Folkestone Book Festival 2015 Brochure by Ioannis Ioannou

20 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 29 November 2015 www.folkestonebookfest.com

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Creative Partner

Welcome to the Folkestone Book Festival 2015 My favourite moment of a book festival is always the end. This is not because I can sigh with relief that the event has finished but because it is only then that I can see the journey I have travelled over the ten days and feel, at its peak, the bond I have with my fellow travellers.

This year’s Book Festival opens with Louis de Bernieres switching on the Christmas Lights. Once again you are invited to gather in the glowing warmth of the Quarterhouse to listen to stories and join in discussions, laugh, empathise and reflect.

Festivals are made not by a collection of singular events but by accumulated shared experiences. This happens via collaboration amongst the audience and the many people who give vision, ideas, finances, along with their time and the many talks.

A glittering array of speakers has responded to our invitation: Mark Billingham, Melvyn Bragg, Wendy Cope, Jonathan Dimbleby, HRH Princess Michael of Kent, Tony Juniper, Deborah Moggach, Tracey Thorn, Lynne Truss, Terry Wogan, and many more. We are delighted to work with our new partners, Canterbury Christ Church University.

I’m delighted that this year the festival is sponsored by Church & Dwight, the personal care company, whose European headquarters and factory are based in Folkestone. Their support shows their commitment to the town and its community, especially the younger generation.

Festival supporters Church & Dwight

Take advantage of our great pricing offers! Early Bird Purchase your tickets before and inclusive of Sunday 27 September 2015 and benefit from reduced prices. Tickets purchased during this period will be either £5 or £7. Concession/Friends and group bookings discounts (see below) will not apply for this period.

Church & Dwight is a global personal care company that manufactures and distributes well-known brands such as Batiste Dry Shampoo, Arm & Hammer Toothpaste, Pearl Drops Specialist Whitening and Nair Hair Remover from its European headquarters right here in Folkestone.

Group bookings For those of you who want to purchase quite a few tickets we have put together a great offer! Purchase more than 6 full adult rate, Concession/ Friends tickets for any Book Festival events and receive a 10% discount on the final price. To benefit from this offer please call Box Office on 01303 760750. This offer doesn’t apply to free events.

As the biggest manufacturers in Folkestone, Church and Dwight UK Ltd drive growth through innovation and forward thinking. They are also proud to be able to help develop this within their community, by supporting ideas and projects that help contribute to the regeneration in the local area.

Concessions Concessionary rates will apply where stated to under 21s, full time students, registered unemployed and registered disabled. Just show us a proof of status!

Come and discover new writers from the community, bring the kids, journey into the past, go on a Trollope marathon, join our armchair tour of Italy, celebrate ageing gracefully, be mindful, but above all enjoy!

I’m also very pleased that we have linked with Canterbury Christ Church University who are now our creative partner, understanding as they do, that books, ideas and debates come from stories that must be created.

Folkestone Book Festival Pass Enjoy unlimited access to all Book Festival events for only £100. You can purchase your Festival Pass for only £90 during the Early Bird period (see above). To purchase your Book Festival Pass please contact Box Office on 01303 760750. You must still book your seat for the events you intend to attend.

Geraldine D’Amico Curator, Folkestone Book Festival

Weekend Day Ticket For the first time we are introducing a weekend day ticket for £30 for Saturdays and Sundays (21, 22, 28 & 29 Nov) for those of you who want to attend all of the events on each of these 4 busy days of the festival. This offer is not available during the Early Bird period. You must still book your seat for the events you intend to attend.

The reason we have a book festival is very simple. We love stories, ideas, writing and reading. We desperately want to pass on this love to the next generation. To do this we have free schools events. Perhaps you would like to support these by making a small, additional donation when you buy your tickets, and so help to ensure that in the future there will be young people sharing and hearing their stories.

Support our Schools Programme Every time you book your tickets online, over the phone or in person, please donate towards our programme of events for schools. Your support will ensure that we continue to offer these events for free to all primary schools.

