Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival

HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS

Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival 19-22 October 2017 | Harrogate home of literature

“No two persons ever read the same book.”

Edmund Wilson

19-22 Oct ‘17

Box Office: 01423 562 303

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

Picked by Harper’s Bazaar as one of the UK’s Best Literary Festivals Tying in with our over-arching theme of ‘Generations’, this year’s line-up is designed to celebrate literature and ideas passed down, honoured or reinvented through the ages.

New for 2017: See more for less - turn to the back cover for more information on our Raworths Rewards Scheme.

THURSDAY 19 OCTOBER

10am Lisa Faulkner – From Mother to Mother: Recipes from a Family Kitchen Tickets £10 Family recipes inspired by mothers who know exactly what to put on the table when there are hungry mouths to feed, occasions to celebrate or when you simply want to create a delicious family meal. A down-to-earth collection of recipes for families to enjoy every day of the week, and to share from mother to mother.

12pm Yorkshire Post Literary Lunch with Chris Bonington Tickets £35 Join Britain’s greatest mountaineer Chris Bonington for a lunch like no other. As well as shining a light on Chris’ personal life and career, be amazed by his many daring climbs, near-death adventures, and the many luminaries of the mountain fraternity he has climbed with. Learn what it takes to conquer fear, learn and develop the technical skills necessary to climb the world’s greatest peaks, and what it is like to survive in places no human being can ultimately reside in.

3pm Victoria Hislop – Cartes Postales from Greece Tickets £14 Victoria’s love affair with Greece has inspired yet another Sunday Times Bestseller. This illustrated work of fiction takes readers on a journey around Greece. Week after week, the postcards arrive, each signed with an initial: A. Moving, surprising and sometimes dark, A’s tale unfolds with the discovery not only of a culture but also of a desire to live life to the full once more.

5pm Joan Bakewell – Stop the Clocks Tickets £14 One of Britain’s finest and most spirited women, Bakewell takes us on a fascinating and breathless journey through her life.

Her autobiography traverses the decades with such wide-ranging subject matter as beginnings, names, patriotism, values, money, loss and death. Delve into the world that has shaped her and the one, increasingly altered and strange, that she will leave behind.

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6.30pm Cathy Rentzenbrink In Conversation with Gail Honeyman Tickets £14 Heartache is human: over the course of our lives, we all encounter sadness and loss. But what do we say when the worst has happened to someone we love – and how do we cope when it happens to us? With boundless warmth and compassion, Cathy Rentzenbrink shares her experiences of living with heartache and looking for hope and joy in a cruel world. Joined by Gail Honeyman who discusses her latest book Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

8pm Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan – War Stories Tickets £16 A fascinating story of 34 ordinary people swept up in the turbulence of war. War Stories moves effortlessly from tales of spies, escapes and innovation to uplifting acts of humanity. Husband and wife team, and renowned journalists, Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan give a uniquely intimate account of the unimaginable; from the courage of Edward Seagar who survived the Charge of the Light Brigade to quick-thinking spy and saboteur Krystyna Skarbek.

FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER

10.30am Tom Fort – The Village News: The Truth Behind England’s Idyll Tickets £10 Journey the length and breadth of England and discover the essence of village life with historian and travel writer Tom Fort.

The village was the first model for communal living, sprung from the need for people to live together. Towns came much later, then cities, but the village has endured. Littered between the historical analyses are Tom’s personal memories of the village life he remembers and enjoys today.

12pm Joanna Cannon – The Trouble with Goats & Sheep Tickets £10 Sunday Times bestselling author Joanna Cannon brings us The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. Set during the suffocating heatwave of 1976, this is the story of a ten-year-old Grace and her best friend Tilly who set out to solve the mysterious disappearance of neighbour Mrs Creasy. As the cul-de-sac where they live starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will discover much more than they imagined. This perceptive and poignant debut novel explores what it is to belong, and how we treat those who don’t.

As part of the festival’s Generations theme, Joanna will also be giving a special preview of her second novel Three Things About Elsie which explores old age and memory, and will be published in January 2018.

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2pm Marina Benjamin In Conversation with Miranda Sawyer Tickets £10 In a society obsessed with living longer and looking younger, what does middle age mean? Benjamin offers us hope, and heart.

