It’s so great, as a Folkestone resident and a lover of literature, to be the new curator and to announce the literary highlights for the upcoming Folkestone Book Festival.
Two years ago, I’d just moved to Folkestone, and attended the book festival on my very first evening in the town. It helped me feel at home. A year later, I was on stage as an author, talking about my debut novel The Flames. I’m very grateful to previous curators Jen and James for inviting me. It was wonderful to be surrounded by family, friends and local people at such a special event. This year, it’s a dream come true to be the official curator of Books, Ideas and Community.
Folkestone is a brilliant place to live, full of creative and passionate and interesting people, and it’s an honour now to be firmly part of it in this new and meaningful way.
As Curator, I knew I wanted to make a splash, help the festival become bigger and better than ever. I dreamed of taking it back to its heyday, when Ted Hughes, Margaret Drabble and Beryl Bainbridge were stars of the show.
But could I pull it off? I was confident that I had great contacts in the industry, after more than a decade as a journalist, working at the Sunday Times, BBC, Tatler; and later, as someone who’d gravitated to the world of short stories – as associate director of the Word Factory, where I hosted salons with well-known and emerging writers, and later, as digital editor at the Sunday Times Short Story Award, where I interviewed the greats, such as Hilary Mantel, Sally Rooney and Bernardine Evaristo. Then most recently, as a debut novelist, getting to know all the new authors who were published a couple of years ago, as well as agents, publicists, and passionate booksellers and bloggers. But still, I had to make it happen.
I quickly realised that my first goal when I took on the role was to listen. I wanted to know what people in the community wanted, what they felt had been missing. I spoke to a lot of you, had conversations with past curators, and people in the bookshops and book groups.
It boiled down to a few key things: literature, community, thought-provoking conversations.
And so, my vision as curator was born: to reconnect with the community, and to put literature centre stage, so that we can all be part of a bigger, more interesting conversation.
I’m very excited to build on the work of past curators, particularly Geraldine D’Amico, to bring you a dynamic and thought-provoking programme – one that will hopefully appeal to people who’ve been fans of the festival for years, as well as those who may have never been before.
Now I must stress that the names that have been announced so far are just a taste of what is to come. I’m billing these our “literary highlights”. We’re talking authors who have a reputation for excellence, who care about their craft, and are rooted in the literary landscape. “Solid gold” names that people who love literature will surely recognise, such as Alan Hollinghurst, Ali Smith, David Nicholls, Donal Ryan, Tracy Chevalier, and Tessa Hadley.
I also want to make sure I’m bringing on board authors, thinkers and journalists that are part of the zeitgest – such as Kent-born Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow whose debut novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize last year or Lucia Osborne-Crowley, who was one of four reporters who gained daily courtroom access to the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. I hope you’ll take a chance on those who that might not yet be on your radar but will be fascinating and fierce.
This is just the start. More will be announced over the summer, and there’s a couple of controversial wild cards to inspire debate and conversation! We have such a packed schedule, that we are extending the festival by a day, launching with Tracy Chevalier on Thursday 14, and running until Sunday 24 November.
My big hope is that you, the reader, will become champions of the festival, sharing your love of literature, spreading the word, and bringing as many people as possible through the doors so that we can all experience this together.
Oh, and we’re planning a party in September for everyone in the community, to reveal and celebrate the full programme.
So, let’s dive into some of the literary highlights for this year’s festival! Here are my top 14:
Tracy Chevalier: Very excitingly, we’re launching the festival a day earlier than normal, and it will kick off with a special opening night on Thursday, November 14th, with the acclaimed American author Tracy Chevalier. It has been twenty-five years since Chevalier became a household name with her international bestseller, Girl With A Pearl Earring. She will be discussing her latest novel, The Glassmaker, set in Venice in 1486.
Helen Lederer: Then on Friday, it’s all about the annual Christmas lights turn on. We’re delighted that comedian and author Helen Lederer will be here to ‘flick the switch’. This will be followed by an event with her that promises to get us all feeling merry –with reflections on life’s absurdities and a good dose of Christmas spirit. There may be mince pies!