I look forward to seeing you in November. Alastair Upton Chief Executive, Creative Foundation Box Office 01303 760750

www.folkestonebookfest.com

Friday 20 November FICTION

Louis de Bernières: The Dust that Falls from Dreams The author of the unforgettable Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Birds Without Wings opens the festival. The Dust that Falls from Dreams spans the brief golden years of King Edward VII’s reign to the aftermath of WW1. The McCosh sisters’ childhood adventures in Kent are shadowed by the approach of war that will engulf them on the cusp of adulthood. The chapter set in Folkestone is one of the most moving passages in the book. Louis de Bernières’ magnificent and moving novel follows the lives of an unforgettable cast of characters as they strike out to seek what happiness can be built from the ruins of the old world. 7.00pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8 What better way to start this year’s Folkestone Book Festival than ushering in the festive season with an evening of light, song, cheer and shopping! We are thrilled that award-winning writer Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, will be turning on the Christmas lights in Folkestone’s Creative Quarter this year, bathing The Old High Street in festive illuminations as we build up to the big day! There will be a lantern procession, carol singing and live music, guaranteed to get the merriment kickstarted. All Creative Quarter shops will have later opening hours, providing the perfect opportunity to pick-up that gift for someone special, and local shops will also be wowing the crowds with their entries for the annual Xmas window display competition. Be sure to vote for your favourite! Join us for this thoroughly joyous evening. 5.30pm / Meet at the top of The Old High Street

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Box Office 01303 760750

Saturday 21 November LOCAL TALENTS

building tension and intrigue. Bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers Erin Kelly (Broadchurch: The Novel, The Poison Tree) and MJ McGrath (White Heat, The Boneseeker) guide you through the basics and offer invaluable advice on getting published. 11.00am to 1.00pm / Quarterhouse / £15 / Friends & concessions £12

PSYCHOLOGY

Quarters Four local authors are given 15 minutes each to present their work: they may read, explain their writing journey, and take questions. Paul Franklin on his children’s book set in Folkestone, Sally Aviss on her WW2 historical novel, John Hendy on Folkestone and the Continent, and Ray Hollands on photographing the coast. 11.00am / Quarterhouse / £5

Mindfulness Linda Blair is a clinical psychologist, a Chartered Scientist, and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She’s written regular advice columns in The Guardian and The Times and in Psychologies magazine, and she is the author of four books. In her talk on Mindfulness, Linda will explain the difference between ‘doing mindfulness’ and ‘being mindful’, and how being mindful is the first step to regaining a sense of calm and inner balance. She will then describe the five step programme in her latest book The Key to Calm, and explain why it presents a realistic, effective, and inviting way to deal with the stresses that we all face in today’s world. 1.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

CREATIVE WRITING

Crime Writing Masterclass in association with Killer Women For all aspiring crime writers - male and female this is the perfect introduction to creating gripping plots, characters that jump off the page and 5

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Saturday 21 November FICTION

Crime Without Borders What made The Bridge and its Folkestone-set remake The Tunnel such a phenomenal success? Acclaimed crime writers (and Killer Women members) Erin Kelly, MJ McGrath and Louise Millar unpick the appeal of crossborder crime and offer insights into the rise of international crime, both real and fictional. 2.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

POETRY

Wendy Cope A slightly seditious but seriously good ironic moan about life’s little irritations. Wendy reads a hilariously dissatisfied set either side of a nice tea break followed by a question and answer session and a book signing. At times sharp and punchy, at times soft and Box Office 01303 760750

contemplative, Wendy charms and amuses her audience with her poetry. 4.00pm / Quarterhouse /£10 / Friends & concessions £8 Sponsored by the Friends of the Book Festival

Sunday 22 November HUMOUR

PSYCHOLOGY

Lynne Truss Nathan Filer & Matt Haig Nathan Filer and Matt Haig discuss mental illness, resilience and making the most of our time on earth. A talk that should be prescribed by your GP! Nathan Filer is a psychiatric nurse and performance poet who won the Costa Book of the Year in 2013 (among other prizes) for the Shock of the Fall, the moving and wonderful story of a boy dealing with the death of his brother and his own schizophrenia. Matt Haig is the award-winning author of novels, screenplays and children’s books. In his latest book -Reasons to Stay Alive- he shares his experience of depression. 6.00pm / Quarterhouse /£7 / Friends & concessions £6 6

Do join the author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves for an evening of wit, humour and sheer pleasure. Lynn Truss reads from some of her monologues “written for the ear” in the best Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads’ tradition. She describes them as “the purest means of delivering a threedimensional dramatic character, while also being one of the most difficult ways of delivering a plot.” She will also, most seasonally, share some of her replies to Christmas Newsletters. 7.30pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8

CREATIVE WRITING

HISTORY

20 minute one-on-ones offered by tutors from Canterbury Christ Church University. Work should be emailed in advance, and be no more than 1000 words or three poems. Sign up is essential. Email katherine.may@canterbury.ac.uk 10.00 am to 6.00 pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8

Thousands of route-miles fenced off from the rest of the country, Simon Bradley explores the landscape of the railways, the trains and the passengers who pass through it. Bradley weaves a remarkable story of technological change, of architecture and engineering, of shifting social classes, gender relations and public health, of tourism and the changing world of work, showing us that to travel through Britain by train is to travel through time as well as space. 12.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

