It promises an unforgettable nine days in October
As Richard Manning, Festival Chairman, revealed first to a specially invited audience in Cedars Hall, the Festival will open with the magnificent actor Sheila Hancock talking about her Old Rage, and close with best-selling author Robert Harris on a thrilling hunt for the murderers of Charles I. Two more disparate books would be hard to find!
But that’s precisely the joy of the Wells Festival of Literature: we take a pride in the wide-ranging appeal of our speakers and their topics, ensuring that there’s something to suit all tastes and all ages. We offer talks to entertain, to challenge, to inform. Some might make you rage. Or even drive you to thoughts of murder. Others will make you think, perhaps question, or cry. Many will raise a laugh…
There was plenty of laughter at the launch event for the Festival held at Cedars Hall on Monday 4 July when Sir John Major CH KG spoke to a specially invited audience of Festival Friends and sponsors. A brilliant and moving history of the world of Music Hall, drawn from Sir John’s own best-seller My Old Man, was followed by an intriguing Q&A session where the former Prime Minister explained what attracted him to a career as a politician, and shared some of the best – and worst – points of the Westminster world.
The audience was fascinated, and the Festival Committee remains enormously grateful to Sir John for giving his time so generously, and in such an entertaining way.
Priority booking for Friends starts on Monday 18 July with public booking opening a full week later.
So there’s still time (just!) to benefit from subscribing to the Friends Scheme.
Brochures should be published by 25 July and will be widely available.
Festival Friends will receive their copies in the post.