AVID readers will be able to enjoy a two week celebration of the written word at the Purbeck Literary Festival next month.
The event, now in its third year, will see hundreds of people meet local authors and publishers and attend readings, workshops and other activities.
Be sure to bookmark some of the highlights below:
1. Sunny Ormonde, who plays Lilian Bellamy in Radio 4’s popular soap opera The Archers will be performing her one-woman caberet show featuring all the latest Ambridge gossip, as well as anecdotes from Sunny’s own life.
There will also be a prize for the person who asks the most original question about the show. See Sunny at the Fine Foundation Gallery at Durlston on Friday, February 26.
2. Best-selling novelist Jill Mansell is headlining the festival on Tuesday, Febraury 23. She will be talking about and signing copies of her novel, Three Amazing Things About You, a romantic story about a young woman whose time is running out. Catch her at the Grand Hotel in Swanage.
3. Younger readers will get to enjoy a pre-festival storytelling session with children’s author Martin Maudsley on Saturday, February 13 at Castle View Visitor Centre. The venue is an appropriate setting for the author, who will entertain youngsters with magical tales of castles and kings at the free drop-in session.
4. Budding novelists can learn how to write and sell their novel with Sue Moorcroft and Nikki Moore at Limes Hotel, Swanage on Thursday, February 18. The one-day course is designed to arm participants with writing and storytelling techniques.
Sue Moorcroft has written titles including The Wedding Proposal and Dream a Little Dream while Dorset-based Nikki is the author of the chart-topping #LoveLondon series.
5. Spend an afternoon with adventurer Jason Lewis at Swanage Library on Thursday, February 25. There will be a chance to hear about his amazing journey as an explorer and Guinness World Record holder as the first person to circumnavigate the globe using only human power i.e. walking, cycling, swimming, rowing, and inline skating.
6. Another highlight for youngsters is the Monsters and Mayhem session at Wareham Library on Tuesday, February 16, with local author and illustrator Rachel Bright and her most famous character, Love Monster.
The session involves stories and drawing, as well as the chance to create your own Love Monster puppet to take home.
7. Those interested in current affairs will get the chance to interview journalist and novelist Emma Lee Potter. Based in Purbeck, she was inspired to become a journalist by her mother, the popular Daily Mail columnist Lynda Lee-Potter.
Over the years, Emma has interviewed the likes of Richard Branson on Virgin’s first flight to Miami and sat in a Bedouin tent in the middle of the desert with Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
The Q&A takes place on Friday, February 19, at the Crows Nest Inn, Swanage.
8. Dog-lovers won’t want to miss the launch of Caring Canines’ new book, Hello Dog on Saturday, February 20. Children are invited to come to a session and learn how to meet a dog safely and enjoy its company.
Caring Canines, founded in August 2006, is a charity that brings friendly dogs to people in the local community.
9. A night of comedy rounds off the last day of the festival with two acts, Ben Van Der Velde and Tiernan Douieb entertaining guests at Swanage Bay View Caravan Park.
Tickets cost £10 (£8.50 in advance).
To purchase tickets for any of the festival events, visit Swanage Tourist Information Centre and the Discover Purbeck Information Centre.
The Purbeck Literary Festival 2016 takes place between Saturday, February 14, and Saturday 27.
Visit the website for the programme details.
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