Writing Clinics

Simon Bradley on the Railways

LOCAL TALENTS

Quarters Retired police officer Kevan Jones on his thrillers, Jane Taylor on her WW1 novel, Pavement Pounders on Transitions and Colette Kebell on going from fashionista to novelist. 11.00am / Quaterhouse / £5

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Sunday 22 November ENVIRONMENT

Beautiful Britain with Tom Fort and the Reverend Peter Owen Jones Tom Fort, the author of Channel Shore, recounts his journey on a bicycle along the English Channel shoreline from Dover to Land’s End and reflects on the importance of this stretch of coast on the English and the English psyche. The Reverend Peter Owen Jones has walked the length and breadth of the British Isles. He collected 21 of his favourite circular walks in Pathlands and shares his thoughts on the experience and the transformative experience of walking. 2.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

POLITICS

King Charles III? Catherine Mayer’s biography of Prince Charles generated worldwide headlines with its claims of dysfunction in the royal courts. Her book was facilitated if not authorised by Clarence House. Mayer describes herself as “a republican who’s reluctantly come to think that the monarchy’s quite useful.” She tells us why she found Charles interesting, someone who wants to be taken seriously as a thinker not just a hereditary figurehead. There will be plenty of time to discuss whether Charles will, can and should be Britain’s future king. Catherine Mayer is also the co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party. 4.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

Box Office 01303 760750

Sunday 22 November ENVIRONMENT

What Nature Does for Britain From the woodlands that help to secure our water supply, to the bees and soils that produce most of the food we eat, Britain is rich in ‘natural capital’. Yet we take supplies of clean water and secure food for granted. In fact for years we have damaged the systems that sustain us under the illusion that we are keeping prices down, through intensive farming, drainage of bogs, clearing forests and turning rivers into canals. However, the ways in which we meet our needs often doesn’t make economic sense. Tony Juniper reveals how nature sustains our health, wealth and security and illustrates how we do have the money to conserve and restore the natural systems we rely upon, if only it was spent in more rational and efficient ways. Tony Juniper is a campaigner, writer, sustainability advisor, leading British environmentalist, and former director and vice chair of Friends of the Earth. 5.30pm Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

PARTICIPATE

Friends of the Book Festival Quiz Come and enjoy our Annual Quiz – a little literary knowledge and lots of general knowledge are all you need. Teams can be no more than 6 people but don’t worry if you are on your own, you can join with others. 7.30pm / Quarterhouse Bar / £5

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Monday 23 November PSYCHOLOGY

The Second Half of Your Life After a career in journalism, finance and in the arts, Jill Shaw Ruddock wrote the inspirational The Second Half of Your Life. The FT described it as, “The book that encourages you to get off your oestrogenfree backside and grab life with both hands.” She is the founder of The Second Half Foundation aiming at creating community hubs to tackle social isolation and templates for positive ageing. She will tell us how to make the most of and enjoy life after 50. 1.00pm / Quarterhouse /£7 / Friends & concessions £6

This at times hilarious, at times moving documentary examines the lives of seven unique New Yorkers aged 62 to 95 whose eclectic personal style and vital spirit are challenging conventional ideas about beauty and Western culture’s obsession with youth. 2.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6 / Running time 72 mins

Box Office 01303 760750

SCHOOLS EVENT

FICTION/HISTORY

POLITICS

The Maths Show with Kjartan Poskitt

HRH Princess Michael of Kent on Quicksilver

A Bloody Journey into the World of the Gun

Princess Michael talks about the final volume of her Anjou Trilogy, the fascinating story of fifteenth century merchant Jacques Coeur, his patroness Yolande, Queen of the Four Kingdoms and the captivating Agnes Sorel. Meticulously researched and powerfully evoked, HRH Princess Michael of Kent unveils a seldom told story, enriched by her own insider’s perspective of royal life. 4.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

Every minute, of every day, someone, somewhere is shot. The gun’s impact is longreaching and often hidden. And it doesn’t just involve the dead, the wounded, the suicidal and the mourning. It involves us all. Find out why. Iain Overton is Director of Investigations at the London-based charity Action on Armed Violence and an award-winning investigative journalist who has worked in over eighty countries around the world. 6.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

www.folkestonebookfest.com

SPORT

Sport Unwrapped Sunspots

Director Lina Plioplyte, Writer Ari Cohen

film and songs that vary in style from the infectiously ‘poppy’ to the broodingly intense. 7.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

