn
£10
John Carlin Laura Thompson
Friday 10 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 83)
Michael SmithAnn Widdecombe
Ann WiddecombeInspiration for Fiction: Dancing and Dartmoor
Ann Widdecombe was at the centre
of Conservative politics for over 20
years. The nation’s attention was
focussed on her in BBC1’s 2010
‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Now she
has written her first detective novel
‘The Dancing Detective’ which is set
against the backdrop of a prime-time
TV celebrity dance show and the
wilds of Dartmoor.
Graham McCannYes Minister – the Background Story
‘Yes Minister’ continues to be
watched and referenced regularly.
Entertainment historian Graham
McCann goes in search of the real
political fiascos that inspired it. He
reveals how this subversive satire
became one of the most cherished
sitcoms of Thatcher’s Britain.
7810am
Great Hall
£10
7911.45am
Great Hall
£10
Friday 10 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 83)
Michael Arditti
Michael SmithThe Women of Bletchley Park
A key member of the board of
trustees at Bletchley Park, Michael
Smith recalls the women who played
key roles in deciphering codes of the
Enigma machines and tells how they
came to be there, doing ‘their bit’ for
the war effort.
Jan RobinsonBeyond Widowhood
The form grief takes is unpredictable.
There are no set rules. When Jan
Robinson’s husband died suddenly
and unexpectedly she asked other
widows for tips on how to deal with
widowhood. She shares what she
learnt.
Penelope Lively, Michael Arditti and Owen SheersInspiration for Fiction
These three eminent writers discuss
what inspires them, how ideas
come to them and how these are
transposed into their books.
Joyce Grenfell at Work‘Joyce Grenfell at Work’ is a one-
woman play about Britain’s much-
loved woman entertainer, written by
her biographer Janie Hampton who has
drawn on personal memories, letters
and family anecdotes to illuminate
Joyce’s working method, relationships
and eccentricities. Performed by
Cheryl Knight, well-known for her
portrayal of Joyce Grenfell in the
show, ‘Turn Back the Clock’.
Directed by Paul Knight. Introduced
by Janie Hampton who will also takes
questions at the end of the show.
801.30pm
Great Hall
£10
813.15pm
Great Hall
£10
825pm
Great Hall
£10
838 - 9.30pm
Great Hall
£10
Owen SheersJan Robinson Penelope Lively
Janie Hampton Cheryl Knight as Joyce Grenfell
Saturday 11 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 89)
Rachel BillingtonInspiration for Fiction: The First World War and Family
Rachel Billington’s latest novel,
‘Glory’, was inspired by a collection
of family letters, her grandmother’s
diary and her grandfather, Thomas,
Earl of Longford, who was killed at
Gallipoli. She tells about the young
soldiers and the women in England
caught up in the fighting.
The Royal Literary Fund TalkPenelope LivelyHow I Became a Writer
Dame Penelope Lively, past winner
of the Booker Prize and Carnegie
Award is the author of adults’
and children’s books, fiction and
nonfiction. She talks about what
made her a writer, the greatest
influences on her work and the range
of her writing career.
The Royal Literary Fund was set up in
1790 to help professional authors. Past
beneficiaries have included Coleridge,
Joseph Conrad, DH Lawrence and Dylan
Thomas. Last year it helped 200 writers,
though not all of them are quite so
famous yet. www.rlf.org.uk
8410am
Great Hall
£10
8511.45am
Great Hall
£10
Rachel Billington Penelope Lively
Day Ticket: £40 (not including event 89)
Saturday 11 July – Great Hall
Steve HiltonHuman Scale
Steve Hilton, former senior adviser
to Prime Minister David Cameron,
offers the latest research across
industry, politics, education, design
and philanthropy, to show what can
happen when we make the world
more human which he suggests will
make for more productivity, more
fulfillment and greater happiness.
Alan JohnsonThe Sequel
By the age of 18 Alan Johnson was
married, a father, and working
as a postman in Slough. ‘Please,
Mr. Postman’, the sequel to his
bestselling memoir ‘This Boy’ paints
a vivid picture of Britain in the 1970s
and reveals another fascinating
chapter in the life of a much-loved
public figures.
Linda BlairHow to Streamline Your Life
After her great appeal at last year’s
festival, talking about her book on
Mindfulness, Linda Blair, Associate
Fellow of the British Psychological
Society, returns to talk about
simplifying life and cultivating calm.
Her ideas are designed to promote
balance, purpose and tranquility.
Michael BuerkInside the Human Zoo: What’s Real about Reality Television?
