Aspects Festival 2018

Reptho r t e Troubl

BLOOD HORSES

Journalists tell their stories of the Northern Ireland confli

Moyra Donaldson

Paddy Lennon

Poet

Artist

Co m pi le d by D E R IC H E N D E R SO N

Aspects Festival Bangor, 1-30 September 2018 A celebration of Irish writing

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TOURIST INFORMATION

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BELFAST ROAD TO CULLODEN HOTEL & CLANDEBOYE ESTATE

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1 THE BLACKBERRY PATH ART STUDIOS 2 BANGOR CARNEGIE LIBRARY

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3 BANGOR CASTLE & NORTH DOWN MUSEUM 4 WALLED GARDEN

FESTIVAL MAP 2

5 STUDIO 1A 6 BOOM! STUDIOS

HELLO AND WELCOME Welcome to Aspects 2018 We’re delighted to welcome you to Aspects Festival 2018. Our programme this year offers something for everyone and every age, from poetry to prose, from journalism to wellbeing, from drama to the visual arts.

Don’t miss our series of events focusing on mind, body and spirit which will take place in the Festival Yurt in Bangor’s beautiful Walled Garden. Come along and enjoy a weekend of yoga and mindfulness and learn about the positive influence of words.

Northern Irish author Maggie O’Farrell will make her first appearance at the festival.

Author of seven best-selling novels and the critically acclaimed memoir I am, I am, I am, her event at Bangor Castle is sure to be a highlight.

This year’s Young Aspects offers a wonderful weekend of family-friendly creative events aimed at inspiring young imaginations. While those of you looking to enhance and improve your own writing skills need look no further than our professional development for writers’ weekend.

So, please do come and join us in one of our festival venues to celebrate and explore the many creative aspects of Irish literature.

We hope you enjoy exploring our programme and look forward to seeing you at the festival.

Aspects Festival Team

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Aspects At A Glance P6

17 Aug

6pm

Art and Poetry

Blackberry Path

Free

P7

1 Sep

7.30pm

Lady Dufferin

Clandeboye

£10

P8

2 Sep

2pm

Clandeboye Reading Party

Clandeboye

Free

P9

2 Sep

6pm

Sir Bob Salisbury

Clandeboye

£5

P10

6 Sep

7pm

Blood Horses

Bangor Library

Free

P6

6 Sep

8.30pm

Sketchbook Exhibition Launch

Boom! Studios

Free

P12

8 and 9 Sep

10am

Professional Development – Writers

North Down Museum

P14

13 Sep

7.30pm

Bookclub: The War of Art

Boom! Studios

Free

P15

14 Sep

10am

Dropping Your Gaze

Festival Yurt

£25

P16

14 Sep

7pm

Fired!

