Buy Tickets - Bridport Literary Festival

Event 1 | Tim Bouverie | Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill The Road To War

£12.00

Marking 80 years since the start of WWII, Tim Bouverie gives a compelling reappraisal of one of the most controversial episodes in British history. Appeasing Hitler is the exciting debut of a young historian who sweeps us through a period of history beginning with the advent of Hitler in 1933, the early days of the Third Reich to the beaches of Dunkirk. In September 1938, Neville Chamberlain announced that his visit to Hitler had averted a crisis and assured the nation of ‘peace in our time’. A year after returning from Munich, Germany invaded Poland and determined the fate of Europe. Bouverie charters the timeless lesson on the challenges of standing up to aggression and authoritarianism - and the calamity that results from failing to do so.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 10.00am

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South Sreet, Bridport DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Richard and Liz Strang

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Event 2 | Max Hastings | Chastise: The Dambuster Story 1943

£15.00

Operation Chastise, the destruction of the Mohne and Eder dams in north-west Germany by the RAF’s 617 Squadron on the night of 16/17 May 1943, was an epic onslaught that has become legendary in Britain’s military history. Max Hastings grew up embracing the story, the classic 1955 movie and the memory of Guy Gibson, the 24 year old Wing-Commander who led the raid. In the 21st century, Hastings urges that we should re-evaluate the Dambusters. He vividly describes the evolution of Barnes Wallis’s bomb and the Squadron which broke the dams, and equally portrays in harrowing detail all those swept away by the devastating torrents. The narrative is a dramatic retake of familiar history. £2 of this event is to go to READ EASY – a national charity founded ten years ago in Dorset to combat illiteracy. Trained volunteers give free, private coaching to adults who struggle to read, using a structured course imaginatively tailored to each learner.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 11.30am

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South Sreet, Bridport DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Sue and Hugh Robinson

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Event 3 | Philip Clouts, Andy Williamson, Daniel Marcus Clark & Matt Harvey | Quartet of Musical Wordsmiths

£12.00

Change of Programme! Event 3 BridLit, by popular request, welcomes a Quartet of Musical Wordsmiths with a brand spanking new programme: FURTHER ADVENTURES IN WORDS AND MUSIC featuring poet and author, Matt Harvey, multi-instrumentalist and story-teller, Daniel Marcus Clark, lively saxophonist, Andy Williamson and the ever stellar piano player, Philip Clouts. with 2 course lunch. Please telephone Sladers Yard (01308 459511) for reservations.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 12.00 noon

Where: Sladers Yard, West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport DT6 4EL

Extra: With Lunch + £25

Sponsor: SOIXANTE

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Event 4 | Rosanna Ley Maria Donovan Gail Aldwin | Spirit Of Place

£7.00

Rosanna Ley and Maria Donovan join Gail Aldwin on this panel session to share their experiences of writing about place in fiction. Location is integral to all Rosanna Ley’s books - her settings include West Dorset and Cornwall as well as abroad. Her latest novel: The Lemon Tree is set in Italy. Maria Donovan draws on memory, observation and imagination to create a sense of place and her debut novel: The Chicken Soup Murder is set in a fictional version of her home town Bridport. Gail Aldwin is Chair of the Dorset Writers Network and her latest work of fiction: The String Games is a coming of age novel set in England and France – sure to be a best seller.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 3.00 pm

Where: The Bridport Library, South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

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Event 5 | Horatio Clare | Something of His Art: Walking to Lübeck with JS Bach

£10.00

In the depths of winter in 1705, the young Johann Sebastian Bach, then unknown as a composer and earning a modest living as a teacher and organist, set off on a long journey on foot to Lubeck to visit the composer Dieterich Buxterhude, a distance of more than 250 miles. This journey was pivotal in the life of the Master of the Baroque. More than three hundred years later, Horatio Clare set off to recreate the walk, following in Bach’s footsteps. Something of his Art is an evocation of what the young composer would have experienced.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 4.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ball Room, East St, Bridport DT6 3LF

