Ironically, watching this event on The Art of Rest was not very restful. Of course, I was typing away what I heard as I was committed to reviewing it so that was an important factor.
However, that being said Claudia Hammond knows so much that she wants to share and bases everything in her book (and perhaps her life) and certainly in this talk, on research so she is sure that is evidenced and henceforth ‘right’ or ‘correct’ if such phrases have any meaning for us here.
Continue reading
More than any other media, radio helped us through the pandemic. That’s the view of journalist Miranda Sawyer, audio critic for the Observer newspaper.
Unusually for a Swindon Festival of Literature guest, Miranda doesn’t have a book to promote.
Sure, her book on middle age, Out of Time, is available – but that was published in 2015.
And there’s a new book in the works about long-term relationships, but that – she admits – is overdue. She hopes to finish it by the end of the summer.
Meanwhile, she’s been invited to talk to the Literature Festival – which is as much a festival of ideas as it is a festival of books – about radio.
Continue reading
I’m somewhat late to the party apropos Natalie Haynes – and even then, I was in the kitchen. It’s only of late that I discovered Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics on BBC Radio 4. And it’s more recent still that I clocked that Natalie has enjoyed a longstanding, stand-up career. Among other things. Imagine then my delight to see Natalie’s name in the literature festival programme.
Continue reading
We may not all agree why the chicken crossed the road but in his Nine Ways to Conquer Death Zoom talk, Kevin Toolis was very clear that we English cross the road to avoid death and Irish people cross the road to show empathy for death.
Of dual identity, Kevin grew up in Scotland but with a strong Irish tradition that had a different attitude towards social death. By way of vivid example, he described that recently his aunt – aunt had a full-scale Irish wake with an open coffin next to the Christmas tree.
Continue reading
… you’ve got more rabbit than Sainsbury’s. It’s time you got it off your chest’ – sang sang Chas and Dave back in 1980. In that song they alluded to the use of the term ‘rabbit’ in its meaning of talking a lot. ‘You don’t half rabbit on’ And in his conversation with festival organiser Matt Holland, author Jasper Fforde suggested that’s one interpretation we can extract from the title of his latest tome, The Constant Rabbit. The notion being that we talk a lot – but perhaps without ever making any substantial changes.
Mr Fforde is clearly fond of, and has great fun with, parallel universes, anthropomorphic characters and allegory to make social commentary. So he set his Thursday Next series of books in a rather fab sounding alternative Swindon where Swindonians keep Dodos as pets, have a monorail and the Seven Wonders of Swindon – though with the demolition of the Double Helix of Carfax it’s now six and a heap of rubble. Meanwhile Fforde packs his Nursery Crimes series to the rafters with anthropomorphic characters and Shades of Grey is a commentary on class structure and strictures – and colour. In The Constant Rabbit it seems you’ll find all that combined.
Tony Hillier writes about the prologue event of Swindon Spring Festival, with Alice Jolly, which, given these unpres-(stop!) times and that it has gone online, he has renamed the ‘Lockdown’ festival.
In these Virus Days, no book could be more timely. In these corporate days, no book could be more community; community in the making and community in its people-powered storyline.
But it’s a story with characters and clues, suspense and reveals; it is not a standard community activity with agenda items and AOB:
“Just because some committee says so? They’re not the government.”
“They are now.”
Award-winning writer and creative writing tutor at Oxford University, Alice Jolly, was brave enough to mix it with long-established book reading group members in Swindon. You know – that Swindon with its 25 year Festival of Literature and its thriving poetry and writing groups as well.
Continue reading
As the dancers wrapped themselves around each other, the disembodied voice of the choreographer demanded, ‘…more organic-y…like a squirrel…like a cobra…with a whip at the end…’
From the Top, choreographed by Victor Fung and the first dance of an evening jointly curated by Swindon Dance and Swindon Spring Festival, was a hoot. A hilarious insight into the sometimes deliciously unfathomable world of contemporary dance, it began as I expected – two male dancers, Michael Barnes and Jack Sergison, moving in beautiful if mysterious ways – until, it emerged, the pair were actually in a ‘rehearsal’, devising the performance to the ever exacting demands of Victor, their director, for such things as ‘neutral hips’ and an ‘echo’. As the voice wanted more and more, the thoughts running through the (mostly) implacable performers were projected in words onto the screen behind them.
“…thread yourself under his arm and linger there…” said Victor. “…his armpit is not somewhere I want to chill,” came the Michael’s projected reply.
Continue reading
Back in my early thirties, a male friend poo-pooed the idea of plastic surgery. I might do it, I replied, when I age, if it looked real (and like me) and I could afford it. He was aghast. I wear make up, after all. What’s the difference?
Now I’m in my late forties, I look in the mirror and wonder. Could I get back to how I used to look? But, back then, was I so happy?
The point is moot. I don’t have the money and, even if I did, couldn’t justify the expense. But does the fact that it’s possible – and that some women do (and look good on it) – does this make me unhappy? Or dissatisfied?
Beauty is an incredibly complicated thing. At Swindon Spring Festival, Professor Heather Widdows shared the findings in her latest book, Perfect Me.
Continue reading
Every time I drag myself away from social media and engage with real human beings, I feel a buzz. With community events over the years, and especially with the Literature – turned Spring – Festival the buzz of attending events is palpable.
Even if, or often especially if, the speaker is not a ‘celebrity’, listening to a person who is knowledgeable and passionate about their subject is almost universally rewarding – heart-warming, brain-stimulating, thought-provoking and fun. I can make a comment or ask a question afterwards. What’s not to like?
No more so was this illustrated than at Sunday night’s event, Ways to be Equally Human. We were privileged to hear two people who, from the start, exuded that they were ‘comfortable in their own skin’ – no pun intended – as one speaker spoke of her alopecia and the other of his ‘cross-dressing’.
Continue reading
An expectant hush descended in the Swindon Arts Centre auditorium as Swindon Spring Festival director Matt set us up for mike-drop moments. We were to have a unique opportunity to listen to the unedited words of a team of teenagers, teenagers comfortable in their own skin, bold and beautiful, in Everybody by teen performance group, Rapport (Revolution Performing Arts).
I said ‘unedited’, but I mean that teachers or mainstream media have not massaged and cleansed their messages for popular consumption. The script, lighting, sound, choreography and music – the whole performance – had been produced by the young people themselves. Refreshing to say the least.
Everybody kicked off with, well everybody, the whole cast, school-uniformed up, with the usual personal tweaks for style, fashion and independence eg bomber jacket worn halfway down the back, ties askew and mini skirts at a level of choice. Cartwheels and mickey-taking ‘floss’ dancing animated the stage.
Continue reading
Festival Chronicle 