Festival Yurt

Free

P17

15 Sep

10.30am

Women Aloud

Festival Yurt

Free

P18

15 Sep

1pm

Beneath Our Feet

Blackberry Path

Free

P19

15 Sep

4pm

In Search of Hope

Bangor Castle

Free

P21

15 Sep

7pm

Poetry Slam

Festival Yurt

£5

P22

16 Sep

9am

Yoga in the Yurt

Festival Yurt

£5

P23

16 Sep

11am

Power of Words

Festival Yurt

£10

P22

16 Sep

2pm

Literary Sketch Walk

Walled Garden

£5

P24

16 Sep

4pm

Power of Poetry

Festival Yurt

£6

P25

16 Sep

7.30pm

Pop-Up Supper Club

Festival Yurt

£20

P26

19 Sep

8pm

Both Sides

North Down Museum

£12

4

£25/£60

P27

20 Sep

8pm

Maggie O'Farrell

Bangor Castle

£10

P28

22 Sep

2pm

Judging A Book By Its Cover

Studio 1A

£7

P29

22 Sep

4pm

Rise Above! Letters of Tyrone Guthrie

Bangor Castle

£7

P30

22 Sep

7pm

Crime in the Castle

Bangor Castle

£8

P31

23 Sep

4pm

Reporting The Troubles

Bangor Castle

£10

P32

28 Sep

8pm

Frank Ormsby, Anthony Toner and Neil Martin

Bangor Castle

£10

P33

25–30 Sep

Museum Opening Hours

Once Upon a Time Walkabout

North Down Museum

Free

P34

28 Sep

10.30am

Reading With Your Little One

Bangor Library

Free

P34

28 Sep

3pm

Book Inspired Yoga

Boom! Studios

£6

P35

28 Sep

6.30pm

Tablets and Text

Boom! Studios

£6

P36

29 Sep

10.15am

Sensory Story Experience

Bangor Library

£8

P36

29 Sep

12noon

Junior Illustrators Workshop

Bangor Library

£5

P37

29 Sep

2pm

Original Comic Creation Workshop

Bangor Library

£6

P37

30 Sep

11am

Autism Friendly Story Telling Morning

North Down Museum

Free

P38

30 Sep

2pm

Rita Wants A Robot with Myra Zepf

North Down Museum

£6

P38

30 Sep

3pm

Writing Dragons with Myra Zepf

North Down Museum

£6

P39

30 Sep

3pm

Launch of Bangor Literary Journal

Blackberry Path

Free

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Friday 17 August

Art and Poetry

The Sixth Annual Bangor Poetry Competition and Art Exhibition The Blackberry Path Art Studios 6-9pm Free Event Readings by contributors. Vote for your favourite poem, all pieces handwritten, signed, framed and available to purchase.

Art and Poetry Exhibition opens Wednesday to Saturday 11am-1pm until Sunday 16 September.

Artwork by local artists.

Thursday 6 September

Sketchbook Exhibition Boom! Studios 8.30pm Free Event Peer into the process of creativity as our Boom! Studios artists open their sketchbooks for the month of September.

Exhibition 6–9 September. Boom! Studios Opening Times: Thursday: 10am–9pm.

Friday and Saturday: 10am–4pm.

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Saturday 1 September

Aspects Launch Event

Lindy Guinness in conversation with Lady Dufferin Clandeboye Courtyard 7.30pm £10 In this talk Lady Dufferin will reflect on how the environment, especially the Clandeboye landscape, has influenced her career as a painter.

Lady Dufferin will be speaking as part of the series of Clandeboye Reading Party events. This is a joint initiative between Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, Clandeboye Estate and Aspects Festival. This year’s theme is Learning without Walls, inspired by Lady Dufferin’s lifetime of landscape painting, observing the endlessly changing forms in nature. The university’s students and staff, the local community and those attending the Aspects Festival will be part of a wider discussion around the environment and education.

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Sunday 2 September

Clandeboye Reading Party Free Event – Registration Required

The Clandeboye Reading Party brings together staff and students from Queen’s University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin, the local community and Aspects audience to discuss issues around biodiversity and the environment.

2.00pm – 2.45pm Lightning Talks I: ‘Education and the Environment’ Talks by research students from TCD and QUB postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. These brief talks cover a range of topics – from the history of the environment, to poetry and prose – which draw inspiration from nature, and the work of leading writers and environmentalists, such as the County Down naturalist, Robert Lloyd Praeger.

3.00pm – 4.30pm Do bees really matter?

‘To bee or not to bee’. In her talk, for all members of the family, Professor Jane Stout will explain why bees are so important. tcd.ie/Botany/people/stoutj/ Sean Borodale, Clandeboye poet in residence, will reflect on his work on bees and read from his prize-winning Bee Journal. seanborodale.com Join us at the end of the talks when we visit Clandeboye’s magnificent 19th century bee house.

4.30pm – 5.15pm Lightning Talks II: ‘Education and the Environment’ Five-minute talks by postgraduate research students from TCD and QUB.

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Sunday 2 September

Clandeboye Reading Party with guest Sir Bob Salisbury Clandeboye Courtyard 6pm £5 ‘It’s about changing your mindset – it’s not a battle against nature, it’s a partnership.

Does it matter that you have holes in your hosta leaves if the hedgehogs and thrushes are eating the slugs?’ Sir Bob Salisbury Before retiring Sir Bob Salisbury was a leading educationalist and a professor in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham. For the last sixteen years Bob and his wife Rosemary have spent their time developing one of Ireland’s most significant wildlife gardens.

Field of Dreams tells the story of how two enthusiastic amateur gardeners transformed an unloved rural wasteland into a blooming and celebrated wildlife garden. As result the Salisburys have created a habitat for lapwings, hares, yellowhammers, otters, woodcocks, bats and many other species absent in the area for years. Field of Dreams is a celebration of the Irish countryside and its wildlife.

‘This is an inspiring story of how to make a difference to our native wildlife by looking after a small piece of land with passion and hard graft. And what shines through is that in the end it’s not just nature that blossoms and thrives in such places. It’s the human spirit.’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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Thursday 6 September

Blood Horses

Book Launch, Exhibition and Reading Bangor Carnegie Library 7pm Free Event 3–27 September during library opening hours When poet Moyra Donaldson viewed the work of artist Paddy Lennon she was immediately inspired. Her response to his work encouraged her to propose a creative collaboration. That horses have played an integral part of the lives of both artists is evident in their work. Poet and painter have together created Blood Horses, a creative and moving dialogue between poem and painting.

