There was a very special book launch at Marlborough’s White Horse Bookshop this evening (Thursday) when hot-off-the-press copies of the Marlborough LitFest brochure were presented to festival supporters and sponsors.
The event also marked tickets going on sale – and they’re expected to sell like proverbial hot cakes.
Among the guests were two novelists who met for the first time: Mavis Cheek, author of 15 novels and founder of the LitFest, and Vanessa Lafaye, whose debut novel Summertime has been collecting plaudits, including a place on Richard and Judy’s summer 2015 Book Club list.
Big names at this year’s event include bestselling author of the No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels, Alexander McCall Smith, prizewinning novelist Helen Dunmore, historical biographer and novelist Alison Weir, children’s author Ian Whybrow, and National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke.
BAFTA-award winning director Peter Kosminsky will be in discussion with Channel 4’s Jon Snow about the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novels of Wolf Hall, the Golding Speaker is Salley Vickers, and the Big Town Read author Rachel Joyce.
A far more comprehensive list can be found in our previous feature here.
Twenty five events will place over the weekend of October 2 to 4. Tickets and programme catalogues are available from The White Horse Bookshop, Marlborough High Street, or Pound Arts at www.poundarts.org.uk
Further information is available on the LitFest website at www.marlboroughlitfest.org