POETRY

FILM

Advanced Style

Tuesday 24 November

Is the Sun a god, a man, a woman, or simply a giant ball of hydrogen? Is the Sun afraid of dying? Does it get depressed? And what does it really think about us, and the solar system it is bound to care for? Sunspots is a poetic, musical, and visual journey from the birth of the Sun, through its long and eventful life, towards its ultimate death. Simon Barraclough is your guide on a journey that mixes fact, fiction, horror, humour and joy, words, 10

Brian Scovell – Daily Mail’s former cricket and football writer and author of 26 books – takes the lid off the many shady characters he’s worked with in his distinguished career, starting with Sepp Blatter and also his sporting heroes like Denis Compton, Gary Sobers, Brian Lara, Stanley Matthews, Bobby Robson, Bill Nicholson, Bobby Moore and many more. 7.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

In this most entertaining event, Kjartan will perform a variety of features from his Murderous Maths books including flexagons, magic squares and strange number facts, knots, tricks and amazing number predictions. There will be lots of audience participation and no time to be bored! 11.30am & 1.30pm / Quarterhouse / Schools only (Years 5 & 6) Sponsored by

Tuesday 24 November HISTORY

PARTICIPATE

Jonathan Dimbleby: The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War Jonathan Dimbleby tells the gripping tale of the campaign that ultimately determined the outcome of the Second World War, the epic story of the decisions that led to victory, and the horror humanity endured in those perilous seas.

Gates to the Glorious and Unknown! A Victorian Adventure by Train

The Battle of the Atlantic was crucial to the Allied victory. If the German U-boats had prevailed, the maritime artery across the Atlantic would have been severed. Mass hunger would have consumed Britain, and the Allied armies would have been prevented from joining in the invasion of Europe.

Join researchers from Canterbury Christ Church University for an intriguing rail and walking tour of this historic stretch of the Kent coastline. Your heroine, Lucy, will take you back through time to uncover the social, political and literary impact of the Victorians and their great invention, the train. Her journey will take you from imperial certainty to World War; from the popular sensation novel to the bleak landscapes of modernism. Based on the digital research project glorious-and-unknown.co.uk Time to be confirmed / Convene outside Folkestone Station / £7 / Friends & concessions £6 / Travel will be by rail and on foot – please wear sensible footwear and allow 2½ hours to complete this tour

Jonathan Dimbleby has chaired Any Questions? since 1987. He has made documentaries about Ethiopia, Kosovo and fronted several documentaries on Russia, Africa and South America. His book Destiny in the Desert: The Story Behind El Alamein inspired a television programme. He is chair of Dimbleby Cancer Care. 7.30pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8

Box Office 01303 760750

Wednesday 25 November

SCHOOLS EVENT

Jane Elson: Overcoming Difficulties Jane Elson talks about overcoming difficulties. She knows quite a bit about it: growing up dyslexic, being sent to stay on her grandfather’s farm when her mother was taken seriously ill and hating school but loving stories. A trained actress with a passion for improvisation, her talk is sure to be fun and inspiring. Meet the author of A Room Full of Chocolate, inspired by her childhood on the farm, and How To Fly with Broken Wings about a boy with Aspergers, a beautiful story about friendship. 11.30am & 1.30pm / Quarterhouse / Schools only (Years 5 & 6)

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COMPETITION

Folkestone Writers Short Story Competition Prize There will be readings of the winning stories, and you will be able to purchase copies of the Folkestone 2015 Anthology. To take part in the competition, visit www.folkestonewriters. com. Deadline 31 October. 3.00pm / Sunflower House, 45 Foord Rd, CT19 5AE / Free 13

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Wednesday 25 November Italian Evening with food provided by Ampersand Cafe

Trollope Bicentenary Celebrations

HISTORY

Marathon screening of the BBC adaptation of The Way We Live Now, the book festival read, followed by a discussion with Peter Merchant.

The Italian Renaissance Leading Renaissance scholar Virginia Cox unveils a new vision of an iconic moment in European culture in her A Short History of the Italian Renaissance, the first book on the period to give ‘Renaissance woman’ her true place alongside ‘Renaissance man’. The book covers artistic, literary and intellectual history, but also the histories of food and fashion, map-making, exploration, and anatomy, bringing out what was most novel and vital in an era often seen as the crucible of the modern world. 6.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

CULTURE

An Italian Journey with Alessandro Gallenzi, Franca Simpson, Claudia Roden and Lennox Morrison Why do we all love Italy? Which Italian writers should you read? Discover the incredible diversity of its food, language and culture. Writer and publisher Alessandro Gallenzi, translator Franca Simpson and cookbook writer extraordinaire Claudia Roden share their passion for Italian culture on this delicious grand tour. 7.30pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8 / Includes nibbles