Through their words and images these two artists tell the stories of three famous stallions – The Byerley Turk, The Darley Arabian and The Godolphin Barb – the founding fathers of the thoroughbred horse as we know it today. Blood Horses, both exhibition and this beautiful limited-edition book, looks at the relationship between humans and horses, the effect they have on our lives and our love for these magnificent creatures.

Award winning artist Paddy Lennon was born in Dublin and currently lives in Wexford. His works are held in private and corporate collections worldwide.

He has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows both in Ireland and internationally. His most recent solo shows were in Xiamen, Shenzhen and Guangzhou in China and Abu Dhabi, UAE and Geneva, Switzerland.

Moyra Donaldson is an award-winning poet from County Down. She has published seven collections of poetry, most recently, Selected Poems in 2012 and The Goose Tree (2014) from Liberties Press. She has been widely published internationally in magazines, journals and anthologies in Europe, Australia and the USA. Her poems have featured on BBC radio and television and on American national radio and television. Her new poetry collection, Holding to Air, is forthcoming from Doire Press in Spring 2019.

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Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 September

Professional Development for Writers Steering the Craft and Finding Your Audience with Patsy Horton and Maria McManus North Down Museum £60 full weekend £25 per half-day session

This course is aimed at new and developing writers. Whether you’re just getting started on your writing journey or whether you’ve already done some writing and want to improve your skills and find an audience for your work, this is the course for you.

Day 1 10am–4pm is dedicated to the craft and process of writing with practical advice on how to become a better writer and how to work more effectively.

Day 2 10am–1.30pm focusses on finding and connecting with the audience for your writing project. As well as publication, we’ll be considering other strategies for engaging with and making your writing available to an audience.

Over the two days, you’ll discover how to: • Find a focus and shape for your writing • Get started and keep going with your writing • Put the reader front and centre in your writing project • Structure and plan your writing effectively • Be a better editor of your own work • Find and make the most of a mentor • Make the most of publishing opportunities and pitch your work effectively • Find alternative ways to put your work into the public domain • Market yourself as an author • Be a successful self-starter and evaluate your progress Participants are encouraged to attend the whole course as the sessions are interconnected and build towards the creation of a personal action plan at the end but single-day or half-day participation is also possible. For more details go to the Aspects website.

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Patsy Horton has worked in publishing for over twenty years, collaborating with authors to create popular and compelling books that reach the widest possible audience. She has been Managing Editor with Blackstaff Press for fifteen years and has edited and published many fiction and non-fiction titles. She has worked as a facilitator and an editor for The Irish Writers’ Centre and is a judge for the Michael McLaverty Short Story Awards.

Maria McManus is a poet and she is passionate about literature, especially poetry, in public space. She has facilitated and provided mentoring for writers, through the Irish Writers’ Centre, Seamus Heaney Home Place, John O’Connor Writing School, Poetry Ireland and The Poetry Society. She is an award-winning poet who has performed on the international stage. She is artistic director and curator of Poetry Jukebox.

Maria’s most recent poetry collections is Available Light (Arlen House, 2017) Participants should submit a short biography, a writing sample of no more than 2,000 words and three bullet points indicating your motivation for undertaking the course and your expectations by 28 August. Submissions to be sent to phorton@ntlworld.com

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Thursday 13 September

Festival Bookclub: The War of Art Boom! Studios 7.30pm Free Event – Booking Required Informal discussion over light refreshments looking at Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art: Break through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles (Black Irish Entertainment, 2012). This book is dedicated to helping writers and other artists overcome creative barriers and produce valuable and satisfying work.

Pressfield discusses his own artistic struggles and uses examples of artists throughout history in order to inspire and guide other creators. All welcome.

The John Hewitt International Summer School Bursary Ards and North Down Borough Council sponsor an annual bursary to attend the John Hewitt Summer School every July.

The bursary is open to writers, teachers, critics of literature of anyone with a strong literary interest, based or working in the Ards and North Down Borough.

If you would like to register your interest in the 2019 scheme, please email: ardsarts@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk johnhewittsociety.org/summer-school

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Friday 14 September

Dropping Your Gaze

A Day of Mindfulness and Writing with Bernie McGill and Michelle Gibb Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 10am-4pm £25 Mindfulness is the practice of learning to be present. It is also beneficial for calming the physical state of the body and quietening the mind. Whether you’re new to writing or have been writing for a while and are looking for a way to rejuvenate your approach, this day of guided mindfulness and writing exercises, led by two experienced facilitators, will refresh and enhance your writing skills and leave you with a simple toolkit that you can use in your everyday practice. Alongside focused writing exercises, you will learn: the importance of breath work and how to calm your breathing; how reducing the mind chatter can help centre your writing focus; a fifteen second calming technique; visualisation guidance and advice; short and simple brain gym exercises. All levels welcome. Please bring a packed lunch.

