Connections: Jersey Festival of Words will begin on Wednesday.
Among the renowned names reading or speaking at the festival are poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, best-selling novelists Owen Sheers and Holly Smale and biographer Jane Hawking – ex-wife of Professor Stephen Hawking – whose memoir provided the basis for the Oscar-winning film The Theory of Everything.
There will also be a talk from Emmy Award-winning and Jersey-born comedy writer Will Smith and performances from John Henry Falle, who was recently nominated for two awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, for his show The Story Beast.
The final day of the festival will be themed on War and Remembrance to mark the 70th anniversary of the Island’s Liberation and the centenary of the First World War.
The festival, which runs until Sunday 4 October, will be launched at CGA Galleries International at 5.30 pm on Wednesday, with Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham and festival organiser and chair of the Jersey Literary Festival Association Jennifer Bridge both expected to speak.
The first talk of the festival will be a tribute to the late Jersey poet and teacher Alan Jones, whose collection of poems, Ninety Mile Beach, will be released on the same date.
Ms Bridge said: ‘Our aim is to celebrate and encourage a love of reading and writing in all forms for all ages and our ethos is inclusivity. There is something for everyone.
‘The Jersey Festival of Words will be an annual event which we hope will grow in size and scope, both enriching Island life and attracting new visitors.’
As well as various talks from critically acclaimed writers and poets, the festival will also host the inter-schools Poetry Slam competition and the winners of the JEP’s writing competition will be revealed.
Tickets for all events are available through the Jersey Opera House website or by calling 501501.
Featuring a string of international and local writers, poets and artists, Connections: Jersey Festival of Words will see an eclectic range of talks, performances and workshops, some free of charge, held across five event-filled days.
Beginning on Wednesday 30 September with a tribute to the late poet and teacher Alan Jones, here are just some of the highlights that will follow:
Thursday 1 Oct
Children, teenagers and adults are in for a treat on Thursday as a trio of popular UK writers take to the Opera House stage. First up, actor, circus performer and writer Steven Butler will be offering fans a glimpse behind the scenes of his hugely popular Diary of Dennis the Menace series of books – expect fun and pranks galore.
Then, children’s author Jess Bright will read extracts from her much-loved debut novel, Sister Sister, before million-selling author Holly Smale takes to the stage to answer questions from the audience about her hugely successful Geek Girl books.
In the afternoon, writer, journalist and wildlife expert Simon Barnes will be discussing the legacy of his life-long hero, Gerald Durrell, in particular the late conservationist’s autobiography, My Family and Other Animals. Simon will be joined on stage by Gerald’s widow, Lee Durrell.
In the evening, Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy will read extracts from a selection of her written works, including Ritual Lighting and The World’s Wife. The award-winning author will be accompanied on stage by musician John Sampson who will be provide a musical backdrop of woodwind, jazz and classical cabaret throughout the performance.
Friday 2 Oct
Simon Barnes will return to the Opera House stage on Friday morning, this time to discuss his own book, Ten Million Aliens, an in-depth examination of the ways in which the world’s creatures are all interlinked.
In the afternoon, Jersey-born artist Christian Foley will be performing and discussing his spoken-word poetry, before Rachel Bridge takes to the stage to offer expert advice and good-humoured anecdotes with her hit Edinburgh Fringe show, How to Make a Million Before Lunch. Based on her book of the same name, Rachel’s talk is a must for budding entrepreneurs of all ages.
In the evening, Irma Kurtz will talk about her four-decade career as Cosmopolitan magazine’s resident agony aunt, as well as discussing her newly-released memoir, My Life in Agony, and her eventful life in the public eye.
Saturday 3 Oct
An event-filled weekend begins with local writer and illustrator Simon MacDonald hosting his latest children’s show at the Opera House (Simon will also be overseeing a comedy workshop on Sunday). Then, critically-lauded poet, playwright and TV presenter Owen Sheers will read from his book, I Saw a Man, before taking part in a question-and-answer session.
Owen will return to the Opera House stage in the evening, this time to read from Pink Mist, his award-winning and deeply moving verse-drama about three young UK soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. Before writing Pink Mist, Owen spoke to several veterans of the conflict and the resulting short novel has been described as ‘devastating’.
In the afternoon, Jane Hawking – the ex-wife of Stephen Hawking and author of Travelling to Infinity – will discuss her autobiography depicting her time spent living with the celebrated scientist, before The Thick of It co-writer Will Smith takes to the stage to read from and talk about his debut novel, Mainlander. Will’s novel is a hilarious tale of blackmail, sex and troubled relationships set in and around Jersey and the Channel Islands and the author and comedian will no doubt touch upon his Jersey upbringing. Will will also be co-hosting a comedy scriptwriting class in the Opera House studio earlier in the day.
Additionally, there will be several events at CCA Gallery throughout the day, with comic artist Emily Haworth-Booth hosting two workshops. Entitled Drawing the Graphic Novel, each workshop will be aimed at a different age group and will see the award-winning illustrator teaching amateurs and experienced artists alike in the skills of storyboarding.
Sunday 4 Oct
The final day of the festival will be predominantly war-themed with events taking place at the Opera House, CCA Gallery and Jersey Museum.
The latter will host a selection of writers, all of whom have recently written books on Jersey’s history. Among those appearing will be Ian Ronayne, whose Jersey’s Great War documents Islanders’ experiences during the conflict, and BBC Radio Jersey’s Chris Stone, whose book, Stinker’s Nine Lives, tells of the true-life escapades of a young Islander who lied about his age in order to join the army during the War.
Meanwhile at the Opera House, there will be a screening of Resistance, the 2011 film based on the novel of the same name by the aforementioned Owen Sheers. Both the book and film are set in an alternate reality in which D-Day has failed and the Nazis have successfully invaded the UK. The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the author.
Then in the afternoon, best-selling author Alex Preston will give an in-depth discussion of his latest novel, In Love and War, before Christian Hill takes to the stage to give a frank portrayal of his years as a combat journalist in war-torn Afghanistan.
CCA Gallery will begin the day with local author Paul Bisson giving a spirited talk on the Perils of Self-Publishing, while later in the day Jèrriais experts Tony Scott Warren and Geraint Jennings will offer a passionate celebration of the language.
- Throughout the week, there will also be a series of free workshops and childrens events at Jersey Library.
- For more details on these and all festival events, click here