Box Office 01303 760750

Thursday 26 November

FILM

The Way We Live Now Trollope’s 1875 tale of Augustus Melmotte (David Suchet), a great financier’s fraudulent machinations in the railway business, and his daughter’s ill-use at the hands of a grasping lover is a classic in the literature of money. 11.00am – Parts 1 & 2 2.00 pm – Parts 3 & 4 4.30 pm – Part 5 Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

FICTION

Trollope Revisited Peter Merchant, principal lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, tells us why Trollope still matters and why his acute and ironic depictions of his time still make him one of the greatest 19th century novelists. 6.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

www.folkestonebookfest.com

Thursday 26 November

Friday 27 November

FICTION / HISTORY

ART

Melvyn Bragg: Now is the Time

Julian Bell on Representing Genesis.

The great polymath, broadcaster, author of thirty books, soul-baring novels as well as erudite non-fiction, Lord Bragg tells us about his thrilling fictional recreation of the biggest rebellion in English history, the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.

In this illustrated talk, artist Julian Bell speaks about Genesis, his bold new series of paintings. What does it mean to paint from ancient scripture in 2015? Renowned also for his art criticism, Julian will put his project in the contexts of contemporary painting and of our wider religious and literary culture. Julian Bell is the son of art historian and author Quentin Bell, the grandson of artist Vanessa Bell and the great-nephew of author Virginia Woolf. 1.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

HISTORY

In this gripping novel, Melvyn Bragg brings an extraordinary episode in English history to fresh urgent life on both a grand and intimate scale, vividly portraying its central figures. It is an archetypal tale of an epic struggle between the powerful and the apparently powerless. 7.30pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8

The Man Behind the Legend: Marc Morris on King John

Delicious Food for Thought! Follies, a Folkestone-based café (133 Sandgate Road) infused with an antique shop, will be taking over the Quarterhouse kitchen and will be providing an eclectic array of delicacies for the duration of this year’s Book Festival.

King John is familiar to everyone as the villain from the tales of Robin Hood - greedy, cowardly, despicable and cruel. But who was the man behind the legend? Was he truly a monster, or a capable ruler cursed by ill luck? In this talk historian Marc Morris will examine John’s career and character and assess the King’s actions against the standards of his own age. Drawing on contemporary chronicles and the King’s own letters, Marc aims to bring the real John vividly to life. 3.00pm / QH / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

There will be flat bread pizzas with an assortment of toppings, banh-mi sandwiches, a selection of soups, Lebanese lamb, Persian vegetarian dishes, Italian cheese boards, antipasti platters, and for those with a sweet tooth, a selection of cakes will be available. A wonderful combination of great food and fantastic Book Festival speakers, you will certainly not be disappointed.

Box Office 01303 760750

www.folkestonebookfest.com

Friday 27 November

Saturday 28 November

FICTION

Deborah Moggach: Something to Hide Deborah Moggach, the author of Tulip Fever and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, comes back to the festival to talk about her ‘unputdownable’ latest novel. Set in London, Texas, China and Africa, Something to Hide deals, among many other things, with friendship, loneliness, love, secrets and betrayal. An hour may not be enough to discuss it all! 6.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

FICTION

Terry Wogan National treasure Terry Wogan tells us about his first foray into fiction with this wonderful collection of stories of love, loss and friendship. Sir Terry Wogan’s stellar career in TV and radio has spanned 40 years. His thrice-weekly live chat show attracted TV audiences of many millions and ran for a successful eight years. His morning Breakfast show on Radio 2 won a host of broadcasting awards, and a regular recordbreaking audience of over 8 million every day. He currently hosts Radio 2’s Sunday Weekend Wogan. He is also well-known for presenting the BBC’s Children in Need, which has raised almost a billion pounds over the past 35 years. 7.30pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8 Sponsored by

Box Office 01303 760750

KIDS

CREATIVE WRITING

Wimpy Kid

The Digital Guerrilla: Online storytelling in unexpected places

A must for all Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans and great family entertainment. Host Alastair Watson brings the books to life with fun activities including The Wimpy Kid Draw-Along and The Wimp Wars Quiz. The event also includes exclusive clips of author Jeff Kinney talking about the books, his involvement in the films and how he draws the characters. 11.00am / Qaurterhouse / Adults £6 / Children £5 / Family £20 (2 adults, 2 children) / Suitable for 8+

