The Books on Tyne brochures are out with a foretaste of what’s to come when Newcastle’s big libraries – the old and the new – join forces for their annual celebration of the written word.
As ever, the action is split between the venerable Lit & Phil and its upstart neighbour The City Library.
Kay Easson, from the former, and Derek Tree, from the latter, offer a welcome to the 14th festival which runs from November 19-28.
They promise “subjects as diverse as smells, anger and The Smiths” and, for the first time, a day dedicated to science fiction.
It’s not the biggest of book festivals but its eclectic programme offers something for most tastes – and even a performance of a Dickens favourite by one of his descendants in the place where he once entertained.
Here’s a skim through the programme according to venue…
CITY LIBRARY:
Michael Bracewell will discuss his novella, The Smiths (published by White Rabbit). It purports to recount “the impact of an unconventional pop group from Manchester on one man’s life” and is described as a “novella-cum-fairytale”. November 19 (6.30pm).
Broadcaster (and now author) Steph McGovern will be in conversation with Vic Watson, festival director of Bay Tales, about her crime novel Deadline (Macmillan), describing a newsreader’s worst nightmare turned reality. November 20 (1pm).
Tahmima Anam’s tough novel Uprising (Canongate Books) tells of female sex slaves trapped on a sinking island and ruled over by a woman who was once like them. We see their plight through their children’s eyes. Based on a real place in Bangladesh, it was nominated for the Orwell Prize. November 21 (11am).
Andrew Michael Hurley’s latest, Saltwash (John Murray), set in a run-down seaside town and in the sort of hotel that wouldn’t rank highly on Tripadvisor, was greeted as “the chilling new novel from the ‘master of menace’”. The author will strive to conjure a moody atmosphere on November 21 (1.30pm).
A free session for writers with business tips and advice will take place on November 25 (1-4pm) under the heading Writers Unite. Writers Elaine Cusack and Hannah Hoare of the Business & IP Centre, which offers in-library business support, will join guest speakers Ann English, an expert in visual communication, and Danielle Barbereau, author and divorce coach.
Sci Fi and Fantasy Day comprises various afternoon sessions: North East author Grace Curtis on Heaven’s Graveyard (3.30pm); Frances Hardinge on Traitors’ Nest (5pm); and authors and podcast hosts Adrian Tchaikovsky and Emma Newman, known respectively for The City of Last Chances and Planetfall (6.30pm).
The day begins at 2pm with a round table session called Small, Strange and Perfectly Formed with representatives from various small presses to pass on advice about North East publishing.
Chris Bowlby, who lives in Northumberland, will be in the City Library to discuss his very personal and bitter-sweet football memoir, No Complacency (sub-title: Life, Death, Football and the Cathedral on the Hill), with James Routledge of Opt Indie Books on November 27 (3pm).
To wrap up the programme on November 28 (11am), Routes to the Page: Outsiders and Underdogs is a discussion about the opportunities and challenges of modern publishing with a panel including novelists Caroline Hardaker and Louise Powell.
Then (1.30pm) journalist Sam Parker will talk about Good Anger, in which he looks at how anger, generally considered something to be avoided or suppressed, can be made worthy and life-enhancing. Fellow journalist and author Daniel James will ask the questions.
LIT & PHIL:
Poets Helen Farish and Katharine Towers will get the Lit & Phil programme under way with a Bloodaxe Books-sponsored event on November 19 (7.30pm), the former reading from her fifth collection, Monet’s Broom (Bloodaxe), inspired by the artist’s work and outlook on life, and the latter from her fourth, The Worrying Rose (Picador), a distillation of her thoughts on women, creativity and solitude.
Sean O’Brien’s new poetry pamphlet, Back of Beyond: English Mysteries, will be launched by Red Squirrel Press on November 23 (7pm).
Then Trevor Wood will take the stage on November 24 (6pm) to talk about his second writing career. Formerly known for the plays he co-wrote with Ed Waugh, he enjoyed early success as novelist with The Man on the Street and recently saw the publication of The Angel of Death, the third in his crime series featuring DCI Jack Parker.
How to convey sniffs and smells in print? William Tullett, senior lecturer in early modern history at the University of York, took on the challenge in Sniff: A History of Smells. It sounds fascinating. We can see images of the past and even hear sounds. But smells? November 25 (6pm).
Rarefied insight into the life and work of Newcastle-born author Jack Common (1903-68) is offered by a session led by Neil Pearson (rare book dealer and actor, known for Drop the Dead Donkey) and freelance historical researcher Peter Mitchell. They will discuss Common’s contributions to the Associated British Picture Corporation, based at Elstree Studios from 1955-68), assessing the suitability of written works for screen adaptation. Common’s reports have recently joined the Jack Common Archive at Newcastle University. November 26 (6pm).
Gerald Dickens, actor and great great grandson of the great man, will perform A Christmas Carol, playing more than 30 characters, on November 27 (7pm).
Last but not least, Northumberland author Sue Reed, whose life story (see her website) makes for quite a yarn, will talk about her second book, Molly McFlynn Goes Rogue, due out on September 28. It sees the return of Molly and recalls Sycamore Gap on Hadrian’s Wall, a place dear to many. November 28 (11am).
You will find booking and ticket details on the Books on Tyne website.