Sponsor: John and Felicity Fairbairn

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Event 6 | Christopher Somerville | Ships of Heaven: The Private Life of Britain’s Cathedrals

£10.00

When Christopher Somerville set out to explore Britain’s cathedrals, he found his fixed ideas shaken to the roots. Cathedrals – Britain possesses over 100 – great unmoving bastions of tradition. He tells the stories of monarchs and bishops who ordered the building of these massive edifices and the masons whose genius created them. He chronicles the pomp and prosperity that follows these Ships of Heaven, the towns that grew up in their shadow, the Reformation, icon smashing Puritanism and the revival brought about by the Industrial Revolution, and the hope and disillusion of two world wars.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 5.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Jean Edwards

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Event 7 | Simon Armitage | The Poet Laureate

£10.00

In May this year, it was announced that the West Yorkshire poet, Simon Armitage, one of the most celebrated poets of his generation, had been appointed the UK’s 21st Poet Laureate. Armitage said then that he had no hesitation in accepting the role. “It’s a big commitment and I feel I’ve been writing the kind of public-facing, public-occasion poetry that this role will require, for quite a long time”. His exciting new volume of poems brings together a selection of work which stands outside of his mainstream publications. Contents include single set pieces such as Zodiac T Shirt, several are site specific – some set in the Pennine landscape, and others developed from collaborations with film directors and visual artists together with large scale literary projects such as the poet’s troubadour journeys walking across the UK. As well as representing the nature and scale of his output, Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic demonstrates Armitage’s commitment to collaboration, his role of public engagement and a belief in poetry as an act of communication.

When: Sunday 3rd November 2019 @ 6.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Martin and Lindsay Bowdery

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Event 8 | Christy Lefteri | The Bee Keepers Of Aleppo

£10.00

Moving, compassionate, powerful and of international significance, Christy Lefteri’s novel was born out of her time working as a volunteer for UNICEF. Based in Athens at a refugee centre, Lefteri met and got to know so many of those escaping from harrowing war torn regions. Her story of Nuri a beekeeper and his wife Afra an artist, living a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo, is cataclysmic. When all around them is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape, embarking upon a perilous journey through Turkey to Greece – intent on survival.

When: Monday 4th November 2019 @ 10.00 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Nick Pearson

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Event 9 | Nicholas Jubber | Epic Continent: Adventures in the Great Stories of Europe

£10.00

Award-winning travel writer, Nicholas Jubber, journeys across Europe exploring the continent’s epic poems, from The Odyssey to Beowulf, The Song of Roland to The Nibelungenlied and their impact on European identity in turbulent times. These enduring epic poems were inspired by moments of seismic change. Shaped by their times they have stirred passions ever since, motivating arms and revolutionaries just as they continue today. Jubber takes us on a fascinating adventure which illuminates so much of the story of Europe and why it is constantly changing.

When: Monday 4th November 2019 @ 11.30 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Francesca Radcliffe

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Event 10 | Jennifer Potter | The Jamestown Brides: The Bartered Wives of the New World

£10.00

In 1621, fifty-six English women crossed the Atlantic in response to the Virginia Company of London’s call for maids ‘young and uncorrupt’ to make wives for the planters of its new colony in Virginia, North America. The English had settled there just fourteen years previously and the company hoped to root its unruly menfolk to the land with ties of family and children. While the women travelled of their own accord, the company was in effect selling them at a profit for a bride price of 150 lbs of tobacco. Jennifer Potter tells extraordinary story of the British women who made the perilous journey to become bartered brides.

When: Monday 4th November 2019 @ 2.30 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Anon | Jim Bartos

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Event 11 | Philip Mansel | The King of the World: King Louis XIV

£10.00

Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre, dominated his age. In the second half of the seventeenth century, he extended France’s frontiers into the Netherlands and Germany, and established colonies in America, Africa and India. Louisiana, which once occupied a third of the territory of the present day United States, is named after him. Louis was also one of the greatest patrons of European history – Moliere, Racine , Lully, Le Brun, Le Notre all worked for him – and his stupendous palace built at Versailles became the envy of monarchs throughout Europe. Many tried to imitate but with little success. As well as entertaining lavishly, Louis was obsessed by the details of government and travelled extensively throughout his kingdom, though his choice of ministers and generals often proved disastrous. Louis’s extravagance in building palaces, entertaining and persistently waging wars devastated French finances and set France on the path to revolution. Dr.Mansel’s new book: King of the World is much the most comprehensive biography of this hypnotic, charismatic and flawed King.

