July dawns and measured plans are afoot here for getting to some literary festivals.
Having already realised that I won't manage quite as much of Ways With Words at Dartington as I did last year, I've had a good browse through the programme and picked out the events I absolutely can't miss; writers I've read and written about here and others in progress.
It will be an early start to get across the moors in time for a 9.30am start on July 11th to hear William Fiennes talk about The Music Room,
'Books like this leave a feeling, a resonating mood, for me a pitch-perfect sense of optimism and goodness, I think The Music Room might possibly be one to put on the 'Roger Deakin' shelf and revisit every so often, there is something timeless and quite life-enhancing about it.'
On that same day, a showing of the documentary film about the collaboration of artist Leonard Baskin with Ted Hughes. Baskin best known by me for his illustrations to Crow, and later that afternoon Andrew Motion delivers the Ted Hughes Memorial Lecture, 'How Ted Hughes Became'.
Back again for Sunday to hear Sarah Hall talking about her latest novel How to Paint a Dead Man.
I loved The Electric Michelangelo and this book has really impressed me too, and later that day another book which impressed me, Amanda Craig talking about Hearts and Minds and then Jill Dawson on her latest book The Great Lover.
I have just finished The Great Lover and am left with mixed feelings so I will be interested to hear more about it.
Later in the week I don't want to miss Anne Chisholm talking about her biography of Frances Partridge which I'm also hoping to have read before I go.
Then a big day with Hilary Mantel (twice) Penelope Lively and Margaret Drabble so plenty to look forward to and I'll be sharing it all with you as and when it happens.
I've finally got right into Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and can report that for me this has not been a book to read in dribs and drabs. I read the first ninety pages about two months ago, diverted into post-operative reading and, having just read those ninety pages again, now realize that this is the book of the concerted effort, snatched reading just hasn't worked.
Now I'm in, I'm completely in, and right up to my stomacher in Tudor shenanigans and quite horrified at how flimsy my grasp of Tudor history actually is and I'm beginning to wonder if it would help, with a book that feels as complex as this, to have a better grasp.
For someone who was educated on the very site of Nonsuch, Henry's most lavish palace, this is all a bit of an embarrassing state of affairs which can only improve.
430 years on clearly not a lot imbibed through being at one with that Tudor earth out on the hockey pitch. That's the palace not the school by the way.
Once I've recovered from all that Ways With Words excitement we'll have to do a very quick turn around because just look where we're going next and we might need wellies.
For anyone who hasn't been around at litfest time you might want to check out Ways With Words 2008 to get an idea of what happens, and you can find previous Port Eliot visits here, because dovegreyreader
scribbles will still be here but indulging in as-and-when posting rather than same-time-daily.
It's
like buses, three at once
then a gap so that will be happening from about July 10th onwards but
Team Ulysses will still convene on the 16th as arranged (sorry, not
letting you off that)
Litfest
time is one of the few occasions when I write and publish on here almost
immediately the thought has left my mind, so dangerous times ahead.
Unedited, quick proof read for howlers...words like public are always a worry, so easy to lose that 'l'. I'll probably drop a few huge clangers
and the typos will abound, but we'll all be having fun and that's what matters.
More about Port Eliot reading to come.
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