Programme of Events

Join bestselling author and official ‘Queen of Teen’ Louise Rennison as she talks about the first book in her new series. Withering Tights spotlights Tallulah Casey and her similarly fame-hungry and boy-crazy mates as they head to prestigious performing arts school Dother Hall. In their first taste of freedom, dramatic antics, boys and snogging are all guaranteed!

This event is aimed at young people aged 13+.

Peter Snow will be speaking about his new book To War with Wellington, a gripping account of a very human story about a remarkable leader and his men.

Peter Snow is a highly respected journalist, author and broadcaster. He was ITN’s Diplomatic and Defence Correspondent from 1966 to 1979, and presented Newsnight from 1980 to 1997. With his Swingometer he has been an indispensible part of election nights, and he is also much loved for his military history television series such as Battlefield Britain, which airedin 2004. Peter won the Judges’ Award for Services to Broadcasting at the Royal Television Society Awards in 1998.

Jo Brand, one of Britain’s best known and best loved comedians,will be in conversation Peter Florence, the  man behind the Hay Festival, about the second volume of her enthralling life story Can’t Stand Up For Sitting Down.

Michael Morpurgo will be appearing alongside a cast of actors and musicians in a stage production of The Mozart Question to be jointly presented with Oundle International Festival.

Who’s afraid of William Shakespeare? Just about everyone. He wrote too much and what he wrote is inaccessible and elitist. Right? Wrong! Shakespeare on Toast knocks the stuffing from the staid old myth of Shakespeare, revealing the man and his plays for what they really are: modern, thrilling, uplifting drama. The colourful words and vibrant world of the world’s greatest hack writer are brought brilliantly to life by actor and scholar Ben Crystal. Sweeping cobwebs from the Bard – his language, his life, his world – Crystal reveals man and work as relevant, accessible, alive.

“Having Crystal as a companion through the stickier parts of Hamlet and Macbeth is like going to the theatre with an intelligent friend.” The Independent

As presenter of Woman’s Hour for more than 20 years, Jenni Murray’s voice is as much a part of radio as the chimes of Big Ben. One of our most perceptive interviewers, now she turns the spotlight on herself to explain how the woman she became – broadcaster, campaigner and feminist – is everything her mother disliked. Murray’s touching book, Memoirs of a not so Dutiful Daughter, is based on the diary she kept as she struggled to nurse her dying mother and bridge the gulf between them. In an hour filled with courage, laughter and heartbreak, she speaks candidly about family tensions and the burdens of caring. An unmissable event that will appeal to every mother and daughter (and many sons), dutiful or not.

Sponsored by Rockingham Retirement

“Politics-as-usual won’t deal with the problems we face, while the recipes of the green movement are flawed at source.” Prolific author of many books including The Third Way, eminent sociologist Anthony Giddens, discusses his important new book The Politics of Climate Change, in which he introduces a range of new concepts and proposals and examines in depth the connections between climate change and energy security. Giddens is a Fellow of King’s College Cambridge and Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics.  He was Director of the LSE from 1997 to 2003, and was made a member of the House of Lords in 2004.  

Sponsored by Oundle School

In her authoritative new biography, art historian and critic, Frances Spalding, conjures the exuberantly creative life of John and Myfanwy Piper, artists and visionaries who believed national identity could be reshaped and reinvigorated through the arts. The Pipers’ creative partnership encompasses not only a long marriage, but also a genuine legacy of lasting achievements in the visual arts, literature and music. With John Piper’s magnificent stained glass windows forming a backdrop, this is a rare opportunity to hear Spalding’s masterly exposition of a couple at the very hub of creativity.

Sponsored by Vincent Sykes and Higham

Simon Bartram’s new series, Bob and Barry’s Lunar Adventures, features everyone’s favourite moon man and his alien dog side-kick, Barry. When the Stupendous Alacazamo finishes his magic show by making the moon disappear, it looks like Bob’s out of a job, but Bob is determined to discover the truth and bring the moon back. Join Bob and his dog Barry as they race to uncover the truth, with a little alien assistance.