The blog is a closed space – it’s time to give our stories some air! Katherine May, Lecturer in Creative & Professional Writing at Canterbury Christ Church University, will induct you into the guerrilla force. In this workshop, you will discover what makes a great digital story, post your own guerrilla tale, consider the ethics of this form of writing, and learn how to share it. A laptop or tablet that can connect to the internet is essential / 11.00am to 1.00pm / Quarterhouse upstairs / £15 / Friends & concessions £12 (limited to 20 people)

LOCAL TALENTS

Quarters Andrew Buller on his children’s book series, Donald Hounam on his teenage wizard, Denis Pepper on saints and historical fiction and Helen Howard, first Snail Sommelier. 11.00am / Folkestone Library / £5 19

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Saturday 28 November MEMOIR

Mark Ellen in conversation with Mark Billingham Mark Ellen interviews the amazingly versatile Mark Billingham. The TV writer, stand-up comedian and crime novelist, whose books featuring London-based detective Tom Thorne, as well as his stand-alone novels, have been commercially and critically acclaimed. They will also talk about Billingham’s collaboration with the country band My Darling Clementine. 12.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

KIDS

Dino Show Created from the bestselling The Dinosaur That Pooped picture book series, host Alastair Watson brings the books to life with help from The Dinosaur himself! An interactive, fun event that includes dinosaur impressions, live drawing, a Dinosaur rhyme, video clips and gross games like Guess Poo. WARNING CONTAINS DINOSAUR POO! 2.30pm Quarterhouse / Adults £6 / Children £5 / Family £20 (2 adults, 2 children) / Suitable for 5+

FICTION

Down the Rabbit Hole Alice in Wonderland was published 150 years ago. Primarily an adventure story for children of all ages, it also deals with more serious themes, such as the Victorian definition of femininity, and attitudes towards power and authority, or even deep, existential questions about the nature of individual identity and our relationship with language. Novelist Vanessa Tait, the greatgranddaughter of the original Alice, and Stefania Ciocia, reader in Modern Literature at Canterbury Christ Church, discuss the book’s enduring appeal. 2.30pm / Folkestone Library / £7 / Friends & concessions £6 Box Office 01303 760750

Saturday 28 November PSYCHOLOGY

MEMOIR

The Luck Factor

Rock Stars Stole My Robin Ince’s Reality Life: Andy Miller in Tunnel Multi award winner and host conversation with of Radio 4’s Sony award Mark Ellen winning Infinite Monkey Cage,

Why do some people lead happy successful lives whilst others face repeated failure and sadness? Why are some people always in the right place at the right time, while others are always unlucky? For many years psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman has worked with some of the world’s luckiest and unluckiest people to answer these questions. Richard Wiseman began his working life as a professional magician and currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology (University of Hertfordshire). He researches the psychology of luck, change, perception and deception, and his work has been published in leading academic journals. 4.00 pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

HUMOUR

Mark Ellen looks back on his 50-year love affair with rock and roll with his customary humour. He met every star he’d ever liked in the places he worked (NME, Smash Hits, Q, MOJO and The Word magazines - and at Radio One, Old Grey Whistle Test and Live Aid). Some were greater than expected, some *not* so great. He was on Rihanna’s farcical private jet tour, did Britain’s last ever interview with Michael Jackson and was even in a band with Tony Blair. This will be a brilliant five-decade trip as well as a clear-sighted look at the glorious absurdity of the music industry. 5.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6 21

comedian Robin Ince takes us on a roller coaster ride. After tackling Charles Darwin, particle physics, and propaganda, his latest show is about the limits of the human brain, horror, the ingenuity of gorillas, and why dolphins don’t speak English, amongst many other topics. He will make your mind fizz! 4 stars in The Times “an evening bursting with energy and ideas” 7.00pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8

www.folkestonebookfest.com

Sunday 29 November LOCAL TALENTS

FICTION

The Narrative Journey: What is the future of the story? What stories will we be consuming in ten years time? In this panel discussion, we will examine the future life of narrative, through the eyes of people who work with it every day: Marina Benjamin, author and Senior Editor at Aeon Magazine; Dr Beccy Scott, Curator in Paleolithic Archeology at the British Museum; Sarah Barton, Development Executive at BBC Drama, and David Flusfeder, author and Director of the Centre for Creative Writing, University of Kent. 12.30pm / Folkestone Library / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

Quarters Winners of the HG Wells Short Story Competition, Andrei Ostalski on being Russian in the UK, Katrina Sisowath on her mythological fiction, British-Maltese James Vella on his stories and Trevor Warman on his gritty first novel. 10.45am / Quarterhouse / £5

