2011 Wolds Words Programme Revealed

From the 19th to 23rd of October Louth and the Wolds will be alive with celebrations of its annual literary festival, Wolds Words, which marks its 11th year in 2011. This year's line-up places an emphasis on non-fiction, historical fiction and books for children.

Children's Literature

The festival always has something to offer all ages, and this year the educational programme features appearances from the Lincolnshire Poet Laureate Joel Stickley, author Tom Palmer, and Georgia Twynham. Georgia recently won the Lincolnshire Young People's Book Award for her novel The Thirteenth. There are also a number of free story sessions for under 5's.

Workshops and Events

Writing for children, starting a reading group, and writing poetry are the subjects of workshops, although I think there's slightly less emphasis on nurturing new talent in this festival, because there are fewer workshops compared with the overall number of events. There are also other events that highlight the work of craft, finance, food and travel writers.

However, probably the greatest emphasis is on history this year. Friday 21st October is Rural Reflections Day, with six events concerned with local history from various periods. There are also appearances from historical novelists Rory Clements, Jane Sanderson and Karen Maitland, a discussion of a biography of Oscar Wilde's wife by Franny Moyle, and a screening of An Ideal Husband. Far Welter'd, the East Lincolnshire Dialect Society, will be hosting events on the Saturday to celebrate National Dialect Day, something that has featured in the festival programmes since 2004. History has often been part of the festival, but in 2011 its role is much more marked.

Visit the Wolds Words website to download the full programme.