We can’t promise that this will be
answered today, but at least Michael
Buerk (of BBC Radio 4’s The Moral
Maze and recently featured in ‘I’m
a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’)
is bringing his superb mind to the
question of the unreality of reality
television.
86
1.30pm
Great Hall
£10
873.15pm
Great Hall
£10
885pm
Great Hall
£10
898pm
Great Hall
£10
Steve Hilton Linda Blair Michael BuerkAlan Johnson
Saturday 11 July – Barn – Global Issues
Day Ticket: £48
Ziauddin SardarThe Heart of Islam
Mecca is the direction towards
which Muslims turn at prayer; the
birthplace of Muhammad; and the
sacred city that draws millions of
pilgrims to it each year. Ziauddin
Sardar unravels its significance.
Gerard RussellDisappearing Religions of the Middle East
Former diplomat, Gerard Russell,
lived alongside the Mandaeans and
Yazidis of Iraq, the Zoroastrians
of Iran, the Copts of Egypt all of
whom have survived for centuries
under Muslim rule. These religions
represent the last vestiges of ancient
civilizations, yet, with the Middle East
in turmoil, they face an uncertain
future.
Ben StewartArctic 30
Activist and journalist Ben Stewart’s
book ‘Don’t Trust, Don’t Fear, Don’t
Beg’ began with notes scribbled on
napkins in a St Petersburg café. He was
collecting stories from the recently
released Arctic 30 – a group of
Greenpeace activists who in 2013 scaled
a Russian Arctic oil platform. He tells
their story.
Peter PomerantsevAdventures in Modern Russia
A trip into the glittering, surreal heart of
modern Russia reveals a world erupting
with money and power. Through a
series of colourful encounters, Peter
Pomerantsev discovers that nothing
is true but everything is possible in a
country where illusion and glamour hide
a dangerous, amoral core.
Jules Pretty Vanishing Lands
Trekking with Innu people, sailing with
ice-fishermen and boating in southern
African swamps, Jules Pretty discovers
life in cultures close to extinction and
considers the wonders we are losing.
Caroline Criado-PerezSpeaks Like a Woman
What does it mean to be female in
cultures where power, privilege or
basic freedoms are mostly equated with
being male? The woman who took on
the Bank of England, Twitter and the
criminal justice system, speaks of her
encounters with pioneering women
from Antarctica to Afghanistan.
90 10am
Barn
£10
9111.30am
Barn
£10
921pm
Barn
£10
932.30pm
Barn
£10
944pm
Barn
£10
955.30pm
Barn
£10
Ziauddin Sardar Caroline Criado-Perez
Sunday 12 July – Barn – Life Writing
Day Ticket: £40
Priya ParmarVanessa, Virginia and the Bloomsbury Group
Priya Parmar explores the life of
post-impressionist painter Vanessa
Bell and charts her tumultuous
relationship as the overshadowed
sister of the writer Virginia Woolf.
The sisters’ journey is one of
intrigue, love and betrayal.
Jenny Balfour-PaulMissing Pieces
The word ‘indigo’ drew Jenny
Balfour-Paul to the illustrated
journals of forgotten Victorian
traveller, Thomas Machell. She
relates her adventures tracking
Machell (whose life has striking
parallels with her own) to India’s
indigo and coffee plantations,
Polynesian Islands, the China Seas
and deserts of Arabia.
Katherine Norbury Sea to Source – A Journey Upstream to Self-Discovery
After a heart-breaking miscarriage
and cancer treatment, Katherine
Norbury undertook a journey to
follow a river upstream to its source.
Family, adoption, grief and the life-
affirming nature of journeying are all
explored as she also maps her own
life to her source.
Georgia de ChamberetLesley Blanch – A Bohemian Abroad
Lesley Blanch lived to 103. Having
loved and lost her husband to
another woman, she travelled
across Siberia, Iran and the
Sahara to ‘escape the boredom of
convention’ of the 20th century. Her
goddaughter Georgia de Chamberet
talks about Blanch’s exploits and
bohemian life.
Wendy Holden and Eva ClarkeMiracle Babies of the Holocaust
Journalist and biographer Wendy
Holden tells the remarkable story of
three ‘miracle babies’ secretly born
in the German slave labour camp,
Mauthausen during World War II.
United by their experiences, they
now consider each other ‘siblings
of the heart.’ Wendy Holden will
be joined by Eva Clarke, one of the
‘miracle babies’.
9610.45am
Barn
£10
9712.30pm
Barn
£10
982pm
Barn
£10
Priya Parmar Wendy Holden and Eva Clarke
993.30pm
Barn
£10
1005pm
Barn
£10
Sunday 12 July – Great Hall
Day Ticket: £32 (not including event 105)
Caroline LucasParliament and MPs
Part diary, part reflection, part
passionate call-to-arms, this is
a unique talk by an exceptional
politician and activist. Caroline Lucas
was the MP for Brighton and leader
of the Green Party from 2008 - 2012.
