Residents of a town are able to immerse themselves in a four-day festival celebrating literature.
Deepings Literary Festival will be running from April 28 to May 1, with new events and faces added to the plot. It’s the third outing for the festival, which launched in 2017.
Judy Stevens, a member of the team that organises the event, said: “We have a good cast of authors this year.
“I think it is important for in-person communication as many have been isolated for a long time.
“It is a chance to gather with tea or prosecco and meet friends and have a chat with authors.”
A short-story competition is allowing people to let their imagination flow, with a picture of Deepings ‘Railway Children’.
There are three age categories. Competing for a signed ‘Balancing Bernie’ book, by Deeping-based author and illustrator Ellie Sandall, five-to-eight year olds have a 500 word limit to describe the photo.
The eight to 15-year-old and adult category have a limit of 950 words, with children entrants having the chance to win a signed ‘The Railway Children’ by Jaqueline Wilson. The prize for adults is a £50 book voucher.
All entries must be emailed to [email protected] by March 31.
‘Read Dating’, a spin-off to the concept of ‘speed-dating’ will see visitors spend three minutes with authors John Nicholson, Helen Matthews, Dominic Brownlow, Dave Unwin, Kate High, Richard Pike, Rex Sly and Debbie Daley. The opportunity to buy their books will also be available. This will take place on Thursday, April 28, from 10am until midday at Deepings Community Library with free entry.
A variety of talks will be going ahead, including authors of horror, crime, thriller and feel-good fiction.
Jackie Weaver, who went viral in 2020 for her handling of a parish council meeting, will be one of the authors giving a talk on her new book ‘You Do Have The Authority Here’.
All events must be pre-booked via the Stamford Arts Centre website and vary in cost.
A full programme of events can be found at www.deepingsliteraryfestival.co.uk/ or available at the Deepings Community Library.
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