Bernie McGill is the author of two novels: The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet and of a short story collection, Sleepwalkers. She has worked for twenty-five years as a creative writing facilitator, is a Writer in Schools with Poetry Ireland and a Professional Mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre. berniemcgill.com Michelle Gibb is a poet, life coach and yoga teacher whose work has been published locally by A New Ulster and nationally by United Press. She is qualified in kinesiology, hatha yoga and energy medicine and has been practicing yoga, mindfulness and meditation as well as facilitating groups for over ten years. michymodo.com

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Friday 14 September

Fired!

A Celebration of Women Writers Past and Present Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 7pm Free Event

Join us for a celebration of women’s poetry. A selection of poets will read from their own work, and from the work of some of the finest Irish women writers. This will be followed by a panel discussion featuring poet Katie Donovan, Chris Murray of Poethead and academic Alex Pryce, introduced and chaired by Dr Lucy Collins (University College Dublin) author of Poetry by Women in Ireland 1870-1970: A Critical Anthology (2012).

The Fired! movement recognised that many women poets had been forgotten and decided to bring them to public attention once more. Across Ireland, Fired! events raise awareness and revive the work of earlier generations of women writers.

In the true tradition of the hedge school, the Fired! movement hopes that we will all be inspired to discover more about the poetry and literary lives of some extraordinary women, past and present.

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Saturday 15 September

Women Aloud NI in the Not-So-Secret Garden Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 10.30am - 12.30pm Free Event Gardens have featured prominently in literature throughout time, captivating both writers and readers alike with their beauty and enchantment. Women Aloud NI invite you to join them in the wonderful surroundings of the Walled Garden for some familyfriendly tales, as their writers enthral you with garden-inspired stories and poems of their own creation. Will they include flower fairies, garden gremlins or pond pixies?

Quite possibly! Do come along and find out! Everyone is welcome because, let’s face it, you’re never too old for a magical tale.

Women Aloud NI is an initiative which aims to raise the profile of the women’s writing scene in Northern Ireland.

Illustration by Tarsila Krüse

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Saturday 15 September

Beneath Our Feet Mel McMahon Blackberry Path Art Studios 1-4pm (reading 2.30pm) Free Event Lurgan poet Mel McMahon will read from his new collection, poems written in commemoration of the English war poet Wilfrid Owen; 2018 marks the centenary of Owen’s death, which occurred a week before the Armistice in November 1918.

‘We need to be alert and awake to the needlessness of battle and a poet, like Owen, one of the supreme commentators on war, needs to be heard, I would love to see people discover or revisit his voice, because he has so much to say, and so much light to give.’ Mel McMahon Mel McMahon’s first collection Out of Breath was published by Summer Palace Press in 2016, and he was a co-founder with poet Adrian Rice of Abbey Press in 1997. His work has appeared widely in journals and anthologies and has been broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster. He has been short-listed for the Beehive International Poetry Prize and was a prize-winner in the FSNI International Poetry Competition (2015).

‘Here Mel McMahon, delicately and with considerable poetic tact, spans out a bridge between the loving, sparing, son and the clear eyed, savagely truthful poet. In McMahon’s shaping, “The shelled land shakes off/ Its dust of brief concussion”, and a measured, unexpected, voice comes clear of the clough.’ Theo Dorgan

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Saturday 15 September

In Search of Hope Bangor Castle 4pm Free Event – Registration Required From the pen of historian and dramatist Philip Orr comes In Search of Hope, a play which explores the impact of the Troubles on a married couple, one a police officer. With sparse staging, this play is at once moving, profound and still, at times, humorous.

As Orr explains: ‘The question of forgiveness is … addressed in the play along with the tests that the couple’s faith had to endure after the shooting. It’s a very closeup and intimate insight into how one couple endeavoured to wrestle with and make sense of everything that had gone on.’

The 35 minute play will be followed by a short discussion around the content and the artistic challenges of this kind of theatre.

Philip Orr’s books include The Road to the Somme (1987) and Field of Bones: An Irish Division at Gallipoli (2006). His play Halfway House was performed in 2016.

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The Bangor Book charts the incredible journey of writers from this area and includes an array of talent with links to, or a love for this part of the world. It will be available to purchase at the Festival book stall and North Down Museum.

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Saturday 15 September

Poetry Slam Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 7pm £5 Aspects Festival presents: The North Down Heat of the All Ireland Poetry Slam.

This dynamic, competitive event pits poet against poet.

They’re working against the clock and their peers, to showcase their original work.

Poets register at the start of the night, will be chosen at random and have three minutes to perform. Three judges will score the work and choose who goes through to the next round. The outright winner will be crowned ‘Aspects Poetry Slam Champion’!

