Libraries ancient and modern unite for Books on Tyne
Chance to meet authors in person
With thousands of stories kept safe beneath each roof, the best story this month is of Newcastle’s two contrasting city centre libraries coming together again to host one festival.
The 13th Books on Tyne Festival – lucky for readers – unites the Lit & Phil, an independent library founded 200 years ago, and the council-run City Library, opened by Queen Elizabeth II on the site of its predecessor in 2009.
Old and young, chalk and cheese in many ways, they both serve book lovers and enrich cultural life in city and region.
The programme is put together each year by Kay Easson, librarian at the Lit & Phil, and Derek Tree, publications manager for Newcastle Libraries.
“It’s great for us to work together because the two venues are very different,” says Kay.
“We tend to source writers independently of each other although we have meetings and share updates.
“There’s no particular theme but a festival’s a concentrated period when people can focus on books and reading.
“We can’t compete with Durham or Hexham (book festivals) in terms of size but Books on Tyne is always popular and we try to make sessions as affordable as possible.”
Some, indeed, are free.
And while a few are already fully booked, tickets remain for most sessions. So what’s on at Books on Tyne, which runs from November 22 to 29?
CITY LIBRARY
Newcastle Prison: A History 1828 – 1925 is a compelling account of a formidable building few know anything about. Authors Patrick Low, Shane McCorristine, Helen Rutherford and Clare Sandford-Couch will share some of the often startling stories they uncovered during their research into a “forgotten landmark” that closed a century ago (November 22, 11am).
Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere Days is the second dementia-friendly title from creative ageing charity Equal Arts, following one about Thomas Bewick. Hear how beautiful books and shared reading can benefit people living with dementia (November 24, 11am).
Defined by Stones, by Carlisle-born geologist and Newcastle University graduate Ian Jackson, is subtitled 50 Extraordinary rocky places that connect our prehistoric ancestors to northern landscapes – which neatly sums it up (November 25, 11am).
Craftland by James Fox - author, academic and TV documentary maker – is “a journey through Britain’s lost arts and vanishing trades”. James travelled widely, meeting those keeping the work of the blacksmith, the wheelwright, the cutler, the cooper and others alive (November 26, 2pm).
Meet author and art lover Brian Rankin who chronicles the life of a talented and single-minded Gateshead artist in his lavishly illustrated Charlie Rogers: Pursued by Bulldozers (November 27, 2pm).
Will it finally be ‘coming home’ next year when England, its citizens forever yearning for a repeat of that famous victory in 1966, competes again in the World Cup? Why not ask a football writer, Sunderland-born Jonathan Wilson, who will be discussing his new book, The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup? It’s a fascinating story not lacking a murky side (November 28, 2pm).
Celebrated Cumbrian author Sarah Hall, winner of and shortlisted for many awards, will be in conversation about her latest novel, Helm, an epic tale named after a dramatic localised wind that whips up over the Eden Valley (November 29, 11am).
LIT & PHIL
Kerri Andrews, walker, author, mother, returns to the Lit & Phil to talk about her new book, Pathfinding, described as “a deeply personal, brave and urgent exploration of what it truly means to rediscover ourselves through the land we walk and the people we walk alongside” (November 24, 6pm).
Sheila Wakefield, formerly of Northumberland but now living in Scotland, founded Red Squirrel Press in 2006 and has founded other imprints since. Here she leads a free session called Best Shot: How to Get Published (November 26, 7pm).
Biographer Anne Sebba asked the Lit & Phil if she could give a talk about her latest title at Books on Tyne. The answer was always going to be yes, so she will be there to explain how the war record of her Newcastle-born father gave her the inspiration for The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: a story of survival which is both harrowing and uplifting at the same time (November 27, 6pm).
Jake Morris-Campbell, a writer from South Shields, was moved by his pitman great grandfather’s safety lamp to embark on a North East journey of discovery. What stories did a region synonymous with coal and the Lindisfarne Gospels have to offer 21st Century citizens? Jake will discuss Between the Salt and the Ash, the book inspired by his wanderings (November 27, 7.30pm).
On Sycamore Gap is to be an evening of words and music bringing together poet Kate Fox, who eulogised the felled tree on Hadrian’s Wall in a poetry collection of that name, and the “haunting and intimate” music of Bridie Jackson and Nick Pierce who perform together as Staithe (November 28, 7pm).
David Almond should require no introduction in the North East where his stories are woven into its fabric. In a session called Stories from the Middle of the World he will talk about his books (Skellig, A Song for Ella Grey, the recent Puppet and many more), his life and his writing process (November 29, 11am).
For all ticket details go to the Books on Tyne website.