Literary Festival Success
Published on 27 May 2020 05:27 PM
Above - Carol Bundock, Nikki Morris, Age UK Camden CEO, and Frances Liardet
Our first Literary Festival was a huge hit!
We held our first Literary Festival on 6th March at St Marks Church in Primrose Hill. Four fantastic female authors were interviewed by four renowned female figures, including our patron Esther Rantzen, exploring the themes of ageing through storytelling. It was a lovely day, filled with interesting conversations and insight into the four books in discussion, and the themes of ageing within them. The day was supported by Primrose Hill Books who had a book singing stall at the event, and we were treated to music from Ma’Tam Jazz Trio. This, we hope, will be the first of many Age UK Camden Literary Festivals so if you missed this one, keep an eye out for the next.
Photos:
Esther Rantzen interviews Salley Vickers
Nikki Morris interviews Hazel Prior
Emily Rhodes interviewing Anne Youngson
The Ham and High ran an article advertising the event:
Charity Lit-fest to spark debate about old age
Salley Vickers and Frances Liardet are among four authors at the Age UK Camden event whose books reflect on the lives and loves of older characters.
Salley Vickers
Four authors will come together at a Primrose Hill Church to explore ageing through storytelling.
The one-day lit fest is the first of its kind to be organised by a charity - Age UK Camden, which supports more than 28,000 people over 65 living in the borough.
Salley Vickers, Frances Liardet, Hazel Prior and Anne Youngson will be interviewed and sign copies of their books at St Mark's Church on March 6.
Age UK Camden Chief Executive Nikki Morris said she hoped the innovative event would spark conversations about what it is to be old in today's society.
"We are proud to host a literary festival with a difference that will explore the experience, opportunities and issues of ageing through story-telling," she said.
"We hope it will be a day that is both enjoyable for all of us who love books, but also one to make us think. Ageing is something we are doing all the time, but something that we often don't think about. All of the books have an aspect of ageing within them and the respected authors will all bring their own unique take on the subject and spark conversations to help explore perceptions of older age.
"I hope people will have informal discussions with those around them about how ageing is depicted in fiction, what it tells us and makes us feel."
Frances Liardet's 'We Must Be Brave' is an intergenerational story of a villager who adopts a young evacuee during World War II; Salley Vickers' 'Grandmothers' is about a trio of elderly women who all believe they are doing a better job of caring for the young children in their lives than their parents.
Anne Youngson's 'Meet Me at the Museum' depicts a romance in older age, and Hazel Prior's 'Away with the Penguins' is about a woman who has an adventure at the age of 85.
Interviewers, who will help to spark the conversation, include Hampstead resident and Age UK Camden patron Dame Esther Rantzen who will interview Vickers, ex BBC journalist Carol Bundock who will interview Liardet, and the host of Emily's Walking Book Club Emily Rhodes who will interview Anne Youngson.
Morris herself will interview Prior at the literary festival, which is supported by Primrose Hill Books and sponsored by the University of the Third Age.
Festival-goers will be encouraged to bring a lunchtime picnic and buy copies of signed books at the pop-up shop while listening to a jazz trio.