When: Monday 4th November 2019 @ 4.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Tim Clarke

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Event 12 | Andrew Lownie | The Mountbattens: Their Lives and loves

£10.00

Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979) is one of the major British historical figures of the twentieth century. As one obituary noted: ‘It seemed almost unbelievable that one human being could have touched history at so many points’ including Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia during WWII and the last Viceroy of India. He was also a major figure behind his nephew Philip’s marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and instrumental in the royal family taking the Mountbatten name. He also became an influential mentor to Prince Charles. No biography of Mountbatten can be told without also examining that of his wife, Edwina. Once the richest woman in Britain, her aimless pre-war life as a playgirl who enjoyed numerous affairs, she emerged from WWII as a magnetic and talented charity worker. From prize-winning and best-selling historian Andrew Lownie, comes a nuanced portrayal of two very unusual people and their complex relationship. Rich in texture and a cast list including Churchill, Roosevelt, Chianng Kai-Shek, Charlie Chaplin and Laurens van der Post. This marks the 40th anniversary of Lord Mountbatten’s assassination by the IRA.

When: Monday 4th November 2019 @ 6.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Anthony and Val Pitt-Rivers

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Event 13 | Peter Marren | Emperors, Admirals & Chimney-Sweeps: The Naming of Butterflies and Moths

£10.00

Many have remarked on the poetic names of our butterflies and moths. Their beauty fires our imagination. Some are named after human occupations – emperors, footmen, rustics – and still more named after animals – tigers, hawks, goats. There are species named after jewels, musical instrument, fabrics, heraldry. Some names are baffling. Scientific names too contain many allusions. Peter Marren has writen widely on the natural world and this beautifully illustrated book is put together with insight and wit.

When: Tuesday 5th November 2019 @ 10.00 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

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Event 14 | Eleanor Fitzsimons | The Life and Loves of E Nesbitt

£10.00

Best known for The Railway Children and Five Children and It, Edith Nesbitt is considered the first modern children’s author and the inventor of the children’s adventure story. Her life was much more complicated than her books would imply. A staunch socialist and founding member of the Fabian Society, Edith incorporated her avant-garde ideas into her writing. She was a feminist, and a close friend of HG Wells and her love life was somewhat complicated – George Bernard Shaw being one of her many lovers.

When: Tuesday 5th November 2019 @ 11.30 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Rosa Bartlett

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Event 15 | Christopher Tugendhat | A History Of Britian Through Books 1900-1964

£10.00

There are many ways of studying the tumultuous twentieth century – but one of the most revealing must be through the key books of the time. Christopher Tugendhat shows how literature both shaped and reflected public concerns over the decades – from Lord of the Flies to A Room of One’s Own to Heart of Darkness. After a long and distinguished career in government, business and public service, Lord Tugendhat has included in his fasinating book many of the writers who have influenced him including, CP Snow, Noel Coward, Ernest Gombrich.

When: Tuesday 5th November 2019 @ 2.30 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Buffy Sacher

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Event 16 | Max Porter | Lanny

£10.00

Max Porter’s first novel, Grief is the Thing with Feathers won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, the International Dylan Thomas Prize and was shortlisted for many others. It has been translated in to 27 languages. His new best selling novel: Lanny focuses on a village outside London and no different from many others. Yet it belongs to England’s mysterious past and its confounding present. Porter’s story is exhilarating, disquieting and deeply affecting. The plot bowls along in a compulsive way – in search of the boy, Lanny and Porter’s genius with words leaves you breathless.