The top two poets, from the Aspects Slam will join winners from other regional heats across Ulster in an All-Ulster final held in Enniskillen, 6th October, as part of Fermanagh Live 2018.

From there, two winners join six other poets from across Connacht, Leinster and Munster (date to be confirmed).

One poet will walk away with the prestigious crown of All Ireland Poetry Slam Champion.

Rules of Slam 1 Poems should not exceed three minutes 2 Pieces should be the poet’s own work 3 No props*, musical instruments 4 Poets should perform solo 5 There will be penalties/disqualification for non-adherence to the rules 6 Timing begins after the poet gives their name and title of the poem 7 Winning poets are required to attend Ulster Slam Championship heat in Enniskillen *Page/book to read poem from is acceptable Good luck to all.

This event will be hosted by Clare McWilliams, director of Articulate Art NI and will include special guest readers and judges. @Articulateartni aims to raise the profile of all NI artists whose work is articulate and can be heard out loud.

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Sunday 16 September

Yoga in the Yurt Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 9am £5 Yoga goes well beyond the general benefits that come from engaging the mind in a co-ordinated pumping of the muscles. It also claims to have a positive effect on our psychophysiology. Away from the self-centred, fear-based chemistry to a more serene, objective and fully present state of bodymind.

Join this open level yoga session with Gayle Keenan of Live.Love.Yoga to create space in your body for an open mind.

Please bring your own mat if you have one but if you don’t we can provide one. liveloveyogabangor.com

Sunday 16 September

Literary Sketch Walk with Marianne Kennerley The Walled Garden 2-4pm £5 Literary sketch walk around the Walled Garden, referencing local written words for inspiration. Some materials provided. All ages and abilities welcome.

This event will finish in time to join the afternoon of poetry in the Festival Yurt.

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Sunday 16 September

Power of Words Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 11am-1.30pm £10 (includes refreshments and handmade workshop journal) ‘The way you start your day determines how well you live your day.’ Robin Sharma ‘Start the day by asking yourself, what would be the greatest expression of myself I’d like to present to the world? Making the choice to get up only when you are that person begins to demonstrate greatness.’ Dr. Joe Dispenza Are you ready for greatness? A unique session showing you how to create and keep positive lifestyle habits using the power of words.

Whatever your preferred form of creative expression; visual, audio or kinaesthetic, whether your profession is in creative arts or not this interesting and informative session will give you practical tips and guidance on how to enhance creativity, increase the positive impact of words and reduce the negative.

This relaxed and interactive event will start with everyone making their own handmade journal, along with refreshments.

The session will discuss writing with coherence, free writing, the importance of gratitude and the impact of words. How do the words we use define us? How do words impact us physically and emotionally? Who is writing your story?

Learn how simple changes to words and habits can shift your mindset to create a happier, healthier and, ultimately, more relaxed and creative you.

P.S. Your new journal will be packed with handy hints and tips by the end of the session!

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Sunday 16 September

Power of Poetry Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 4pm £6 Pádraig O’Tuama Pádraig is a poet, theologian and group worker, who has worked with groups in Ireland, Britain, the US and Australia. With interests in storytelling, groupwork, theology and conflict, Pádraig lectures, leads retreats and writes both poetry and prose. His published works include In the Shelter (2015), Sorry for your Troubles (2013) and Readings from the Books of Exile (2012). He is currently the community leader of the Corrymeela Community.

Stephen Sexton Stephen Sexton’s poems have appeared in Granta, Poetry London, and Best British Poetry 2015. His pamphlet, Oils, published by The Emma Press in 2014, was the Poetry Book Society’s Winter Pamphlet Choice. He was the winner of the 2016 National Poetry Competition and the recipient of an ACES award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. In 2018 Stephen was one of seven poets presented with the Eric Gregory Award, for his collection The Animals, Moon. He teaches at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen’s University, where he completed a PhD in 2017.

Erin Halliday Erin Halliday studied English and Classical Studies at Queen’s University, taking her MA in Creative Writing there in 2004. After a brief career as a gardener she returned to Queen’s to complete a PhD in Creative Writing: Poetry, for which she researched aspects of ‘flux’ at work in Latin poetry of the Augustan Age, and modern translations of such. Erin was winner of the Simon Elvin Young Poets of 2000 and was awarded an ACES award from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Her collection, Pharmakon (2015) and her pamphlet, Chrysalis (2012) are both published

by Templar.

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Sunday 16 September

Pop-Up Supper Club in the Festival Yurt Festival Yurt The Walled Garden 7.30pm £20 What better way to conclude the Yurt Weekend than to have a meal in this unique space. For one night only, the Festival Yurt will host its very own feast! An evening for the senses, this atmospheric experience will be one to remember.

