For more information on an event; hover the cursor over an item in the programme list
Quiz Sheets will be available at various outlets in the town.
Bookstalls will be available during the week, ttba.
Reaching out to the community during festival week with storytelling at Mere and Whitesheet Cluster Schools with thanks to the Lecture Hall Trust for its support.
MONDAY October 11th.
TUESDAY October 12th.
Lunchtime:
Community Lunch with a storyteller.
Join in the popular Community Lunch and be entertained over coffee with
tales from prize winning storyteller Bridget McEwen.
COMMUNITY LUNCH with STORYTELLER
The community lunches have been a great success bringing together many Mere residents so, let’s do it again during Lit. Fest. week. Join others for this informal Mere get-together and be entertained over coffee with tales from prize-winning storyteller BRIDGET McEWEN. She hails from Motcombe and tells traditional tales from around the world. Bridget has told her stories at a variety of events including Sturbridge Fair, Cambridge and Milton Abbas Fairs and also tells to the deaf and hard-of-hearing using sign language. She was a prize-winner at the Frome Storytelling Competition in 2008.
The Walnut Tree Inn, 12 for 12.30p.m.
Book your place at the Walnut Tree by telephoning (01747) 861220 by October 9th. Lunch £8.95pp, two course, set menu, & tea/coffee.
Bridget McEwen will also be telling stories at local schools as part of festival week.
Mere Literary Festival is grateful to the Mere Lecture Hall Trust for its support of this schools’ project.
BRIDGET McEWEN Traditional Storyteller Tel:01747 851614
Evening:
Rudyard Kipling and Field Marshall
Lord Roberts.
An illustrated talk by author and historian Dr. Rodney Atwood on the
friendship between the writer and the warrior.
As a young newspaperman in India, in the 1880s,
Rudyard Kipling first met the then General, Sir Frederick Roberts, victor
and hero of the 2nd. Afghan War. The two came together again in the South
African War 1899 – 1902. They shared a pride in the British Empire and
in their country’s historic traditions. They feared that the British
century
was passing if they did not rouse their countrymen from complacent
lethargy as war with Germany approached. Kipling’s admiration for Roberts
is shown in two poems of praise although his earlier poems were not so
flattering.
After graduating from McMaster (Canada) and Cambridge universities, RODNEY ATWOOD was a short service officer in the Royal Tank Regt. before becoming a teacher. He taught for twenty-eight years including sixteen as a headmaster, and since his retirement has been working on the life of Field Marshal Lord Roberts. The March to Kandahar, published in 2008 was his second book and his third on Roberts’ campaign in the South African War is due for publication next year.
Grove Buildings 7.30p.m. £5 in advance £6 on the door.
WEDNESDAY October 13th.
Afternoon:
Colin Elford discusses his fascinating book with Mathew Manning of the Blackmore Vale Magazine.
Wildlife ranger COLIN ELFORD shares his love and experience
of woodland and its wildlife in his fascinating book published by Hamish
Hamilton. A Year in the Woods is based on the daily journal he
keeps of his life working for the Forestry Commission in Wiltshire and
Dorset. He describes encounters with animals and the forest life that most
people will never see ... the things that make the book such a fascinating
read
Mathew Manning, Blackmore Vale Magazine
Colin has spent his working life in the woods and his first book was Practical
Woodland Stalking. Colin appeared at the Hay Literary Festival earlier
this year and at Mere will be in discussion with Blackmore Vale Magazine
reporter Mathew Manning.
MATHEW MANNING works as a journalist, photographer and author specializing
in country affairs, food and farming. He will be well known to readers
of the Blackmore Vale Magazine but also contributes to the national shooting
press.
His first book, with poet Patti Flynn, was Fractured Horizons
and his latest, Hunting with Air Rifles – A Complete Guide, has
just been published by Northumbria Press.
A must for all wildlife and countryside enthusiasts.
