The third Jersey Festival of Words, which runs from 27 September to 1 October, will also support several Island charities with events that use literature to raise awareness of the challenges faced by some members of the community.
Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of A Manual for Heartache and The Last Act of Love, will talk about moving on from grief at a special event held at Jersey Hospice, while Ayisha Malik will be on stage to discuss The Other Side of Happiness – her second novel based on the experience of life and love as a young Muslim woman.
Best-selling memoirist and Elle UK columnist Rhyannon Styles will discuss her account of transgender life – The New Girl – and mental health will be in the spotlight at campaigner Rachel Kelly’s event, Walking on Sunshine.
Mrs Kelly prescribes poetry as therapy and food to enhance mood, with the latter forming the basis of her latest book, The Happy Kitchen.
A portion of the ticket sales for that event, which is sponsored by Le Gallais, will be donated to mental health charity Mind.
The festival will also include a panel discussion on communication without the senses which many of us take for granted, entitled A Life Less Ordinary.
Writers taking part include Jem Lester, whose book Shtum concerns a father’s experience in coping with a severely autistic boy who does not speak, and Penny Joelson, whose novel I Have No Secrets features a teenage detective with cerebral palsy.
Some proceeds from the event will go to Autism Jersey, Scope Jersey and Eyecan.
