We were delighted to welcome a new generation of reviewers to Cultured. North East for this year’s Durham Book Festival.
Members of New Writing North’s Turn Up for the Books programme, which gives 18–25-year-olds experience in the creative industries, were invited to review festival talks alongside producing an event of their own.
We were also pleased to have Durham University student Greta Goodgame contributing to our coverage.
Between them, they’ve been reporting back on discussions about writing, publishing, food, identity and more.
You can find all of their reviews in our new Young Reviewers section, but we've also gathered them together here, offering a range of new voices and viewpoints on this year's festival.
Reviewer: Heather Chapman
Durham Book Festival reviews: The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City
In Susanna Clarke’s new novella, The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City, the titular bishop traverses entire worlds by walking a single step. This sense of multiplicity and expansiveness is characteristic of Clarke’s work, and was thoughtfully captured in her Durham Book Festival event, thanks in part to chair Claire Malcolm’s insightful questions.
Reviewer: Amy Dixon
Durham Book Festival reviews: Bread Alone Anthology
On Saturday evening, Collected Books hosted a panel discussion on Bread Alone Anthology, a collection of essays responding to the question, ‘What happens when we run out of working-class writers?’, as part of Durham Book Festival.
Reviewer: Andreea Goian
Durham Book Festival reviews: Clare McGlynn and Natasha Walter In Conversation
Insightful, empowering, and intelligent discussions left the audience feeling truly inspired after Clare McGlynn and Natasha Walter’s conversation.
As McGlynn and Walter, wonderfully chaired by Professor Jane McNaughton at Durham University, were led into a discussion about feminist, environmental, and human rights issues, what struck me was the absolute insistence in talking about complicated issues. Talking about these issues is the first step to solving them.
Reviewer: Greta Goodgame
Durham Book Festival reviews: Food, Connection and Identity with Kit Fan and Anna Hedworth
“When in doubt – you boil the kettle.”
“When you don’t know what to say – you boil the kettle.”
“When you’re discussing something big, like proposing marriage or divorce – you boil the kettle.”
When parents argue, they boil the kettle, and peacemaking starts with – you guessed it – the kettle.
Reviewer: Don Brookes
Durham Book Festival reviews: Gaming and Storytelling
I’ve always enjoyed games in all their forms, video games especially. I remember playing games such as Disco Elysium, The Talos Principle, and Scarlet Hollow for the first time and being amazed that a video game could have such beautiful storytelling ability.
Reviewer: Jack Stewart
Durham Book Festival reviews: Pixie Tarot Evening
Over the past three years I have been volunteering at the Durham Book Festival. I have had the pleasure of attending many thought-provoking, informative, and entertaining events but Jill Dawson’s Pixie tarot evening had a special kind of magic that immediately made it jump to the top of of my list for stand out events.
Reviewer: Greta Goodgame
Durham Book Festival reviews: Talking Books with Naomi Booth and Kayo Chingonyi
Navigating the “mixed economy”, embracing a “spiritual practice of patience” and avoiding the infamous “slush pile”, Talking Books saw fiction writer and literary academic Naomi Booth sit down with poet and presenter Kayo Chingonyi to discuss their respective crafts and the publishing industry more generally.