When: Tuesday 5th November 2019 @ 4.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 East St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Carol Hammick

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Event 17 | Henry Blofeld | My A-Z Of Cricket

£12.00

Legendary cricket broadcaster and national treasure, Henry Blofeld takes the audience on a journey from A-Z through the world of cricket. There are many reasons to love ‘Blowers’, not least that he is the voice synonymous with BBC Radio 4 and 5’s Test Match Specials. In his trademark charming style he explains some of the puzzling cricket terminology and tells his favourite anecdotes from half a century’s association with the sport. His stories are not only entertaining but reflect changes in the cricket, while identifies his cricketing heroes. There is a glossary for those who want to make sure of the difference between googlys and bouncers!

When: Tuesday 5th November 2019 @ 5.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Trish Reed | Ian and Mary Scott

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Event 18 | Jocasta Innes Remembered by Jason Goodwin | A Life In Colour

£12.00

Jason inherited his love of adventure and an exploratory addiction to food and how to grow, harvest and enjoy it from his late mother, the writer Jocasta Innes. She was a polymath of ideas for homemaking and how to live life to the full. Her book: Paint Magic is a classic for anyone wishing to decorate their home and a copy of The Pauper’s Cookbook is a Bible for everyone who enjoys food without the extravagance. Jason talks about his Mother’s influence on his life and has recently republished one of her cookery books: The Country Kitchen. His talk will be followed by a delicious feast based on his Mother’s recipes. With 2 course lunch. Please telephone Sladers Yard (01308 459511) for reservations.

When: Tuesday 5th November 2019 @ 7.00 pm

Where: Sladers Yard, West Bay Road, West Bay, Bridport DT6 4EL

Extra: With Lunch +£28

Sponsor: Harold Carter | Tess Silkstone

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Event 19 | Henry Hemming | Our Man In New York: The British Plot To Bring America Into WWII

£10.00

Henry Hemming examines one of the most extraordinary stories of a propaganda campaign: the covert British operation to manipulate American public opinion and bring America into WWII. Those campaigning against America’s entry into the war had many theories about who or what was behind this shift in public opinion. Hemming, one of our favourite historians, returns to Bridlit to reveal the truth, and a truth that involves his own grandparents who worked for William Stephenson - Our Man in New York. From establishing a forgery hothouse and seeding false information about Nazi plans and plots, Stephenson’s office masterminded an operation of daring brilliance. This contributed to the founding and early operations of what is now the CIA.

When: Wednesday 6th November 2019 @ 10.00 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: John and Sue Bradberry

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Event 20 | Isabel Bannerman | Scent Magic: Notes From A Garden

£10.00

Isabel Bannerman and her husband Julian have, over the years, taken the world of garden design by storm. It all started when they bought a derelict baroque mansion in Wiltshire and restored the house and created a garden on the hoof. Since then they have won gold medals at Chelsea and established a practice, working with discerning clients such as HRH The Prince of Wales, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, George and Amal Clooney, Sting and Trudie Styler. Isabel’s new book: Scent Magic is a romantic and extremely practical book in which Isabel immerses the reader in the luscious fragrance of a gardening year. Hers is a compelling personal journey, which evokes personal memories and practical knowledge.

When: Wednesday 6th November 2019 @ 11.30 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Allen and Rachel James | David and Sue Orr

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Event 21 | Celia Brayfield | Rebel Writers: The Accidental Feminists

£10.00

Award-winning writer, Celia Brayfield, has written the first book about a generation of women writers who changed the world. In London in 1958 A Taste of Honey written by the 19 year old Shelagh Delaney, redefined women’s writing in Britain. She was the first of young women – aged 17-28 who dazzled the world with their honesty – rebelling against sexism, inequality and prejudice. They rejected masculine definitions of what writing and a writer should be. After Delaney came Edna O’Brien, Lynne Reid Banks, Nell Dunn, Virginia Ironside, Charlotte Bingham and Margaret Forster.