Box Office 01303 760750

MEMOIR

Do No Harm Henry Marsh, author of the widely acclaimed memoir: Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, tells us what it is like to be a brain surgeon. He shares how it feels to hold someone’s life in one’s hands and to live with the consequences when it goes wrong. Henry Marsh has been hailed for his humanity, candour and compassion. 1.00pm / Quarthouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

Sunday 29 November HISTORY

An Exceptional Nation? Bestselling historian and political commentator Jonathan Fenby looks at some of the events of the past two hundred years – from the Revolution to the present day – that have shaped France. He will question what this nation, which considers itself exceptional, really stood – and stands – for, and look at the challenges it faces today. 2.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

FICTION

Seaside Fiction For 20 years, Julie Wassmer has worked on the script of EastEnders as well as writing other series such as London’s Burning and Family Affairs. She brings her skill to a new series of gripping and delightful detective stories set in Whitstable. Michael Arditti’s Widows and Orphans is set somewhere on the South Coast in a town hit by the recession and trying to reinvent itself. Its main character is the editorproprietor of its struggling newspaper, a good man fighting for his principles in a greedy and careless world. Chaired by Lennox Morrison. 2.30pm / Folkestone Library / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

www.folkestonebookfest.com

Sunday 29 November MEMOIR

POLITICS

Competition Time MEMOIR

Tommy & The Toothpaste Factory Story Writing Competition Win golden tickets to visit Folkestone’s own toothpaste factory!! Schools are invited to encourage promising new writers in KS2 to create and illustrate (optional) stories for submission. The winning entries will be announced by host Alastair Watson at the ‘Wimpy Kid’ event on Saturday 28 November, as well as being published online and in The Herald.

Church & Dwight UK Ltd, the Creative Foundation and Folkestone Herald are offering Kent schools the chance to take part in the Tommy & The Toothpaste Factory Story Writing Competition as part of the Folkestone Book Festival 2015.

Biographer to the stars Few people have as much intimate knowledge of celebrities as Sean Smith, the UK’s leading celebrity biographer and the author of five Sunday Times best sellers including Cheryl, the definitive biography of Cheryl Cole. Not a ghost writer but a ‘fearless chronicler’ (The Independent), he specializes in meticulous research to find the real person behind the star image. He tells us how he works, about some of his subjects – Kate Middleton, Tulisa, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Alesha Dixon, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, Tom Jones and J. K. Rowling – and how to avoid getting sued. 3.30pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6 Box Office 01303 760750

Zoe Williams in conversation with Jessica Hynes: Why We Deserve Better Politics We all want the future to be fairer and happier; and Zoe Williams believes that we need to make that happen collectively. She tells Jessica Hynes how we can all play our part in creating a more equal society. They will address key questions including: has the NHS had its day; has an immigrant stolen your job; have you ever wondered why you can’t afford a house; and who got us into this mess anyway? They will offer some answers and invite you to join the discussion. 5.00pm / Quarterhouse / £7 / Friends & concessions £6

Tracey Thorn Singer, songwriter, half of the duo Everything but the Girl, Tracey Thorn talks to Andy Miller about the touring, the hits, the highs and the lows involved in the emotional and often terrifying craft of singing. Tracey Thorn’s Bedsit Disco Queen was one of the best memoirs of recent years, followed now by Naked at the Albert Hall. Her memoir takes in Dusty Springfield, Dennis Potter and George Eliot; auto-tune, the microphone and stage presence; The Streets and The X Factor. This is a rare chance to get the insider’s perspective on the exhilarating joy and occasional heartache of singing. Fascinating and inspiring in equal measure. 6.30pm / Quarterhouse / £10 / Friends & concessions £8

We are seeking talented young creatives from local schools to write up to 300 words about Tommy’s visit to an imaginary toothpaste factory. Think about what he will see, smell, hear and how he would feel. Go wild, invent a crazy toothpaste world!

Deadline Friday 6 November 2015. Entries should be submitted to Quarterhouse by post or handed to Box Office.

A winner from each of the two age categories (Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6) will win a VIP trip for themselves and three guests around the Church & Dwight Toothpaste Factory in Folkestone, followed by afternoon tea in the Grand Hotel.

Sponsored by

Folkestone Herald Short Story Competition

The winning story will be published in a November edition of the newspaper, as well as on www.folkestoneherald.co.uk.

In partnership with our media partners, the Folkestone Herald has launched a writing competition to celebrate this year’s Folkestone Book Festival.

The deadline is Monday 9 November 2015.

We want you to write a short story – no longer than 500 words – which includes throwing an object into the sea, meeting a stranger and the phrase “I read it in the Herald”.