The Disappearing Moon is the first book in this new series of fiction for young readers and is illustrated throughout in Simon Bartram’s detailed and humorous style. Simon won the Blue Peter Book Award in 2004 for his bestselling picture book Man on the Moon; A Day in the Life of Bob, and Bob has become one of the most popular children’s book characters. (Recommended for Years 1, 2 & 3)

One of our finest and most intelligent actresses, Diana Quick has always been drawn to strong, exotic characters and her compulsively readable memoir explains why. Remembering her dying grandfather’s command to ‘marry a pure-blooded Englishman’, she decided to trace her roots, and A Tug on the Thread is the result. Listen as she unpeels the secrets of her family history in 19th century India and shows how they shaped her own life as a student at Oxford, favourite of Vogue, and her star role as Julia in the classic TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited for which she was nominated Bafta and Emmy awards.

Sponsored by Fox Directories

Kes Gray’s first book, Eat Your Peas, has been on every child’s bookshelf since it was first published in 2000. Since then he has collaborated with illustrator Nick Sharratt on the best-selling series of picture books and books for young readers featuring the irresistible Daisy, and has produced the Vesuvius Poovius books, with illustrations by Chris Mould. The Independent noted him as one of the top ten children’s authors, and children and parents love him too! (Recommended for Years 1, 2 & 3)

Festival favourite Shonaleigh returns, this time with musician Oleg Fateev, and together they weave a magical tale full of extraordinary imagery, The Tower of Bagel. Shonaleigh’s ready wit and Jewish sense of proportion keep the ball of this enjoyable game dancing through the air. Figures from Jewish mythology linger in the shadows and along the way we discover how bagels came to be. Throughout the piece, Oleg Fateev lets his music pour around the stories, changing scenes and marking the passage of time. Enjoy two hours of interwoven stories. Those who heard her last year know we will be gripped by every moment. This is something you will tell your grandchildren about. Bagels and filling provided but please bring your own drink and glasses.

For over 30 years Tim Quinn worked for the world’s most famous comic book companies as scriptwriter, editor and illustrator, on everything from Beryl the Peril, Korky the Cat, Bunty, Desperate Dan, and the Bash Street Kids to Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk. With a lifelong love and encyclopedic knowledge of comic books Tim will take you on a hilarious and highly nostalgic trip through the last 150 years, screening images of the best and the worst strip creations. Wear a cape and mask! No nudity, swearing or violence but please come anyway. (Recommended for ages 9-150)

Poet Murray Lachlan Young presents a sensational mix of rock and roll ‘n’ poetry, stand-up comedy, storytelling and a touch of panto, showing that poetry can be raucous, fun, thought-provoking, poignant, enlightening and cool. Murray Lachlan Young has worked as a writer-performer for fifteen years, had his own shows on MTV and BBC2, and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live. Warning! This show gets your children on stage dancing and seriously engaged. (Recommended for ages 5-10 and ex-children)

Come and draw your sword, splice the mainbrace and swash your buckle with feisty heroine Cat Royal and her creator, Nestlé prize-winning author Julia Golding.  Cat Royal’s fifth adventure Black Heart of Jamaica takes us aboard a pirate ship in the Caribbean and leads her into the heart of a slave revolt. Don’t miss this interactive event that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at writing historical adventures. (Recommended for Years 5 & 6)

Julia Golding read English at Cambridge, took a doctorate in literature at Oxford and worked for the Foreign Office and Oxfam before becoming a full-time writer.  In 2007 Waterstone’s named her as one of 25 superstar writers who will be read widely and of great importance for the next 25 years.

We told you the Festival has gone Poetry Potty this year! Nick Perry, local poet, actor and playwright has just completed his first collection of comic poetry; and it's only taken him fifty years!  He has appeared in a number of shows from the Footlights to the Fringe.  His verse is hugely enjoyable and his manner of delivery second to none.  He is joined by Charlie Ottley, TV presenter of Travel Channel's Flavours of ... series, who is also a highly acclaimed columnist and BBC poet.  His latest work is Cautionary Verses and Ruthless Rhymes for Modern Times, a darkly funny collection of verse decrying the foibles of the modern world.  He is described as "the dog's Bellocs" and recommended by, amongst others, Quentin Letts, John Julius Norwich and Jilly Cooper. Bring your own drink and glasses.

