First off the mark!

The 2023 Festival starts on 27 October but on 4 July guests in a packed Cedars Hall enjoyed a foretaste of what lies ahead. Friends and supporters of the Festival were treated to a wonderfully inspiring conversation between Mariella Frostrup and Sarah LeFanu which covered a huge range of topics – from leaving school at 16 to living in a squat, from youthful optimism to the menopause, from erotica to travel writing. But underneath it all shone the importance of books and the power of words. That’s what our Festival is all about.

We look forward to many more such conversations in the autumn when the Festival itself begins. Our programme this year promises a brilliant mixture of politics, mathematics; geography, history; science, art; poetry, drama; shock and surprise; tears and laughter. There’s even a Literary Quiz…

The brochure, now on its way to the printer, will be available from 24 July and we think you will agree that it’s even more colourful than usual, and packed with information. As is the website which of course will provide all the latest updates right through to November – and beyond!

For now though the dates to remember are:

• 24 July – start of Priority booking for Friends and sponsors
• 31 July – main booking opens