She has several times been voted
‘Ethical Politician of the Year’ and in
2014 was voted ‘MP of the Year’.
Martin BellNational Service
Following the discovery of a pile of
old letters in his attic, Martin Bell has
written a book about National Service
and his time in the Suffolk Regiment
in Cyprus from 1957 to 1959. Martin
Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF
Ambassador, a former broadcast war
reporter and independent politician.
Alice RobertsThe Creation of Humans
Alice Roberts, television presenter,
author and Professor of Public
Engagement with Science at the
University of Birmingham has
presented ‘Coast’, ‘Horizon’ and
several series about human evolution
on BBC2. She describes a remarkable
journey, revealing the path from a
single cell to a complex embryo to a
living, breathing, thinking person.
10111am
Great Hall
£10
10212.45pm
Great Hall
£10
1032.30pm
Great Hall
£10
Caroline Lucas
Martin Bell
Alice Roberts
Day Ticket: £32 (not including event 105)
Sunday 12 July – Great Hall
Giles RadicePolitical Pairings
There are many interesting pairs
of political leaders from Churchill
and Attlee to Cameron and Clegg.
Sometimes these result in intense
rivalry, while others illustrate the
profound political impact of a
successful working relationship. Lord
Radice was Labour MP for Durham
North and Chairman of the Treasury
Committee until he was appointed a
Life Peer.
Ben OkriA Magical Life
When Ben Okri talks to audiences
they find the experience profound
and transforming. His words lead to
unexpected, poetic and metaphysical
revelations. He is the author of The
Booker prize-winning novel ‘The
Famished Road’ and now has written
‘The Age of Magic’ his first novel in
seven years. Expect an enchanting
and unusual event.
Giles Radice Ben Okri
1044.15pm
Great Hall
£10
1057.30pm
Great Hall
£10
... but alsoIf we didn’t have a sense of irony
we’d call these events ‘niche’. We do and they’re not; they just take place in other venues at unpredictable
times. So don’t dismiss them. Take a look.
Sunday 5 July
Tuesday 7 July
106 10am Dukes Room £6 Kim DevereuxWriting Rembrandt
The life and art of Rembrandt has fascinated Kim
Devereux from childhood. Her meticulously
researched novel enters the turbulent world of the
master painter and the three women who shaped
his life, seen through the eyes of his last great love,
his housemaid Hendrickje Stoffels.
107 11.30am Dukes Room £6Tom CoxMeet the 21st Century Yokel
Recording his new life in Devon in his Guardian
blog, 21st Century Yokel, Tom Cox, writes about
cats, his dad and walking in the countryside. He
says he likes walking because it’s healthy, cheap,
there’s no internet and you can say hello to horses
using a fake, posh voice.
108 2.30pm Dukes Room £6Arts LiveJourneys
Through photographs, poetry and music, Carol
Ballenger, John Powls, Susan Taylor and Simon
Williams celebrate journeys, including a voyage
on the ‘Grey Ghost’ of the North Atlantic, the
quest of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, walking
meditation and the iconic US Route 66.
109 4pm Dukes Room £6Virginia Baily Turning Ideas into Stories
How do you turn ideas into stories and drafts
into published books? Founder and co-editor of
the short story journal Riptide and prize-winning
author, Dr Virginia Baily, talks about inspiration
and her creative process as her second novel ‘Early
One Morning’ is released.
6.30pm Dukes Room Free (no ticket required)Trade Winds
Trade Winds is a long established seeding ground
for poets, singer-songwriters and storytellers, new
and experienced. Turn up at the start with a short
performance piece to get a spot in the show.
All welcome.
110 2pm Dukes Room £6Mark DiacanoBeyond the Vegetable Patch
More of us are growing some of what we eat.
Mark Diacano reflects what’s going on in cities,
allotments and on window sills. He talks about
growing unusual and forgotten foods along with
the familiar.
Kim Devereux Tom Cox
FE1 10am - 1pm Dukes Room £20Christopher NorthBack to the Garden – A Creative Writing Workshop
“We’ve got to get ourselves back to the
Garden” advised Joni Mitchell. This morning’s
creative writing workshop will do exactly that. In
Dartington Gardens this workshop will involve
close observation, imagination, memory and self-
discovery in writing. Part outdoors, part indoors,
good footwear, a notebook and pen are all that is
needed.