When: Wednesday 6th November 2019 @ 2.30 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Dorset Magazine

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Event 22 | Olivia Glazebrook | The Frank Business

£7.00

Olivia Glazebrook is a journalist, screenwriter, film and book critic. Her first novel The Trouble with Alice met with great critical acclaim. Olivia is one of Dorset’s rich seam of talented writers and we are delighted to have her with us to talk about her latest book: The Frank Business. Frank drops down dead at Heathrow Arrivals on Christmas Eve. His estranged daughter is called to identify the body and is left wondering why he was travelling to London from France in the first place. So begins a story of the chaotic nature of relationships when pasts are unmasked.

When: Wednesday 6th November 2019 @ 4.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

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Event 23 | Jason Webster | Violencia: A New History Of Spain

£10.00

Old fault lines are reappearing in Spain: extremist groups are on the rise, a region pushes for independence, society is fragile and polarised. This is nothing new: a long view of Spanish history shows the country is returning to its old ways. Can democracy ever work in a Spain which has spent hundreds of years in civil war. In his controversial new history of Spain: Violencia, Spanish expert Jason Webster, charts its history from its origins to the present day, uncovering its darkest events and its genius for enlightened thought. He shows how events are in danger of being repeated and argues that Spain has long predicted crisises in the West.

When: Wednesday 6th November 2019 @ 6.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: David and Annabelle Nabarro

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Event 24 | Stephen Moss | Mrs Moreau’s Warble: How Birds Got Their Names

£10.00

Through fascinating encounters with the bird kingdom and the rich cast of characters responsible for coming up with their names Stephen Moss, the naturalist and broadcaster, gives an entertaining illustrated talk about his new book: Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler. A treasure trove of folk history, tracing the tracks of bird life. A must for any bookshelf

The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Talk - Kenneth Allsop, was a broadcaster, writer and champion of conservation who lived near Bridport until his death in 1973.

When: Thursday 7th November 2019 @ 10.00 pm

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

Sponsor: Anon

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Event 25 | Humphrey Stone | Reynold Stone: A Memoir

£10.00

Reynolds Stone CBE (1909-1979) was one of the most distinguished wood engravers of the 20th century. He spent his childhood in Bridport and lived in Litton Cheney from 1953 until his death. His son, Humphrey Stone, has put together this richly illustrated memoir providing a long overdue account of his father’s life and work.He was a champion of the Renaissance in good printing and type design and an accomplished watercolour painter and letter cutter in stone. His legacy endures in much that remains familiar, including postage stamps, £5 and £10 notes and the coat of arms on a British passport.

When: Thursday 7th November 2019 @ 11.30 am

Where: The Bull Ballroom, 34 South St, Bridport, DT6 3LF

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Event 26 | Mark Galeotti | We Need To Talk About Putin: How The West Gets Him Wrong

£10.00

Mark Galeotti's conversation with Rene Wyndham about: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT PUTIN has been moved from The Bull Hotel to THE ELECTRIC PALACE.
Despite the millions of words written on Putin’s Russia, the West still fails to understand one of the world’s most powerful politicians, whose influence spans the globe and whose networks of power reach into the very heart of our daily lives. Professor Mark Galeotti is one of the foremost authorities on Russia and monitors the unfolding story of the Putin era and the man behind the myth. Galeotti is also author of the brilliantly gripping account of The Vory – Russia’s super Mafia, the underground crime class, from their beginnings in the gulags to their free-wheeling oligarchy of today.

When: Thursday 7th November 2019 @ 2.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South Sreet, Bridport DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Robert and Diana Clarke | Jean Edwards

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Event 27 | Sadie Jones | The Snakes

£10.00

Sadie Jones, won the Costa First Novel Award for her best selling The Outcast, made into a devastatingly unsettling film. The Snakes is equally menacing – an all consuming story of a family whose worst sins come back to bite them. Sadie writes of her new novel: “If The Snakes feels dangerous its because we – people, normal people – are at risk when we are surrounded by corruption.” Unflinching in its gaze, this is also a novel destined to be a best seller.