Grove Buildings 2.30p.m. £3
Evening:
A talk by the Blackmore Vale Magazine’s garden columnist hosted by Mere’s Gardening Club.
Joe Hashman, aka DIRTY NAILS, has been writing
a weekly gardening column for the Blackmore Vale Magazine since 2004
and also contributes to newspapers across England and Wales. Growing
your own produce is back in fashion, allotments are back in demand and
Dirty Nails is the gardener so many rely on for advice.
A figure who deserves to be widely read and universally recognized
as a gardener ‘par excellence’.
Connie Cross.
His first book, How to Grow Your Own Food, was widely acclaimed.
A delightful read. A ‘must’ for ANY gardener’.
George Glaudius.
It has been followed by A Vegetable Gardener’s Year and On
the Plot with Dirty Nails which combine his passion for good food,
gardening and the joy of being outdoors.
www.dirtynails.co.uk
This event is kindly hosted by MERE GARDENING CLUB which has been a part of the community under various names for many years and now features a junior section. Contact Janet Way 01747 860844
Lecture Hall 7.30p.m. £2 on the door.
THURSDAY October 14th.
Morning:
a guided walk with a look at its working past.
One strand of this year’s festival is rural working life – past and
present- and Janet Way and David Hope lead a walk discovering some of
Mere’s past industries and working practices.
Put on your walking shoes and meet outside the Parish Church
St. Michael's Church Gate 10a.m. Free
Afternoon:
Readings of poetry and prose on rural life.
Come and listen, or bring along a favourite piece to read or be read.
An informal afternoon of readings – poetry and prose – in a nostalgic celebration of the country dweller and a rural way of life which has almost disappeared. Feel free to bring along memorabilia, tools or photographs which show Mere or other rural communities of yesteryear.
Lecture Hall 2.30p.m. Free admission
Evening:
Mere Film Shows & Wiltshire Moviola present
Mere Film Shows & Wiltshire Moviola present Invictus.
His people needed a leader. He gave them a champion.
Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, this uplifting film stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.
Lecture Hall 7.30p.m. £5 in advance, tickets available from the library.
FRIDAY October 15th.
Afternoon:
A drama workshop and group discussion on adapting a story for stage performance with local playwright TONY BENGE
A drama workshop and group discussion on adapting a story for stage performance with local playwright TONY BENGE
Tony Benge has received commissions from The Library Theatre and the Contact Theatre in Manchester, the Coliseum Oldham, Salford Council, Lifeline Manchester and BBC4 Drama. He was awarded a writing bursary from the Arts Council and has made numerous adaptations for children and young people with learning difficulties. He also does occasional freelance journalism and research for newspapers, BBC TV and radio.
From Page to Stage is a taster event for future workshops with Tony Benge which, it is hoped, will lead to a reading and/or performance of the adaptation. If you are interested in acting, directing, writing or just inspired to join in, tell Tony.
Grove Buildings 2.30pm Free.
Mere Literary Festival acknowledge the support of Mere Amateur Dramatic Society in this project.
Evening:
With Jill McGivering and Stephen Grey who have both reported on the war and written books about Afghanistan.
Two distinguished writers who have reported on Afghanistan discuss the state of that war-torn country and our involvement in the conflict. The ticket price for this important event reflects the fact that a separate collection will be taken for HELP FOR HEROES.
JILL McGIVERING is a senior BBC broadcaster, specialising in Asia. She’s
covered foreign news for the past 18 years for all the BBC’s main radio
and television news outlets. Her posts as a BBC correspondent include Hongkong,
South Asia and the US State Department. Since being based in London, she’s
travelled on assignment worldwide but most often to Asia where she covers
conflicts and pursues investigative journalism. Her first novel, The
Last Kestrel (Harper Collins) is set in Afghanistan. It draws on many
reporting trips to Afghanistan and two embeds with British forces in Helmand
Province.
..a deeply compassionate and thoughtful novel..