Dartington International Summer School 2015CONCERTS AND EVENTSHighlights
Week 2: Monday 10 August 2015, 5.15pm - Great HallJames Runcie (novelist)Poetry and Silence: An illustrated lecture
TICKETS: £8
Week 2: Monday 10 August 2015, 7.45pm - Great HallMhairi Lawson (soprano) and Joanna MacGregor (piano)Haydn, Mozart, Scots and Schumann: Featuring the songs of Robert Burns
TICKETS: £18.50 RESERVED /£14 UNRESERVED
Week 1: Tuesday 4 August 2015, 10.00pm - Great Hall Alice Oswald (spoken poetry) and Griselda Sanderson (nykelharpa)Tithonus: Waiting for the Dawn
TICKETS: £8
111 10am Dukes Room £6Mark HubandEconomics and The Election – a Post-Mortem
Is it only politicians who care about economic
arguments? Mark Huband, founder of Livingstone
and Company – a leading business intelligence
firm, offers colour, a few laughs and some serious
economics.
112 11.30am - 1pm Dukes Room £10
Clive Fairweather A Masterclass on W.B. Yeats – A Terrible Beauty
W.B. Yeats is one of the poets whose lines and
images come soonest to mind when reflecting
upon the contradictions of life. To mark the 150th
anniversary of the poet’s birth this masterclass
investigates the resonances. Copies of the poems
to be explored will be provided on the day.
Thursday 9 July Friday 10 July
Day Ticket: £20
113 10am Dukes Room £6 Starting Out and Returning
The day starts with two poets who have published
their first collections, and a couple who have
now published two collections with Oversteps.
Robert Cole, Ann Segrave, Mark Totterdell and Denise Bennett.
114 11.30am Dukes Room £6 New to Oversteps
The poets in this group have published previous
collections, but are new to Oversteps.
Helen Overell, James Turner, Rose Flint, Michael Thomas
There will be plenty of variety in this afternoon’s
fast-moving readings, with different poets contributing
to the two themes. The poets who read this morning
will now be joined by
Jennie Osborne, Christopher North and Alwyn Marriage.
115 2.30pm Dukes Room £6 Birds, Beasts and Botany
Part of the work of a poet is to inspire the reader
to see the world with fresh eyes. This applies
particularly to the wonder of nature. In the first
of this afternoon’s readings these poets will
look in detail at the world, in order to deepen
appreciation of the flora and fauna that are
sometimes taken for granted.
116 4pm Dukes Room £6 The Great Escape
The day finishes with exciting new poetry which
looks further afield. In these poems take to the
road, travel on holiday, experience the less familiar.
Those with itchy feet, climb aboard and hold tight
with Oversteps poets.
117 3.15pm Dukes Room £6Andy ChristianBoro
19th century workers in northern Japan treasured
recycled scraps of cotton kimonos from southern
cities to make clothes and futon covers. As
products of poverty they were an embarrassment
to establishment Japan. Andy Christian unravels the
story of Boro and how pieces by ‘innocent’ makers
became so collectable.
A day of events by OVERSTEPS POETS -
arranged and introduced by Alwyn Marriage Recent Publications
Here, There and Everywhere
Sunday 12 July
Saturday 11 July - Oversteps Day
Bursaries to Ways With Words
There’s Lots to do at Dartington
Explore the beautiful Dartington Gardens with major sculptures by Henry Moore, Willi Soukop and Peter Randall-Page.
Walk by the River Dart which flows through the Dartington Hall estate.
Watch Films – the Barn Cinema shows films each night of the festival. Browse new Books – there is a large, comfortable Waterstones bookshop upstairs in the Upper Gatehouse, opposite the Great Hall.
Explore the Ship Studio – stalls selling second hand and antiquarian books and quality locally made crafts open each day from 10am - 5.30pm.
Each year at the Dartington Festival we give
away about 30 Bursary Passes to young people
between the ages of 17 – 25 so that they can
attend all (10 days) or some (5 days) of the
festival FREE OF CHARGE.
This is a fantastic opportunity to become
immersed in the festival, be introduced to new
ideas, new authors and make new friends.
For details and application procedure
email [email protected]
• The Haven Spa can offer a shot of pampering• For outdoor adventures on the beautiful Dartington
Estate, or a high zip wire trip over the trees, visit Dynamic Adventures
• Pottery lessons from Crazy about Clay• Berserks, our fused glass workshop• Soap making at Arran Aromatics• Artisan glass blowing on Saturdays
At The Shops at Dartington there is a lot more to offer than our unique mix of shops and cafes!