When: Thursday 7th November 2019 @ 4.00 pm

Where: LSI, 51 East St, Bridport DT6 3JX

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Event 28 | Dr Celia Brayfield | Life-Writing Masterclass

£20.00

Story-telling vs Reality. Storytelling isn’t just for fiction writers. Its what makes non-fiction irresistible too. The art of narrative in biography, history or memoir is the art of arranging real life events into the beguiling stories that make the ordinary extraordinary.In this workshop you will learn to tell stories using non-fiction events and make your writing compelling as well as truthful. A challenge for all those apprentice and experienced writers. Limited numbers.

When: Thursday 7th November 2019 @ 6.00 - 8.00 pm

Where: LSI, 51 East St, Bridport DT6 3JX

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Event 29 | Matt Frei | The Goerge Millar Literary Dinner

£50.00

Theme: The Rise of Nationalism: What does the future hold?

Award winning journalist and writer, Matt Frei, is Europe Editor and Presenter at Channel 4 News. He is also part of the wider presenting team across Channel 4’s news and current affairs portfolio, including the Dispatches programme series. He has led coverage of major news items from all over the world including the tension in the Ukraine resulting from the crash of Malaysia flight MH17 and reporting ‘live’ from the Crimea on Kiev’s bloodiest day. More recently, Matt has covered the friction in Hong Kong with China and continues to find himself reporting from many turbulent parts of the world.

Prior to his current role, Matt was Washington Correspondent for two years and this led to the coverage of the Americas on everything from business and culture to US foreign policy and its view of the world. He headed up Channel 4’s coverage of the 2012 US Presidential election including a documentary: The American Road Trip: Obama’s Story and followed this in 2016 with a documentary investigating Donald Trump and those that surround him: The Mad World of Donald Trump. Undoubtedly, he will be covering the next Presidential election and the implications on the ‘special relationship’ with the UK.

Matt speaks several European languages fluently, which surprises many of the European heads of state. He is the author of Italy: the Unfinished Revolution and contributed with authors like Will Self and Ian McEwan to Goodbye Europe. He was voted RTS TV Journalist of the Year 2015 and 2017 and has won an Emmy, a BAFTA, a Dupont and a Peabody. He is London based but has a very special affection for West Dorset through his wife, Penny, and her links with Bridport. We are all delighted to welcome Matt Frei to the Bridport Literary Festival.

George Millar DSO MC, Croix de Guerre and Legion d’Honneur - The Literary Dinner is held every year in memory of George Millar who for 50 years lived in West Dorset until his death in 2005. His war memoirs and his books on sailing are still in print and continue to be enjoyed by generations of readers of all ages.

When: Thursday 7th November 2019 @ 7.00 pm

Where: The Tithe Barn, Mill Ln, Symondsbury, Bridport DT6 6HG

Sponsor: Furleigh Estate | The Symondsbury Estate

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Event 30 | Philip Marsden | The Summer Isles: A Voyage Of The Imagination

£10.00

The Summer Isles, the small group of Scottish islands off Scotland’s north-west coast, captivated writer Philip Marsden when he and his aunt looked upon them from the tops of mountains they loved to climb in the Highlands. Decades after his aunt’s death, he sets sail in a beautiful wooden boat from his home in Cornwall, up the west coast of Ireland, through the Hebrides, to reach those islands of his imagination. Sailing single-handed, he tackles the full force of the Atlantic, hopping from island to island exploring early Irish and Scottish history and learning the stories and songs, myths and legends and their place in the Celtic tradition.

When: Friday 8th November 2019 @ 10.00 am

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Sally Inchbald and Peter Lee

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Event 31 | Tom Holland | Dominion: How The Christians Revolution Changed The World

£12.00

In Dominion, award winning historian and broadcaster Tom Holland explains why Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world. He explores the story of how we came to be what we are and how we think. Ranging from the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC to the on-going migration crisis in Europe today. From Nebuchadnezzar to the Beatles, Holland explores just what made Christianity so revolutionary and disruptive; how it saturated the mind-set of Latin Christendom and why, inspite of religion’s claims, it is becoming less accepted in the West.

