
On Saturday 10 October, the third Rochester Literary festival – ‘Live’n’Local’ – will be kicking off a fantastic line up of literary events inspired by local people and places.
The Saturday programme is full of workshops and talks perfect for history fans and I’m absolutely thrilled to be running a creative writing workshop in the Guildhall Museum in Rochester between 10am and 12 noon. I’ve been busy taking photos and arranging to borrow a few of the more tactile pieces from the museum’s collection for you to get your hands on and I hope the morning will inspire you to use objects as prompts for your own writing. The session is suitable for both fiction and non-fiction writers and I would love to see you there. (Cue sales pitch – tickets are £5 each and you can find further info here :))
What’s even more exciting is that the museum will also be hosting talks by these amazing speakers that afternoon:
Toni Mount: 12 noon – 1pm
Prolific medieval specialist Toni will be unravelling the mysteries of ancient medicine and revealing a time when butchers knew more about anatomy than university trained physicians.
Truda Thurai: 2pm-3pm
Referencing short stories inspired by Rochester Cathedral and her own methods of research, Truda will share some of her secrets to writing historical fiction.
Sir Robert Worcester: 4pm-5pm
Sir Robert’s talk inspired the festival’s history themed day. The Magna Carta is widely regarded as a potent symbol of the freedom of the individual and 2015 is the 800th anniversary of its sealing at Runnymede. Sir Robert, the Chairman of the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee, is a powerful and evocative speaker and during his talk he will be discussing its legacy.
Rochester Litfest is ‘run by writers for readers’ and materialises each year through the efforts of an incredible group of volunteers led by local writer Jaye Nolan. Jaye is one of life’s little whirlwinds, who filled with passion and commitment, has a knack for making things happen. This year’s ‘Live’n’Local’ festival is going to be amazing and I’ve only highlighted a few of its wide-ranging and diverse events. The full programme can be found here and it would be wonderful if you could join us.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Rachael