Voices in the Land Arts and literature Festival 2019
Friday 15 to Sunday 17 November
A festival celebrating the arts and culture. The festival includes workshops, presentations, meet the author sessions, exhibitions and writing competitions. The festival is inspired by the landscape of two World Heritage Sites: The Lake District and the border country of Hadrian's Wall.
Programme with ticket prices below.
Day tickets: £15.00 / day (excludes morning writing workshops)
Tickets can be purchased from the museum. Credit and debit card payments accepted.
What and where are the stories in the land?
What voices, what echoes can we discover as we travel over ancient
landscapes in Cumbria and further afield?
How does place influence biography? Do places hold a ‘charge’ of the people who came before, and do they still speak of some essence the biographer seeks to capture? This year’s exciting and challenging list of speakers include respected biographers Grevel Lindop and Kathleen Jones discussing ‘The Art of Biography’. Greville and Kathleen will follow the opening of Maryport’s Arts & Lit Festival by RadioCumbria’s Helen Millican, doyenne of the highly popular Arts programme, ‘The Arty Show’.
Events this time range between exploring Cumbrian roots, growing up in the USA, a mystery novel set partly in Jerusalem, and finding the power of Nature in a corner of London and Denmark. Friday will begin with an exploration of outdoor writing when columnist and author Vivienne Crow will talk about her career as an outdoors writer and lead a workshop, and Caroline Gilfillan and Zosia Wand will talk about their novels rooted in Cumbrian places, while Eliza Harrison, best known as Eliza Forder for ‘Hill Shepherd’, takes on a new direction as a novelist with ‘the Mystery of Martha’ set partly in Jerusalem and partly in Cumbria.
Festival programme
Friday 15th November
10am - 1pm: Outdoor writing workshop with Vivienne Crow
Vivienne is an award-winning outdoor writer and photographer. In this workshop she will share her knowledge and experience with participants of all abilities, who will have an opportunity to produce their own work inspired by the spectacular landscape of Cumbria. £5.00 (booking essential)
Caroline and Zosia will be in conversation, sharing how landscape has been an inspiration to them and how their love of the Cumbrian landscape has had an impact on their writing. Audiences can expect to share a lively, interactive experience with two emerging Cumbrian novelists. £5.00
Dawn will be talking about her magical automata, inspired by a landscape project set in a 17th century map of Cumbria. A selection of Dawn's automata will be on display in the museum throughout the festival weekend. £5.00
Eliza will discuss her novel set in Cumbria and Jerusalem. Eliza is the author of 'Hill Shepherd' (as Eliza Forder). Her presentation will include the research involved in writing the novel, half of which takes place in Borrowdale. £5.00
This year's festival will be launched by Helen Millican, presenter of Radio Cumbria's The Arty Show. The launch will be followed by distinguished biographers Kathleen Jones and Grevel Lindop 'in conversation' about the inspiration that landscape and 'sense of place' has had on their work. £5.00
Saturday 16th November
Theatre and Script Writing workshop led by a Broadway producer, author, playwright and actor. Susan has a long history of supporting and developing new plays and playwrights in the USA. Her mentoring skills have been polished on Broadway and in regional theatre. £5.00 (booking essential)
On 22 May 1915 three trains collided outside the signal box at Quintinshill near Gretna Green. This debut novel highlights acts of compassion and heroism by ordinary people and their efforts to help those injured in that horrific crash. Months later the Courts decided where the blame lay. Who had their hand on the signal lever? David Clemson’s father was an engine driver in the days of steam. Long-fascinated by trains, David is a teacher and successful textbook author. £5.00
Dr. Jim Cox OBE is a retired GP for Caldbeck, the Cumbrian village where he was born. Since childhood he has been intrigued by the hunt for Percy Toplis, murderer and army deserter. In 1920, following a chase near Penrith reminiscent of the Keystone Kops, Toplis was shot dead. Police took responsibility for a death inflicted by someone else. Jim Cox unravels the mystery. £5.00
Susan will talk about her autobiography 'Dreaming in Daylight', inspired by growing up in a Jewish community in the USA. Susan is a Broadway producer, author, playwright and actor. £5.00
Philip is the author of the recent Sunday Times bestseller 'Counting Sheep', and 'Till the Cows Come Home', now out in paperback. Born and brought up in Lorton, he farmed in the Lorton Valley before studying at Lancaster University, reading law and medieval history. A retired barrister, he now lives in Northumberland, but comes from a long line of Cumbrian farmers on his mother's side and Westmorland farmers on his father's side. £5.00
Sunday 17th November
James Knox Whittet was born and brought up on the Hebridean island of Islay. He edited the first ever island anthology, '100 Island Poems of Great Britain and Ireland'. His poetry collections include 'When Kafka Met Einstein' and 'Poems from The Hebrides'. £5.00 (booking essential)
Karen Lloyd is an award-winning writer and environmental activist based in Cumbria. This first book, evoking land, landscape and memory, won the Striding Edge Productions Prize for Place in the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards 2016. Her second book, just published is ’The Blackbird Diaries’. £5.00
Angus was brought up in Cockermouth and became fascinated by local history and the Cumbrian landscape during his school days there. Angus is Emeritus Professor of Local and Landscape History at Lancaster University. £5.00
Allan Jenkins is the Editor of The Observer Food Monthly. His seminal book 'Plot 29' explores our relationship with Nature through his work on his allotment, a cathartic experience which enabled healing after his childhood as a Barnardo's boy. The sequel to this first book, 'Mornings', develops the theme of the power of the natural world, alongside the pressured world of a national newspaper. Allan also writes a Gardening blog for The Guardian. £5.00
An informal poetry reading with tea, cakes and song to round up the Festival. Featured poets include Kathleen Jones, James Knox Whittet, Grevel Lindop and Angela Locke. Accompanied by Gaelic music from Hebridean singer, Anna McCrae, from the Isle of Barra. £5.00