When: Friday 8th November 2019 @ 11.30 am

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Carol Hammick

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Event 32 | Deborah Moggach | The Carer

£12.00

From the best-selling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever, Deborah Moggach’s new novel The Carer is a deliciously waspish, witty and poignant novel about aging, sibling rivalry and having to grow up fast! James is getting on a bit and needs full-time help. His middle aged offspring, Robert and Phoebe, employ Mandy who is happy to take him off their hands. BUT Mandy has vices as well as virtues and life, as it unfolds, suddenly becomes one that none of them can handle and does not curtail at old age.

When: Friday 8th November 2019 @ 2.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: John and Maggie Mills

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Event 33 | Dr David Nott | War Doctor: Surgery On The Front Line

£12.00

For more than twenty-five years, Dr David Nott has taken unpaid leave from his job as a general and vascular surgeon with the NHS to volunteer in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones. From Sarajevo under siege in 1993, to clandestine hospitals in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, he has carried out life-saving operations and field surgery in the most challenging conditions, and with none of the resources of a major hospital. Driven by compassion and the desire to help others, and putting himself in extreme personal danger, David is now acknowledged by the world to be the most experienced trauma surgeon. Flying into a catastrophe was not enough as other doctors needed to learn how to treat the appalling injuries that war inflicts. Since 2015, David and his wife, Elly, have set up a foundation training doctors in the art of saving lives – those threatened by bombs and bullets.

When: Friday 8th November 2019 @ 4.00 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Adam and Nicky Fenwick | Emma Farquhason

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Event 34 | Melvyn Bragg | Love Without End: A Story Of Heloise And Abelard

£12.00

Writer, broadcaster, polymath, Melvyn Bragg’s award winning series: The South Bank Show is the longest running arts programme (1978-2019)on British television and has also been acclaimed as the best. His BBC Radio 4 series: In Our Time is a masterclass in the history of ideas and one of the most popular podcasts available. His latest novel: Love Without End re-imagines the legendary love story of Heloise and Abelard, and breathes fresh life into one of the most remarkable and enduring passions, uniting the middle ages with today. Heloise, a brilliant scholar, arrives in Paris in the year 1117 and falls passionately in love with the young radical philosopher, Abelard - their dangerous love affair incurs terrible retribution. Nine centuries later Arthur, an English academic, arrives in Paris to revisit the story, and finds that his connection with the subject is more emotional than he cares to admit.

When: Friday 8th November 2019 @ 6.00 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Jim and Sarah Wild

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Event 35 | Martin Maudsley | The Lost Stories

£2.00

Inspired by the poetry and paintings of Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris from their award winning book: The Lost Words, local writer and story-teller Martin Maudsley has gathered together and brought to life a series of Lost Stories. Featuring plants and animals from the Macfarlane/Morris book, as well as other nature words that were removed from the Oxford Children’s Dictionary, Martin has woven together traditional tales and local legends from around the world. Children will be thrilled and delighted by live story-telling and wonderful imagery – and so will adults!

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 9.30 am

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Tickets: £2 Per child and £5 Per Adult - Suitable for all ages

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Event 36 | Isabella Tree | Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm

£12.00

Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp Experiment’, a pioneering re-wilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife. Part enthralling memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is considered to be one the landmark ecological books of the decade. Forced to accept that intensive farming at Knepp was economically unsustainable, Isabella and her husband made a spectacular leap of faith, deciding to let nature take over. Free-roaming animals over 3,500 acres has seen huge increases in wildlife numbers over a decade.

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 11.30 am

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Georgia Langton | John and Ros Senior

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Event 37 | Lindsey Hilsum | In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin

£12.00

Marie Colvin was glamorous, hard-drinking, braver than the boys, with a troubled and rackety personal life. With fierce compassion and honesty, she reported from the most dangerous places in the world, fractured by conflict and genocide. In Sri Lanka in 2001, she was hit by a grenade and lost the sight in her left eye – resulting in her trademark eye patch – and in 2012 she was killed in Syria. Fellow foreign correspondent Lindsey Hilsum has written the story of the most daring war reporter of her generation.