Join the buzz, with novelists Jake Arnott, Sophie Hannah, Jojo Moyes and Stella Duffy! A mini festival all in one day, giving you the opportunity to share your reading enthusiasms with others, a chance to talk to authors about their work and what they like to read, and discover new ideas for your own reading. There will be group sessions with individual authors and panel discussions chaired by John Siddique, a poet, lecturer and extraordinary teacher with a passion for sharing and promoting literature.

Schedule:

10.00am - 10.30am - Registration and coffee

10.30am - 11.00am - Introduction

11.00am - 12.00pm - Break-out sessions with authors

12.00pm - 1.00pm - Lunch

1.00pm - 2.00pm - Panel Discussion

2.00pm - 3.00pm - Break-out sessions with authors

3.00pm - 3.15pm - Refreshments

3.15pm - 3.30pm - Finish

Pre-booking is essential. Please contact the Oundle Tourist Information Centre or Kettering Library for a booking form: ketlib@northamptonshire.gov.uk or 01536 512315.

In partnership with Northamptonshire County Council Library and Information Service
 

The bubbly, voluble, supremely self-confident, bitingly truthful and sensationalist bon viveur, film director, Sunday Times columnist and scourge of rip-off restaurants, Michael Winner, has an endless talent to outrage and amuse. In his colourful autobiography, Winner Takes All, he recounts his most historic and horrendous experiences and reveals the contradictions that make up Winner’s World; the shy schoolboy who mingled with celebs to write a gossip column aged just fourteen, the lover of fine food who wrote The Fat Pig Diet, and the man who makes chefs tremble, but whose catch-phrase is “Calm down, dear”. Witness them all in one inimitable personality at this must-see event.

 Sponsored by Smiths at No 4

Unusually, Sophie Hannah balances a career as an accomplished poet and performer with that of a commercially successful writer of psychological crime thrillers. Her passion for crime is the ‘police procedural’ mode, page-turning complex plots and what she calls the ‘gasping moment’, or plot twist, near the end which transforms all that has come beforehand. Another mistress of suspense, Val McDermid said, “It's a difficult tightrope to walk, but Hannah does it triumphantly.” Her fifth novel, A Room Swept White, will be out in March. 

The Horse Dancer interweaves three love stories – of an estranged couple finding their way back to each other; of the bond that can be forged between two strangers; and of one girl’s devotion to her horse. Jojo’s debut novel, Sheltering Rain, has now been published in twelve countries and has sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide. Foreign Fruit, won the Romantic Novelist Association’s Novel of the Year Award in 2004 and she was shortlisted for the same award for both The Ship of Brides and Silver Bay.  The Horse Dancer is her seventh novel.

An evening to provoke the mind and delight the eye. Come and meet Carry Akroyd, enjoy the exhibition of her work and hear how John Clare has inspired her.  Carry will be talking about her new book ‘natures powers & spells’ Landscape Change, John Clare and Me, a portrayal of the artist’s identification with the poet and their shared passion for the countryside. Too good to miss, we think you will agree! Carry’s work will be on display from 5 to 20 March at The Dolby Gallery.

Here we go! Literary Quiz with a twist is back again for another year. Form your team of six to eight people and register via paula@oundlelitfest.org.uk Bring your own refreshments - these are important! Pit your wits and see if you can stop the Pink Chickens from winning it three years in a row!

Sponsored by Holmewood Hall

Part of our Football Crazy weekend with the England and Norway Writers Teams. What was the meaning behind Beckham's choice of the number 23 shirt to play for Real Madrid? Was it because we have 23 pairs of chromosomes, Michael Jordan wore the number 23 shirt or because Caesar was stabbed 23 times? Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and football fanatic, Marcus du Sautoy, feels moved to point out that many pundits seem to have missed the true significance of Beckham's choice; that 23 is a prime number. Through a series of interactive games, du Sautoy will explore some of the interesting properties of prime numbers and explain why they are important both for mathematicians and footballers. Du Sautoy is Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and presenter of numerous television programmes including The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and The Story of Maths. Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine, described by the Independent as “the sharpest, funniest, rudest account of a troubled teenager’s coming of age since Catcher In The Rye”, will pitch in too with his performance poetry. (Recommended for ages 11 to 111!).

Photo credit for Joe Dunthorne: Angus Muir.