Open 7 days per week with plenty of parking. Shinners Bridge, Dartington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6TQ. T 01803 847 500 www.dartington.org/shops
General Information –Travelling to Dartington
• Dartington is roughly 25 miles southwest of Exeter and about a four hour drive from London.
• By car, take the M5, A38 and A384, then follow yellow AA signs to the festival. From the west, take the A38 from Plymouth, the A385 and then follow the AA signs.
• By train – Paddington is the mainline station from London. Totnes is the station nearest to Dartington Hall. Dartington Hall is a five minute taxi ride from the station.
ParkingParking charges now apply on the Dartington Estate.Please leave plenty of time to get to your event as you may need to park at a distance from the venues and there may be queues at the ticket machines.(NB. Residents will receive a permit on booking which entitles the holder to free parking in the designated car parks during your stay.)
Accessible parking is provided in the main car park (8 spaces) and in the Barn car park. A drop off point for the Barn is situated in front of the archway approximately 30 metres from the Barn. A drop off point for the Great Hall is situated at the White Hart approx. 50 metres from the Hall.
Mobility AccessThere is wheelchair access to the Great Hall, Barn and Upper Gatehouse, but please let us know when you buy your tickets as wheelchair spaces are limited and must be reserved in advance. There is no wheelchair access to the Dukes Room. There is access to the White Hart bar and dining rooms and to some bedrooms.
Hearing ImpairmentThere is a loop system in place in the Great Hall (please ask the stewards where to sit to take advantage of this) and an Infra Red assisted hearing system in the Barn.
With thanks to . . .
The PublishersAllen Lane, Alma Books, Arcadia Books, Atlantic Books, Aurum Press, Bloomsbury, Chatto & Windus, Cornell University Press, Ebury, Faber & Faber, Granta, Green Books, Guardian Books, Hardie Grant, Harper Collins, Head of Zeus, Hodder & Stoughton, IB Tauris, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, John Murray, Leaping Hare Press, Little Brown, Live Canon, Lund Humphries, Medina Publishing, Michael Joseph, Mira Books, Orion Publishing Group, Oxford University Press, Pan Macmillan, Penguin Books, Profile Books, Quarto Publishing Group, Quercus Books, Random House, Saltyard Books, Simon & Schuster, Somerset House, Transworld, Verso, Vintage, WH Allen, Yale University Press
Ways With Words’ PatronsJonathan Dimbleby, Nicholas Evans, Sir Michael Holroyd, Dame Penelope Lively, James Long, Blake Morrison, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Owen, The Lord O’Hagan, Peter Stanford, Salley Vickers
Good, Close and Best FriendsColin Goldsmith, Marlene Eyre, Moira Sykes, Brenda & John Wynn
Ways With Words StaffFestival Curators: Leah Varnell and Jane FitzgeraldBox Office Manager: Philip JohnVenue Managers: Ben Long, Jess Morris, Caroline Wilson
Our team of Festival Interns.
Technical Advice: Chris Edwards
Thank you to the generous and energetic team of volunteers who support the festival in a variety of ways before, during and after the festival.
Tej Walia and his team atDartington Accommodation and Catering Services Ltd.
Jim Whittle and staff at the Barn Cinema.
Photo creditsShaun Armstrong, Jane Bown, César Nunez Castro, Harley Evans, Rich Hardcastle, Mark Green, Tim Hoy-Griffiths, Seth Jackson, Rehan Jamil, Patrick Jennings, Bid Jones, Gareth Iwan Jones, Josh Kearns, Michael Lionstar, Caitlin Mogridge, Christoph Mueller, Rugby School, Urszula Soltys, Delia Spatareanu, Abbie Trayler-Smith, University of Birmingham, JJ Waller, Bill Waters, Wolfgana Webster, David Yeo.
Diary Dates
Over the next 12 months Ways With Words
will be running events in the UK and in Italy.
. . . and returning to Dartington
to celebrate 25 years
8 – 17 July 2016
Umbria, Italy26 September – 3 October
and 3 – 10 October 2015
Southwold, Suffolk5 – 9 November 2015
Keswick, Cumbria4 – 13 March 2016
Fingals Hotel, DevonMay 2016
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Yasmin Alibhai-BrownSimon ArmitageKaren ArmstrongMartin BellMichael BuerkJudy FinniganA.C. GraylingPhil HammondJane HawkingPaul HeineyJohn HegleyPeter HennessySteve HiltonWill HuttonAlan JohnsonDom JolyCaroline LucasRichard MadeleyGeorge MonbiotDeborah MoggachBen OkriAlice OswaldMary PortasGiles RadiceAlice RobertsJohn SergeantPolly ToynbeeSalley VickersTerry WaiteWilliam WaldegraveAnn Widdecombe