Food will be created by Kim Close, who will be preparing a sharing table with the theme ‘Good Mood Food’. Expect vibrant, delicious food that just happens to be good for your mind, body and soul!

A qualified lecturer, Kim set up her own business several years ago and believes whole-heartedly that the impact of good food and eating with others can have a profound impact on mood and good mental health. She has recently set up The Kitchen Social – a cookery school with a difference – and will be bringing cookery classes for adults and children, nutrition education, culinary medicine courses and so much more to North Down.

Everyone is invited to bring along their favourite quote, poem or paragraph to read.

At intervals guests will be invited to share these, if you wish, or just sit back and enjoy.

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Wednesday 19 September

Both Sides North Down Museum 8pm £12 Both Sides is an intriguing and atmospheric play by Jane Coyle, writer and dramatist of The Suitcase, winner of the Audience Award at the Belfast International Arts Festival in 2015, and The Lantern Man 2016. Her monologue Farm Girl was written for Holocaust Memorial Day 2017, and also read for International Women’s Day. A young woman sits in a Paris café watching the life of the street unfold. Every passer–by seems to have a troubling story. She has one too. Is it about to be revealed?

A glamorous older woman sits in a bar in Nice, observing her fellow drinkers. She looks back on a colourful, turbulent life and a loss too painful to bear.

Hannah Coyle and Libby Smyth play Stella and Estelle. Two women, two lives, two stories. In two interlocking monologues, inspired by the works of Samuel Beckett, the connection between them is made.

Director: Rhiann Jeffrey.

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Thursday 20 September

Maggie O’Farrell Bangor Castle 8pm £10 We’re delighted to welcome Maggie O’Farrell. The Northern Ireland writer is the author of seven best-selling novels, After You’d Gone, My Lover’s Lover, The Distance Between Us, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, The Hand That First Held Mine, Instructions for a Heatwave, and This Must Be the Place. She has won both a Somerset Maugham Award (2005) and the Costa Novel Award (2010). Her memoir I Am, I Am, I Am. Seventeen Brushes With Death was published this year and was nominated as a book of the year in The Sunday Times, The Times, The Guardian, Irish Times, Observer, Red and The Telegraph.

‘You don’t necessarily choose the books you write; they choose you, in a way. Sometimes one arrives when you are least expecting it, a bit like an unplanned pregnancy. This book was very much like that. It just sort of appeared in the backs of my diaries.

But I had huge trepidations about publishing it. I only let my publisher give me a £1 advance in case I changed my mind.’ Maggie O’Farrell talking about I am, I am, I am.

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Saturday 22 September

Judging A Book By Its Cover

Graphic design in the world of publishing Studio 1A 2pm £7 In this richly illustrated talk, Richard Weston will explore the creative relationship between the worlds of publishing and graphic design, focussing in particular on Penguin Books. From the outset in the 1930s Penguin considered design to be vital to their identity and success. The publishing world’s rich tradition of investing in graphic design really began in earnest at the start of the 1960s. Design and illustration became essential in creating a sense of cohesion and continuity across books with common themes or authors. Richard will consider the influence and impact of publishing on the world of graphic design, and visa versa, and invites you to linger with him over some of his favourite designers and illustrators.

Richard has been a graphic designer for more years than he cares to remember.

He is head of branding and marketing at Tandem Design. He also blogs, writes and lectures on design. acejet170.com

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Saturday 22 September

Rise Above!

The Letters of Tyrone Guthrie with Christopher Fitz-Simon Bangor Castle 4pm £7 Sir Tyrone Guthrie was one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished and brilliant theatre directors. He was also a prolific correspondent. Those letters to the women in his life – his mother, his sister and his wife – give us a particularly intimate insight into the theatrical world which he inhabited. They are filled with stories of stars from a world now faded, such as the Oliviers, Alec Guinness, Charles Laughton, Benjamin Britten, and Siobhán McKenna. Witty, warm and critical in equal measure, Guthrie’s letters also reflect on Northern Ireland and its cultural landscape.

Christopher Fitz-Simon will bring us into this world with readings from Guthrie’s correspondence, touching on the early days of broadcasting in Belfast, his time with the Ulster Group Theatre, the Ulster Festival Company and the Grand Opera House, and his controversial period in the 1960s as chancellor of Queen’s University, Belfast.

Christopher Fitz-Simon – who attended preparatory school in Bangor – was one of the earliest Irish television drama directors in the 1960s. He became Literary Manager of the Abbey Theatre having been Artistic Director of the Irish Theatre Company and of the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.

His other publications include The Boys, a biography of Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLíammóir; Eleven Houses, a childhood memoir, and Buffoonery and Easy Sentiment, a re-evaluation of popular 19th century Irish theatre.

