Maggie Ankers, Chair of the Isle of Wight Literary Festival has announced that this year’s Festival will be a digital gathering – accessible to Islanders, mainlanders and literary lovers around the world.
Maggie said,
“There are too many uncertainties, and the trustees have regretfully decided we won’t be able to deliver the Literary Festival to the standard our speakers and festival goers expect.
“But we aren’t going to let the dates go by. We will be streaming a digital festival on Friday 8th to Sunday 10th October.”
What to expect
Last year the Literary Festival went digital for the first time, thanks to Steve Ancsell, who is responsible for Festival Radio. Steve has over 30 years experience in broadcasting and will produce this year’s festival.
This year the digital programme will include a range of topics regular festival goers enjoy – from politics to prisons, history and the natural world, and captivating fiction.
To see the full programme visit the Isle of Wight Literary Festival Website.
The 2020 event
Speakers from last year’s free digital festival included Jeremy Irons reading Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark; Anna Pasternak talking about the controversial Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor; Hunter Davies sharing his memories of the Beatles; and our Vice Patron, Alan Titchmarsh, who opened the digital festival and read from his latest book of poetry.
You can still view the 2020 digital festival on our YouTube channel.
About the Isle of Wight Literary Festival
The Isle of Wight Literary Festival, an established event on the UK Arts calendar, was first held in 2012. The festival provides a far-reaching eclectic programme designed to attract a wide audience and increase the cultural richness of the Isle of Wight.
Pre-Covid the festival was hosted at Northwood House, Cowes over four days with more than 60 writers and presenters talking about their latest works and providing thought provoking insights.
Schools Programme
The Schools Programme, which is supported by the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, sends authors, illustrators and dramatists into the schools to enrich the education for the under 18s on the Isle of Wight by providing cultural experiences to stimulate interest in learning and creative ideas.
In 2019 over 40 schools and nearly 5000 Isle of Wight children were involved in the programme. Due to Covid, the 2020 and 2021 programmes were cancelled but plans are underway for the 2022 Schools Programme.
News shared by Janet on behalf of Isle of Wight Literary Festival. Ed
Image: Johnny McClung under CC BY 2.0
