Ryedale Book Festival promises a literary treat for all (From Gazette & Herald)

Ryedale Book Festival promises a literary treat for all

12:40pm Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News By Karen Darley

FANS of reading, writing and storytelling can look forward to a weekend of events as part of the Ryedale Book Festival.

The event is designed to appeal to everyone who enjoys literature with a busy programme in a number of venues around Malton town centre.

Bestselling author G P Taylor, historical novelist Lucy Beckett, comedian Arthur Smith, racehorse trainer Ian Balding, actor Simon Darwen and professional performance poets Kate Fox and Alfie Crow are just a few of the names taking part.

Other events include an audience with best-selling chick-lit author Lucy Robinson and a new radio play performed by the Charles Dickens Society.

Films of popular books will be shown at The Palace cinema, including All Creatures Great and Small and Jane Eyre.

Festival co-ordinator Sarah Tyson said there will also be a book fair, rap workshop with James Koppert and informal art class with comic illustrator Tim Bulmer.

“There are a number of non-ticketed events where people can just turn up and join in including an open-mic hosted by York’s Spoken Word and a Recommended Read discussion with Jess Haigh who also invites readers to swap your books with some from her Travelling Suitcase Library for free,” she said.

Sarah said younger book fans would enjoy a huge range of activities on the day.

“Events include storytelling with art and craft or in the Telltale Tent, a comic book workshop with Liz Collier, musical stories with Kate Smith, gingerbread man decorating, performances by children inspired by Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and exciting events with children’s authors Donna Iliffe-Pollard and ML Peel and much more,” she said.

“There will also be a display of the school story project involving over 2,000 pupils from 11 schools across Ryedale, supported and illustrated by Quentin Blake and the grand final of the P-Factor.”

Sarah said the event would be very family friendly and there were lots of affordable, imaginative events to inspire children and young people to celebrate the written and spoken word.

“We aimed to produce a quality literary event that was inclusive and had popular appeal for Ryedale readers and writers and that is what we hope we have achieved, something for everyone,” she said.

“We hope that Ryedale recognises and takes advantage of this opportunity to see, hear and meet a wealth of talented writers, poets, artists and performers here in Malton rather than having to travel to York, Leeds, London or elsewhere.”

Sarah said: “Whether you are an avid reader, a writer or artist or enjoy comedy, rap, cinema or pub quizzes, there is something in Malton for you on the day.”

For more information and the full programme please visit the website ryedalebookfestival.com Tickets are available from Malton Tourist Information Centre or phone 01653 600048. On Saturday tickets can be bought from the festival box office in the Milton Rooms.

Saturday

School story project display, 9am- 5pm, Milton Rooms

Ian Douglas, storyteller, 10am-4pm, various venues

Stories, arts and crafts, 9am- 11am, Milton Rooms

Independent Book Fair, 9am- 5.30pm, Milton Rooms

Taletastic Telltale Tent, 9.30am- 10am, 10.15am-10.45am and 11am-11.30am, Milton Rooms

Lucy Beckett, 10am-10.45am, Friends’ Meeting House

Little Monkeys, music and stories, 10am-10.45am and 11am- 11.45am, Malton Library

The Gingerbread Man, 10am-noon, Kingfisher Café

Floral Flash Fiction, 10am-3pm, Topiary Tree

Festival Tree, 10am-5pm, Milton Rooms

The Squizzle, book launch party, 10.30am-12.30pm, Goose and the Moose

Comic book workshop, Liz Collier, 11am-1pm, Milton Rooms

Articulated Laureates, Kate Fox, 11.15am-noon, Friends’ Meeting House

Lunch with Three Authors, 12.30pm- 2pm, The Old Lodge Hotel

G P Taylor, 1pm-2pm, Hope Central

Open Mic, 1pm-2pm and 2pm-3pm, Milton Rooms

Tim Bulmer, 1pm-3pm, Milton Rooms

Fairytales Re-told drama, 1.30pm- 2.30pm, Methodist Chapel

Dickens Serial Killer drama, 2pm- 3pm, The Yard

Recommended Read, 2pm-3pm, Milton Rooms

Studio ML Peel, children’s author, 2pm- 3pm, Malton Library

Rap and street poetry, James Koppert, 3pm-5pm, Tui’s

P-Factor Grand Final 3.30pm-4.45pm, Milton Rooms

Lucy Robinson, 3.45pm- 4.45pm, Methodist Chapel

Awards ceremony, 5pm-5.45pm, Milton Rooms

Arthur Smith, literary pub quiz, 7.30pm-late, Milton Rooms

Sunday

Tea and a Tale, 4.30pm-5.30pm, Milton Rooms

Ian Balding, 6pm-7pm,Talbot Hotel

 

Let flowers inspire poems and prose

FLOWERS and their meaning will be the focus of a competition organised by a Malton shop as part of the book festival.

Florist Gemma Piercy of the Topiary Tree in Finkle Street, hopes to inspire visitors to write a short story or poem based on flowers and what they represent.

“In the shop we will have the book The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and the accompanying book which gives all the flowers and their meanings,” she said.

“We have seen more people become interested in the meanings of flowers since the royal wedding last year and the trend for vintage weddings, and thought this book was a perfect way in which we could get involved.”

The Topiary Tree will have on display a range of flowers and their meanings to provide inspiration for the Floral Flash Fiction event.

Entries are just £1 and the winner will get a bouquet of flowers from The Topiary Tree. Entries should be no more than 300 words, or poems no longer than 40 lines.

The event will be on Saturday, 10am-3pm, with entries handed in by 3.30pm for the winner to be announced at 5pm in the Milton Rooms.