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Saturday 22 September

Crime in the Castle Location, Location, Location!

With Brian McGilloway, Simon Maltman and Gerard Brennan Bangor Castle 7pm £8 Spend an evening with three ‘Ulster Noir’ writers as they discuss and read from their work. How important is location in crime fiction novels?

Brian has set his Devlin series in the borderlands between north and south. Gerard has used specific local locations such as West Belfast for his novel Wee Rockets.

Simon often features North Down in his books and will read from his most recent novel, A Kill for the Poet, in part set here within Bangor Castle.

Brian McGilloway is author of the critically acclaimed Inspector Benedict Devlin Mysteries and Lucy Black series. He is a New York Times Bestseller, shortlisted for many awards, such as Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. He lives in the borderlands.

Simon Maltman is an Amazon Bestselling author of novels, novellas and short stories. His most recent novel is A Kill for the Poet, released by Solstice Publishing.

He lives in Bangor.

Gerard Brennan is a Spinetingler award winning author of novels, novellas and short stories. His most recent novel is Disorder, released by No Alibis Press. He lives in Dundrum.

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Sunday 23 September

Reporting the Troubles With Deric Henderson and Ivan Little Bangor Castle 4pm ÂŁ10 Reporting the Troubles chronicles the Troubles from the personal perspective of journalists who were on the ground. In a period when Northern Ireland was rarely out of the news, these were the people witnessing and reporting on challenging times. This remarkable book, with over sixty stories, spans the thirty-year conflict, from the day in 1968 that violence erupted on Duke Street in Derry, to the Good Friday Agreement and the Omagh bomb.

Deric Henderson is the former Ireland editor of the Press Association, the national news agency for the UK and Ireland. He previously worked for the Belfast Telegraph after beginning his career with the Tyrone Constitution in his home town of Omagh.

He is the author of the best-selling book, Let This Be Our Secret, on which the award winning ITV series, The Secret, was based. He is a former winner of Northern Ireland Journalist of the Year.

He is married with two sons and lives in Belfast.

Ivan Little started his reporting career with the Portadown Times and went on to work in the news and features departments of the Belfast Telegraph.

A move into broadcasting took him to Downtown Radio, where he was news editor, and then on to Ulster Television (UTV) in 1980, where he worked for twenty-nine years, and during which time he also worked extensively for ITN. He left in 2009 and is now an award-winning freelance writer and columnist and an acclaimed actor.

His autobiography, Little by Little, was published in 2005.

Ivan and Deric will be joined by invited guests as part of the event.

Reporting the Troubles Journalists tell their stories of the Northern Ireland conflict

Compiled by D E R IC H E N D E R SON AN D IVAN LITTLE

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Friday 28 September

The Kiss of Light

Poems and Music from Frank Ormsby, Anthony Toner and Neil Martin Bangor Castle 8pm £10 Acclaimed poet Frank Ormsby makes an appearance at Aspects Festival, in the company of two of Northern Ireland’s foremost musicians: songwriter Anthony Toner and composer Neil Martin.

All three were collaborators on the acclaimed CD The Kiss of Light, released earlier this year and featuring poems read by Frank and instrumentals composed by Anthony and featuring Neil on cello and Linley Hamilton on trumpet. Three of the four are reunited for this special evening of poetry, stories and music.

The evening will feature readings from Frank – by turns profoundly moving and laugh-out-loud funny – and a selection of cello and guitar instrumentals from the Kiss of Light project, as well as songs from Anthony’s extensive back catalogue, and some gorgeous solo cello pieces and stories from Neil Martin. All of this laced with the kind of easy on stage rapport you can expect from these friends and welltravelled artists.

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Young

A weekend of family-friendly creative events to inspire young imaginations

25-30 September

‘Once Upon a Time’ Walkabout North Down Museum Tuesday to Saturday 10am–4.30pm and Sunday 12–4.30pm All ages Free Collect your story map at the reception of North Down Museum and follow our mystery tale as you journey on foot through Bangor’s favourite sights. From forests to fountains, you’ll be surprised by all that you’ll imagine as you trace the trail and read the story aloud. Once you’ve finished your story map, you’ll be back at the museum where a reward is waiting for you!

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Young

A weekend of family-friendly creative events to inspire young imaginations

Friday 28 September

Reading With Your Little One Bangor Carnegie Library 10.30am – 11.30am Suitable for 0-2 years Free Event – Booking Essential We all know reading to babies is important for their listening skills, vocabulary, understanding and hand to eye co-ordination, so join us to be inspired with your little one! Gain confidence and enjoy reading to them in this relaxed workshop where we will give you advice on techniques for reading, the best books to choose for babies and how to get them interested from their early months. You’ll get the chance to explore a large selection of baby books in Bangor’s Carnegie Library and practise your new skills with your baby.

