From night owls to nightshifts

Nightmares, nightshifts and night owls all get a mention in Dan Richards‘ fascinating book Overnight in which he travels, goes on bat hunts, and has conversations with ferrymen, street sleepers and the Dusty Knuckle bakers.

For Dan there is something special about the night. It’s the time when things go bump, owls take wing and foxes prowl. It can also be starlit skies, being tucked up in bed, or time to start work.

For some, it means insomnia, and here Dan turns to Moomintroll, a character from Tove Janssons’ children’s book Moominland Midwinter.

Moomins hibernate through the winter, but one night Moomintroll awakes while the rest of his family remain asleep. Despite feeling frightened he ventures out and discovers there is magic to be found in glistening snowflakes.

Equally, there is magic to be discovered in Dan’s stories after dark which take us from night terrors to the glow of a breaking dawn on the summer solstice, and everything in between.

Dan Richards will be at the Festival on Saturday 18 October at 5.30pm.