Cutting through society’s clamorous demands to work longer and stay young, she delivers a clear-eyed account of midlife’s challenges. In conversation with Miranda Sawyer, she gives her modern take on the issue of the midlife crisis and how to survive the experience with thoughtfulness, insight and humour.

3.30pm Denise Welch – If They Could See Me Now Tickets £14 Denise Welch, award-winning actress, TV presenter and author of two Sunday Times bestselling autobiographies presents her book If They Could See Me Now. As women, we make sacrifices for our children, for our husbands and for our families. There comes a point when it’s time to follow our own hearts. This is the story of what happens when we do.

5pm Sophie Kinsella - My Not So Perfect Life Tickets £14 A story of shattered hopes, a not so perfect life, revenge and forgiveness. Described as mood altering and hilarious, Kinsella’s latest book My Not So Perfect Life looks set to be another big seller. Hear from Sophie herself on the story of her success and how she manages to bring her characters to life.

6.30pm Martin Sixsmith – Ayesha’s Gift Tickets £12 From the author of the bestselling The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, made into the award-winning film Philomena starring Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, comes the story of a young woman, born in Pakistan, living in Britain, whose life is thrown into desperate turmoil by the violent death of her father. Initially told that he committed suicide, Ayesha knows instinctively that this cannot be true.

8pm Kate Garraway - The Joy of Big Knickers Tickets £16 TV and radio presenter Kate Garraway has a lot on her mind.

She’s about to turn 50, which is fine (she thinks) but suddenly she seems to have MANY questions about EVERYTHING. Is she running out of time? Should she have had children earlier?

What on Earth is happening to her body? Told with the natural warmth and humour she is known for, Garraway tackles the biggest issues women in their supposed ‘prime’ face and searches for answers on their behalf.

Box Office | 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply

SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER

10.30am Keith Stuart In Conversation with Jem Lester Tickets £10 Keith Stuart will introduce his book A Boy Made of Blocks and Jem Lester his new book Shtum, exploring the difficult subject of autism. Two fathers, two sons and two heart-warming stories of family, love, forgiveness and finding a light in the darkest days.

Drawing on very personal life experiences, Keith and Jem recognise and celebrate the joy and humour of their wonderful, innocent children. Both books are funny and heart breaking in equal measure.

12pm Julian Glover In Conversation with Erica Wagner Tickets £10 The men behind some of the world’s most iconic engineers.

Thomas Telford’s name is familiar; his story less so. An enthralling biography of the shepherd boy who invented the road and changed the world, told by Julian Glover. Joined by Consulting Literary Editor for Harper’s Bazaar, Erica Wagner, who brings Washington Roebling to life. The Brooklyn Bridge took fourteen dramatic years to complete, and the personal story that lay behind that construction is told here for the first time.

2pm Clover Stroud and Rick Stroud In Conversation Tickets £10 A life deeply influenced by her mother’s tragic accident, Clover talks of love, loss, motherhood, sex and danger. Her early experience of loss and trauma took her on a journey that took her to the brink of self-destruction and consequently informed everything she has done since. Clover is joined by bestselling historian, father Rick, who specialises in unique stories from the Second World War. He explores the French resistance that helped defeat the invading Germans and the vital role women played.

3.30pm Ann Widdecombe – Strictly Ann Tickets £14 Forthright, intrepid and engaging, Widdecombe was at the centre of Conservative politics for over twenty years. She is now an author, regular contributor and presenter on television documentaries, stage performer and columnist. In her talk, Ann will focus on her career as an author and her life following her retirement from politics in 2010 which got off to a thrilling start with her performance in BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing.

She is currently writing her fifth novel An Act of Brotherhood which is the final book in a trilogy and will introduce her first detective novel, The Dancing Detective.

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5pm Jenni Murray – A History of Britain in 21 Women Tickets £14 From Boadicea to Thatcher, A History of Britain in 21 Women tells the stories of women who refused to succumb to the accepted laws of society, who pushed back boundaries and revolutionised our world. Murray celebrates the defiant spirit of Britain’s ground breaking heroines and discusses how these womens’ lives will hopefully inspire a new generation.