This event is in memory of David Hugh Prysor-Jones – a valued member of the BridLit Festival team from the beginning. For many years he was a renowned international journalist and broadcaster for the BBC and beyond.

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 2.00 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Anthony and Valerie Barker | Barry and Islay Mawhinney

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Event 38 | Dr Lewis Dartnell | Origins: How the Earth Made Us

£8.00

When we talk about human history, we focus on great leaders, mass migration and decisive wars. But how has the Earth itself determined our destiny? How has our planet made us? As a species, we are shaped by our environment. Geological forces drove our evolution in East Africa; mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Scientist, writer and broadcaster Dr Lewis Dartnell tells the human story of these forces, from plate tectonics and climate change, to atmospheric circulation and ocean currents. Origins reveals the Earth’s awesome impact on the shape of human civilization.

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 3.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Adam Tindale

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Event 39 | David Nicholls | Sweet Sorrow

£12.00

David Nicholls is one of the UK’s most successful writers with an incomparable talent for making us laugh, cry and wince all at the same time. Its ten years since his award winning novel: One Day, the iconic love story for a generation, became an international publishing phenomenon. There followed US, an equally beguiling story, and now Sweet Sorrow – a poignant, funny and life-changing story of one summer. Charlie is the kind of boy you don’t remember from school. His exams were disappointing and at home he is the carer for his father. He views his future with dread. Then along comes Fran Fisher and she changes everything. David is also a screenwriter and winner of this year’s BAFTA award for his adaptation of Edward St. Aubyn’s Philip Melrose quintet of novels for tv. Other highlights have included his adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd and Great Expectations as well as adapting his earlier novels as feature films: Starter for Ten and One Day. Lots to talk about.

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 5.00 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Rachel and Alan James | Rosi and Clive de Ruig

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Event 40 | Steve Richards | The Prime Ministers: Reflections on Leadership

£12.00

Award winning political commentator, columnist, journalist and broadcaster Steve Richards is considered to be one of the most respected, influential and talented interpreters of the Westminster scene. His popular podcast: Rock ‘N Roll Politics has now become an acclaimed One Man Show and he is a regular political pundit on various television and radio programmes. Steve likes to involve the audience with interactive dialogue and exchanges. His new book: The Prime Ministers: Reflections on Leadership is a landmark history of the men and women - from Heath to May -who have defined the UK’s role in the modern world. At a time of unprecedented political upheaval, Steve analyses who leads and who doesn’t and why, and brilliantly brings to life the inhabitants of 10 Downing Street over the past fifty years. Has our new Prime Minister got the the essential leadership skills to face the future?

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 6.30 pm

Where: Electric Palace, 35 South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Sponsor: Johnnie Boden

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Event A | Anthea Simmons | The Children’s Story Time: Lightning Mary

£3.00

Lightning Mary – local author, Anthea Simmons comes to this year’s Bridlit to talk about her latest book which tells the story of the young Mary Anning who searches for fossils on the windswept beaches of Dorset, intent to bring back treasures to help feed her family. Mary must depend on her unique courage and knowledge to fulfil her dream to become a scientist. At a time now, when it is possible with determination to follow one’s destiny, Anthea charts the inspiration behind her book.

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 10.00 am | Workshop @ 11.00 am

Where: Bridport Library, South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Adults Free | Suitable for children 8+

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Event B | Molly Arbuthnott | The Children’s Story Time: Oscar, the Ferry Cat

£3.00

Oscar, the Ferry Cat is the story of Molly Arbuthnott’s beloved cat who went missing on a Scottish ferry. Molly was inspired to tell about the adventure in a beautiful picture book followed by Oscar’s adventure: Oscar the Hebridean Cat. With her boundless energy and enthusiasm for story telling Molly will entertain children of 4 years plus with a dynamic interactive presentation .

When: Saturday 9th November 2019 @ 11.00 am

Where: Bridport Library, South St, Bridport, DT6 3NY

Adults Free | Suitable for children 4+

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