WORDS @ FROME FESTIVAL
Words @ Frome Festival Author: Wendy Miller-Williams
Click here for Short Story Competition Results 2006
External Link to: Words @ Frome Festival - wordswork.net/frome/
The literary group of Frome Festival, 'Words @ Frome Festival', can be justly proud of the sixteen events they put on during Festival week - a fabulous mixture of subjects catering for all ages and interests. All were well attended, with several packed houses and feedback has been wonderfully positive from everyone concerned.
The children's events involved a delightful and entertaining session with children's illustrator Rob Scotton, who talked about his work and his new book Russell and the lost treasure. This was followed by the prize giving for the children's story and picture competition (the winning entries are on display in Frome library). Zainab Nigoumi delivered two creative events - a sell-out crafts and storytelling workshop for children and a family drop-in art workshop producing post cards for a community art project to be publicly displayed, while Steve Mynard introduced families to the art of storytelling - he has a repertoire of over 100 traditional folk stories from all over the world and visits schools around the country to promote the art of storytelling. Steve says, 'Despite the television and computers, children still find a good story enthralling. They love the underlying principles of a story, such as good and bad, and the archetypal personalities. It captures their imagination and they are wonderfully receptive.'
Events for the grown-ups started with a series of sessions related to 'Getting Published' at the Adult Learning and Leisure Building in Frome, organised by Frome librarian Wendy Miller-Williams. There were three illuminating and highly practical talks by agents and authors (Julia McCutchen, Lorella Belli, Roger Jinkinson and Christine Cole), which explored the various routes for getting a book published - the traditional route via a literary agent, going direct to a publisher and also self-publishing via companies such as Racing House. Literary agent Teresa Chris and author Debby Holt gave a very successful creative writing masterclass, for which aspiring authors were invited to bring a synopsis and first three pages of their novels. Elsewhere in the building, the four agents honoured thirty one-to-one writing consultations with local and not so local writers - some had travelled from London !
Cheap Street shops hosted a wild and wacky 'Writers-in-Residence' competition for the second year running, for eight writers whose brief (in line with the festival's 'Celebrating Somerset' theme) had to include the words 'scrumpy sausages'! Competition winners to be announced at a special event on 4 September - watch the press for further details.
Poetry was celebrated in two events - the fabulous Champagne Slam at the Garden Cafe, featuring slam champ Peter Hunter, with fifteen highly entertaining poets competing in the main event. The title 'Poet Laureate of Frome Festival Poetry Cafe and the bottle of bubbly - donated by Frome Wholefoods - went by popular acclaim to Gordon Eggington who presented both serious and witty work with conviction and panache. The second poetry event was also one not to be missed - some very powerful and emotionally charged readings by local author and poet, Lindsey Clarke, who explored from his new collection of poems to be published imminently.
70+ people enjoyed the Mendip House Hotel literary lunch, entertained this year by Miles Kington. Later in the day, food was also the theme for the packed library event organised by local writer John Payne and FilmFrome. Excellent archive and new food related films were followed by local home produced food tastings from Sagebury Cheese and the Slow Food Convivium, Somerset cider (Rich's) and apple juice (Keith Goverd) and a superb talk and discussion with agricultural editor for the Archers, Graham Harvey.
Clare Asquith and Alice Hogge took us back to the sixteenth century for their meticulously researched presentations exploring the story of the Elizabethan resistance and its encryption in Shakespeare's works, while local author Helena Drysdale gave a fascinating and superbly illustrated account of her own research into her Gascoyne cousins, East India Company stalwarts who became New Zealand backbush pioneers.
Rook Lane Chapel was the venue for this year's short story competition prize giving and a witty and excellent talk by author Sarah Duncan. Competition organiser Alison Clink was delighted that so many of the prize winners could attend the event this year and that the standard of entries was extremely high. Many of the winning stories will appear on the festival website in due course ( www.fromefestival.co.uk )
Never have so many events been organised by so few people - thanks and congratulations to the literary committee, all performers and library staff for providing a wide range of high quality book related events. Any suggestions for possible future events - during the festival or any time of the year, can be directed through Frome Library, (tel. 01373 462215) if possible by October 2006.
Wendy Miller-Williams
Team Librarian Frome
Frome Library,
Justice Lane,
Frome,
BA11 1BE
Words @ Frome Festival - wordswork.net/frome/
Words @ Frome Festival
Short Story Competition Results 2006
Judge: Author Sarah Duncan
Winners of Frome Festival Short Story Competition 2006
1st Prize – Alison Theaker, Devon – Eating Cake
2nd Prize – Sheila Corbishley, Newcastle on Tyne – Parker Hamilton Gets Fit
3rd Prize – Jo Cannon, Derbyshire – Jam
Highly Commended and top local prize winners:
Richard Walsh, Bath – Solid Earth
Rachel Ward, Bath – Numbers
Local Runners Up:
Jason Jackson, Bristol – Waiting for Nikki
Jude Higgins, Bristol – Retro
David Dell – Spike and Kidney
Anna Britten, Bath – Put the Radiator On, Get the Coffee Going
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