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Friday 28 September

Friday 28 September

Book-inspired Yoga Session

Tablets and Text

David Williams The First Hippo on the Moon!

Boom! Studios 3pm ÂŁ6 Two big Hippos one big dream, 3 2 1 Blast Off. We will be bringing this book to life using yoga postures, movement, breathing exercises, meditation and above all a bit of fun.

This group is suitable for children aged 4 - 7 years, parent accompanied.

Boom! Studios 6.30pm ÂŁ6 Ages 8+ years Join digital artist Graham Ginty to create a unique audio visual story mash up using books, words, animation, digital film, sound recording and drawing, which will culminate in a short video piece written, filmed, recorded and edited by the participants. No experience is required and equipment is provided, all you need is handful of words and a big creative brain.

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Young

A weekend of family-friendly creative events to inspire young imaginations

Saturday 29 September

Saturday 29 September

Sensory Story Experience:

The Snail on the Tail of a Whale

Junior Illustrators Workshop

Bangor Carnegie Library 10.15-11.15am Suitable for 1-4 years £8 – Booking Essential

Bangor Carnegie Library 12noon-1pm Suitable for 4-6 years £5 – Booking Essential

Gather round to hear the story of The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo) read aloud, then explore a room full of sensory stations provided

by Creative Natives. You’ll be taking a tour around the world just like the snail on the whale’s tail. Your little folk will get stuck into all the exciting textures, sights, sounds and smells of the interesting places they visit.

Dress casual and comfy, all the best adventures are a bit messy!

Led by experienced artists, this introduction to drawing will give children the chance to create their favourite characters with line by line guidance.

They’ll get to play with scale, colour and texture while getting free reign of exciting materials. You’ll be impressed with what wonderful work your budding artists will produce!

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Saturday 29 September

Sunday 30 September

Original Comic Creation Workshop

Autism Friendly Story Telling Morning

with Jim Lavery, Illustrator for Pendragon Suitable for 7 years+ Bangor Carnegie Library 2-4pm £6 – Booking Essential Learn the professional methods of creating comics with the direction of experienced writer and illustrator, Jim Lavery. In the space of The Curve Gallery at Bangor’s Carnegie Library, this workshop involves creating unique themes and building your own visual story. Young people will make a comic strip which they can take away and develop further.

Suitable for 4 years+ North Down Museum 11am-12noon Free Event – Booking Essential This relaxed story telling morning will be tailored specifically for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In the museum our storyteller will provide entertainment and playful education for families as they enjoy a ‘once upon a time’ experience together.

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Young

A weekend of family-friendly creative events to inspire young imaginations

Sunday 30 September

Children’s Workshops with Myra Zepf Children’s Writing Fellow for NI North Down Museum

2-3pm Rita wants a Robot

3-4pm Writing Dragons

Suitable for 4-6 years £6 – Booking Essential

Suitable for 7-12 years £6 – Booking Essential

Rita wants a Robot, would you like one too?! Children will be inspired to dress up and play in this entertaining workshop reading the Rita wants a Robot picture book. Suitable for young children who enjoy stories and fun!

Fire up young imaginations with this exciting creative writing workshop full of dragon themed props and story writing tools. Young writers will go home with new skills and their own original story developed with the expert guidance of professional writer, Myra Zepf.

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Sunday 30 September – Aspects Closing Event

The Bangor Literary Journal launch Blackberry Path Art Studios 3pm Free Event The Bangor Literary Journal is a bimonthly online literary journal which showcases outstanding poetry, flash fiction and artwork from established and emerging writers and artists. The journal is run by Amy Louise Wyatt and Paul Daniel Rafferty.

Come and celebrate the launch of issue five of The Bangor Literary Journal with readings by writers featured in the latest issue reading around the theme of Aspects.

The first Bangor Literary Journal launched online on 28 February 2018. Link to the website, where you can download all of the issues for free: thebangorliteraryjournal.com

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Booking Information Book online at aspectsfestival.com Or in person at North Down Museum 028 9127 1200 Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4.30pm Sunday 12noon – 4.30pm Mondays in August: 10am – 4.30pm Ards Arts Centre 028 9181 0803 Monday - Thursday 9am – 5pm Friday 9am – 4.30pm Saturday 10am – 4pm Tickets can be purchased from all Ards and North Down Visitor Information Centres.

Refund Policy Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded, so please check them as soon as you receive them.

Access for Disabled Patrons We welcome disabled patrons, but would appreciate knowing your requirements in advance.

All events were correct at the time of going to print.

Aspects Festival reserves the right to make alterations if necessary.

No photography/recording of events. ardsandnorthdownboroughcouncil

aspectsfestival