6.30pm – Gin Tasting with Ian Buxton – 101 Gins to Try Before You Die Tickets £15 Join us for exclusive gin tasting with connoisseur Ian Buxton who has been working in and around the industry for over 20 years, but has been drinking professionally for a good deal longer!

We are in the middle of a gin craze and Ian has everything you ever needed to know about different gins. In his inimitable style, he gives flavour notes and recommendations on pairings from tonics to citrus and fruit.

Price includes a selection of gin tastings.

SUNDAY 22 OCTOBER

10.30am Douglas Murray in Conversation with Mick Hume Tickets £10 Two visions of Europe – one hopeful, one pessimistic – which paint a picture of Europe in crisis and offer a choice as to what, if anything, we can do next. Douglas Murray presents a highly personal account of a continent and culture caught in the act of suicide. Joined by Mick Hume who argues for a forthright defence of democracy against its enemies and critics and regularly defends freedom of speech.

12pm Mark Muller Stuart QC – Storm in the Desert Tickets £10 Known as the real-life Mr Darcy, Mark Muller Stuart gives a unique insight into the world of diplomacy and power politics and the way they impact upon ordinary human lives. Celebrated human rights lawyer and international mediator Muller Stuart tells the story of British intervention in Libya and the Arab Spring from a unique civil society standpoint. A dramatic story of revolution and also the murky but sometimes inspiring role successive British governments have played in trying to contain conflict in the region.

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2pm Jonathan Aitken - Prison Life, Laughter and Rehabilitation Tickets £12 Well-known author, broadcaster, columnist and campaigner for Prison Reform, Jonathan is the author of 18 books and is Honorary President of Tempus Novo, a charity set up to aid released prisoners to find work. In his session, Jonathan will share his experience of his time in prison and will invite to the stage HMP Leeds prison officers Steve Freer and Val Wawrosz.

Chaired by Sir James Aykroyd, Vice President of Tempus Novo.

3.30pm Amanda Owen – A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess Tickets £14 Join Amanda for stories filled with humour and warmth that bring the countryside alive. Voted Yorkshire Woman of the Year by the Dalesman Magazine, Amanda lives and works at Ravenseat, a hill farm of 2,000 acres, which she shares with 1000 sheep, nine children, four dogs, and one husband. Not to mention chickens, pigs, cows, horses and an uncontrollable goat and a vole who has taken up residence in the living room.

5pm Take Three Actors Tickets £12 Hugh is best known, remembered and loved as Captain Hastings in The Poirot series. He is also best-selling author of Malice, Harm and Threat, a trilogy of thrillers with moral but cold-blooded leading character Rina Walker. George Costigan is best known as an actor in Happy Valley and Rita, Sue and Bob, Too and has recently published his first novel, The Single Soldier. Mark Charnock is hugely loved as Marlon in The Bafta Award-winning Emmerdale, and is in the process of writing his first novel Unquiet for Young Adults. Come along to meet, listen, chat and ask questions.

6.30pm Steve Richards – The Rise of the Outsiders Tickets £12 Politics in the West has become unpredictable and tumultuous.

Celebrated political commentator and BBC presenter, Steve Richards provides a clear and penetrating analysis of the biggest political story of the past fifty years. He argues that despite charismatic outsiders dominating the headlines, the real answers lie in the failure of the mainstream to evolve.

Festival bookstore: Waterstones will provide the Festival bookstore onsite at The Crown Hotel and book signings will follow each event.

Seating: Seating for all events is unreserved. Doors will open no later than ten minutes before the event start times shown.

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Please contact the festival office for more details.

HOW TO BOOK Phone:

01423 562 303

Email:

info@harrogate-festival.org.uk

Online:

harrogateinternationalfestivals.com

In Person: Harrogate International Festivals, 32 Cheltenham Parade,

Harrogate, HG1 1DB Opening Times: Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm and Saturdays throughout July Payment: Please note that all bookings are subject to a £1.75 booking fee.

A £1 fee is charged for postal orders, or we offer free ticket collection.

With Thanks to Our Title Sponsor

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Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival Sponsors

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Harrogate International Festivals is a registered charity, no. 244861. All information correct at time of going to print.

Harrogate International Festivals reserves the right to make such alterations as may become necessary.

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Box Office | 01423 562 303 | Booking Fees Apply