Please email your stories to dean.kilpatrick@ krnmedia.co.uk Good luck!

www.folkestonebookfest.com

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All details are correct at time of publishing (Aug 15). The Creative Foundation reserves the right to change the programme and introduce special offers and discounts without prior notice. These will not apply to tickets already purchased before the announcement. Updates will be available on the Folkestone Book Festival and Quarterhouse websites and at the Quarterhouse Box Office. Latecomers will not be allowed their seats until a suitable break in the performance. Sinto andgat e Hill Audio recorders, cameras and mobile phones may not be used in the venue. The management reserves the right to refuse admission. All tickets are non-transferable and will be void if Cliff Road re-sold. Some performances may contain strong language and adult themes, we reserve the right to decline refund requests on the basis of event content being deemed inappropriate. The Grand

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Box Office 01303 760750

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Early Bird Purchase your tickets before and inclusive of Sunday 27 September 2015 and benefit from reduced prices. Tickets purchased during this period will be either £5 or £7. Concession/Friends and group bookings discounts (see below) will not apply for this period.

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Friends of the Folkestone Book Festival Members are entitled to book one ticket per member per event at the special discounted “Friends” price.

Refunds We regret that tickets cannot be exchanged or money refunded, except in the case of a cancelled event. Access Quarterhouse is a fully accessible venue. Please inform the Box Office of your requirements.

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Ticket Collection Tickets that are paid for in advance can be collected on the day, up to 30 minutes prior to the event. Tickets can also be posted to you at an additional charge of 50p. Please check your tickets on receipt.

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Payment Cheques to be made payable to the Creative Foundation and can only be used in person at the Box Office. Credit and debit cards carry a £1.00 fee per transaction.

Folkestone Book Festival Pass Enjoy unlimited access to all Book Festival events for only £100. You can purchase your Festival Pass for only £90 during the Early Bird period Cheri ton R oad (see above). To purchase your Book Festival Pass please contact Box Office on 01303 760750. You must still book your seat for the events you intend to attend.

Taxis JJ’s Taxis: 01303 244 442 Premier Cars: 01303 270 000

Parking The Nearest car parks are Tram Road (2mins),

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Telephone 01303 760750

Beachborough Road

Opening times Monday to Saturday – 10am to 5pm Sunday – Closed (except on event days) Box Office reopens at 6pm on event nights

By Car From the M20, turn off at junction 13 and follow signs to the Harbour. SAT NAV USERS – CT20 1BN

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Concessions Concessionary rates will apply where stated to under 21s, full time students, registered unemployed and registered disabled. Just show us a proof of status!

In Person Quarterhouse Box Office Quarterhouse Mill Bay, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1BN

By Bus or Coach A direct National Express coach service runs from London Victoria Coach Station to the main bus station in Bouverie Square, Folkestone. Stagecoach operates a network of routes linking local towns and villages to Folkestone.

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Please click on the event name and then BUY TICKETS to be taken through to our secure online ticket office.

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Online Buy tickets online from: www.quarterhouse.co.uk www.folkestonebookfest.com

Payers Park (2mins) and the Harbour car park (5mins). All council car parks charge daily fees starting from £1.20 per hour. There is limited parking available behind Quarterhouse which requires a parking permit that can be obtained from Quarterhouse. For more information please call Quarterhouse Box Office.

How to find Quarterhouse By Train High speed trains run regularly from London St Pancras International (journey time 57 Minutes). The last return train from Folkestone to London is at 22:56. Folkestone Central Station is a short walk from the centre of town and approximately 15 minutes from Quarterhouse. National Railway Enquiries – 08457 484 950 or www.nationalrail. co.uk

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Booking Tickets

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1 Quarterhouse 2 Folkestone Library 3 Sunflower House

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www.folkestonebookfest.com

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Louis de Bernieres Mark Billingham Melvyn Bragg Wendy Cope Jonathan Dimbleby Matt Haig Jessica Hynes Robin Ince Tony Juniper Henry Marsh Deborah Moggach Claudia Roden Tracey Thorn Richard Wiseman Terry Wogan

www.folkestonebookfest.com Facebook: /FolkestoneBookFestival Twitter: @FstoneBookFest

Join the Friends Sponsor the Festival and enjoy the benefits The Friends offer support and sponsorship of Festival events. Your membership of the Friends is an important element in ensuring the future success of the Book Festival. For an annual membership fee of £10 single, £15 double (couples/friends) you can enjoy the following benefits and make a vital contribution to the Folkestone Book Festival. — Sponsorship of Festival events — Concessions on Festival tickets — Monthly book group — Festival quiz night To join the Friends please contact: Membership Secretary Tel. 01303 247775 or email info@bookfestfriends.com