Fergal Keane
STEPHEN GREY is an independent London based writer who contributes regularly
to major newspapers and to radio and TV including reports for Channel 4
Dispatches, BBC Newsnight and BBC File on Four. He covers national security
in its many forms and more recently has concentrated on the conflict in
Afghanistan. In 2007, while reporting on Afghanistan for the Sunday Times,
he was with frontline troops when they came under fire – ambushed by the
Taliban. His book, Operation Snake Bite, is the story of British
and American involvement in Helmand and is a tale of true heroes.
One of the most courageous and important pieces of reporting on the
Afghan campaign.
General Sir Richard Dannatt
Voluntary collection for Help for Heroes
Grove Buildings 7.30p.m. £3 in advance £4 on the door.
SATURDAY October 16th.
Morning:
Grove Buildings 10.15a.m.
Free Admission - Book Signings - Retiring Donations
with MARIA McCARTHY
Would you like to write a bestseller, or see your articles in print? Author and journalist Maria McCarthy offers insider tips on getting published.
The workshop will cover getting an agent, the editing process, the importance of the right book jacket and how advances and royalties work. It will also cover developing feature ideas for newspapers and magazines, approaching editors and negotiating fees.
Maria is the author of The Girls' Car Handbook and The Girls' Guide to Losing your L Plates published by Simon and Schuster. She also writes for Cosmopolitan, The Sunday Express, and The Independent and lectures on freelance journalism at Bristol and Oxford Brookes Universities.
10.30am - 2.30pm. The Methodist Church School Room.
£12 per workshop or both £20. To book a place contact The Festival Organiser
01747 860475
Afternoon:
with children’s author PAULINE FISK
…taking young readers through the seas of their imagination.
Pauline Fisk’s stories for children are rooted in the real world but reveal the magical and fantastic which delight young readers.
PAULINE FISK is an award winning children’s author.
She won the Smarties Prize for her first novel Midnight Blue
in 1990 and has gone on to write nine more including the Children
of Plynlimon sequence of Sabrina Fludde, The Red Judge
and Mad Dog Moonlight.
Her latest novel is In the Trees published this year.
Library 2p.m. Free, but entry is by ticket which is available from the library.
Book early for this popular children's event kindly organised by Wiltshire Council Libraries and Heritage.
Lecture Hall 2.30p.m. £5
Chester House Productions – a smash hit with our 2009 audience.
with MARIA McCARTHY
Unlock your creativity with this inspiring workshop which offers fun, practical techniques to help you improve your writing skills. Suitable for all levels.
Unlock your creativity with this inspiring workshop which offers fun, practical techniques to help you improve your writing skills, including developing characters and plots.
Maria has had short stories published in women's magazines, has taught creative writing for over ten years and was a judge for the W.H Smith Thumping Good Read Award.
www.mariamccarthy.co.uk
2.30pm - 4.30pm. The Methodist Church School Room
£12 per workshop or both £20. To book a place contact the Festival Organiser
01747 860475
Evening:
We move from life among the gentry, as recorded by Aubrey, to a year in the life of the farm labourer presented by Wiltshire traditional music group TINKERS BAG using music and song.
Although life as a farm labourer was hard in the
early 1900s, it was not without its pleasures and celebrations. Join Tinkers
Bag as they journey through a year in the life of a labouring man born
To plough and sow, and reap and mow, and be a Farmer’s Boy.
The show starts as the hard work of the harvest is complete and moves through
the seasons with music and song.
Hear of old customs like the Mumming Play, songs of the traditional craft
of hedging and ditching and much more of rural yesteryear.
As performed at the Chippenham Folk Festival 2010
TINKERS BAG has played and sung together since 1997. The group has written six full length shows which have been performed to much acclaim all over Wiltshire and beyond.
www.tinkersbag.co.uk
United Reform Church 7.30p.m. £6 in advance £7 on the door.
Not to be missed. Book early
SUNDAY October 17th.
Tickets available from August 21st from:
Mere Information Centre 01747 861211
or Festival Organiser 01747 860475