Rory Cellan-Jones: One of the things I was struck by in Folkestone, is how everyone here seems to have a dog! And I’m sure most of you have heard of the Twitter-famous rescue dog, Sophie from Romania. Well, on Saturday 16th, her owner Rory, former BBC News technology correspondent, will share heart-warming stories from his new book and discuss the profoundly positive impact dogs have on our lives. Feel free to bring your own!
Ali Smith: Also on Saturday, we’ll hear from the acclaimed Scottish author Ali Smith, who’ll discuss her latest novel, Gliff, which explores themes of identity, connection and the power of language. Gliff – a Scots or Northern word for a glimpse, a shock, a glance – not only tells its own story but also contains within it a hidden story, to be revealed in a second novel, Glyph – from the Greek, meaning a mark, carving or symbol – published next year.
Alan Hollinghurst: We’re honoured to host Booker Prize-winning author Alan Hollinghurst. I’m sure many of you have read The Line of Beauty. He’ll discuss his much-anticipated new novel, Our Evenings, and explore themes of memory, identity and the passage of time. This is a rare opportunity to hear from one of contemporary literature’s finest voices.
Irenosen Okojie & Elizabeth Macneal: I’m big fans of the writers Irenosen Okojie and Elizabeth Macneal. They both write from different sides of the spectrum, but their themes often overlap, which will make this a really interesting conversation, as they bridge the mystical and the mysterious. Irenosen will delve into her new novel Curandera, while Elizabeth explores the gothic thrills in The Burial Plot.
Lucy Caldwell, Naomi Wood & Yan Ge: As a champion of short stories, I couldn’t not curate an event dedicated to those who are pushing the boundaries of the form, and we’re lucky enough to have one of them living in Folkestone – the BBC National Short Story award winner Lucy Caldwell. She’ll be joined by another BBCNSSA winner, Naomi Wood, and the brilliant Yan Ge, to discuss their stories that put fresh spins on motherhood.
Lucia Osborne-Crowley & Sam McAlister: I watched the Netflix dramatisation Scoop earlier this year, and knew instantly that I wanted to invite Sam McAlister to the festival. She was the producer behind the BBC’s explosive Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, which made headlines around the world. She’ll be joined by Lucia Osborne-Crowley, who writes from a very personal perspective about The Trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. It promises to be a lively discussion on rogues, royalty, and holding the powerful to account.
David Nicholls: I couldn’t have been happier when David Nicholls agreed to come to Folkestone. He really bent over backwards to make it happen, in what is already an incredibly packed schedule for him this year – with the release of his new “instant No 1 Sunday Times Bestselling” book, You Are Here, and all the hype around the Netflix series of his most famous and much-loved novel, One Day, which I’m sure you’ve all seen. Don’t miss him!
David Holmes: Later that evening, we have a special event with David Holmes, the actor who was Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in all the Harry Potter films. A tragic accident leaving him paralysed. David will share his inspiring story via video link and discuss his memoir, The Boy Who Lived.
Emma Gannon: I’ve followed Emma for a long time, and she’s such an inspiration. A writer, broadcaster and podcaster, she has a knack for setting the agenda for national conversations – this time, on the theme of burnout. Emma will share her personal journey and strategies for rest and rejuvenation from her new book, A Year of Nothing.
Robin Ince: I’m very excited that we can bring the comedian Robin Ince to Folkestone, who promises to entertain us with his unique blend of comedy and commentary on the role of libraries in fostering creativity and community spirit. This is part of our campaign to keep the library alive for the people of Folkestone, more on that to be announced later in the year…
Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow: It was so great to see the name of a Kent author longlisted for the Booker Prize last year. And she’ll be joining us on Sunday 24 November to discuss her novel, All The Little Bird-Hearts. Like her protagonist, Viktoria is autistic and will discuss her journey of writing from personal experience.
Tessa Hadley & Donal Ryan: Also on the Sunday, I’m delighted to bring together two of the most exciting and talented writers, Tessa Hadley and Donal Ryan, who will share their approaches to capturing the nuances of life, love, and loss in their writing. This event promises to be poignant and reflective on the last day of the festival.
There is much more to come – wild cards, literary stars, and lots of authors who will be sharing their thoughts and experiences. I look forward to meeting more of Folkestone’s book-loving community soon