Well, we’re under way and the buzz around the 2010 Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival is growing steadily. All of the prep work, building the programme, securing the authors, planning the immense logistical exercise is not worth much if people don’t actually come along and enjoy themselves. So far, thanks goodness, people have embraced the early events wholeheartedly and the first two days have been wonderfully successful as a result. Terry Prone launched the festival on Tuesday evening with an eloquence befitting a communications pro but also with the warmth of someone who knows and genuinely loves books. Thanks Terry. The DLR Connections event which followed enjoyed a full house as did the Pat McCabe and Joe O’Connor readings on Wednesday evening. Talk about communications pros, could you ever tire of listening to them fellas. Both were in sparkling form and entertained their audiences hugely. 500 schoolkids packed the Pavilion and Mill Theatres to hear bestselling UK authors Alex Scarrow and Cathy Cassidy and the Book Club lunches have proved really popular too, so so far so good.
Festivals thrive on momentum so after just two days we fully expect to see the excitement build towards a climax on the weekend when, it is promised, Bright Phoebus will bring us a bit of sunshine. If we get anything like last year’s brilliant autumn weather we won’t know ourselves; fierce Mediterranean we’ll be feeling altogether! But before then, this evening we have a cornucopia of literary delights with two terrific UK short story writers, Helen Simpson and Janice Galloway in the County Hall at 6.30pm. You can then cross the street to hear that great Beckettian, Alan Stanford, deliver his Beckett Address and finally, night hawks can slope along to the Royal Marine where Leviathan Political Cabaret will be offering its heady brew of comedy, music and political debate with among others, one of the world’s top foreign correspondents, Robert Fisk. The theme for debate is Media Bias in reporting the Middle East so hold on to your hats!
Ticket sales have been fantastic so far but while some events are getting close to sell-outs there remain plenty of tickets for most gigs over the weekend. And parents and kids - don’t forget that you won’t need tickets for the fantastic day of children’s event on Sunday in County Hall because THEY ARE ALL FREE! It’s called When the Wild Things took over County Hall so bring along your little darlings and let them GO WILD (go to Bookings, select event and follow Read More for the full programme of events on offer).
See you all soon.
Mountains to Sea is not just a cultural event for adults; it aspires to provide fun, entertainment, and lasting memories for children also. This year we have a greatly-expanded programme of terrific events for children including an Children’s Author Lunch, a special appearance by US superstar, Kate DiCamillo and a whole day of free events in County Hall on Sunday 12th September. Check out the brochure or Booking Events tab above.
