So I went to the
Kings Lynn Festival. Home to Leeds, Leeds to Peterborough, Peterborough to
Ely, Ely to Kings Lynn … a long journey, a jagged diagonal across the East side
of the country, landing up with a load of writers in Norfolk. It’s a good
weekend, you do a reading, you sit on a panel or two, you sell a few books and sign them, drink a lot and
chatter with the other writers, with the friendly, enthusiastic and tireless
organisers, you talk to the audience who mill around the book stall and the tea
table in a generally good-humoured, curious way. And I’ve been invited to the
Edinburgh Book Festival (12th August, don’t miss it), and to one intriguingly
called How The Light Gets In, which is a festival of philosophy and the arts. I’m
not a philosopher. I’m also not good off the top of my head. It takes me time
to process stuff, to formulate an opinion and a way to articulate it. But it’s
nice to be asked, it’s nice to travel round the country talking about these
books I write that hardly anyone has seen or heard of before. Hello, here I am,
have a look at this, you might like it ...
And back home,
I’m introducing two friends who are launching their books locally. The very
excellent Amanda Dalton, poet, whose Stray has just been published by Bloodaxe,
and the equally excellent Stephen May, whose novel - Life! Death! Prizes! – is published
by Bloomsbury. Both recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment