Crediton Literary Festival
Last week I wrote about a great little festival in the Gladstone’s Library in Flintshire. And now here’s another one.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining with the Exeter Writers’ Association at the second Crediton Festival. Last year it was a small affair, with a number of the Exeter Writers standing and giving short talks or readings to an audience in the Crediton Library. This year it has grown, with several excellent writers joining forces, and giving chats on the sofa to a very enthusiastic audience of readers and aspiring writers. Next year it will grow again. The first two years have proved that there is interest, and next year a full day of literary talks and readings with workshops for those who want to learn from professional writers.
Was it huge? No. I have been to US festivals such as Bouchercon, which are vast, with many thousands of speakers and authors – but they grow impersonal very quickly. Writers and fans do get together, but with so many invited writers, it’s hard for readers to get to speak with the people they want to meet. For writers and readers alike, I think that festivals like Crediton are fun, with more involvement. The authors have time to spend with readers, the readers get to talk to the writers they want to. Everyone wins!
This year’s speakers included Karen Maitland and me at first, charring on the sofa. For those who don’t know Karen, she is another member of Medieval Murderers, the performance group of medievalists who write crime stories. Karen has been a good friend for rather more years than she or I would like to remember! After us there was the brilliant duo of Mark and Tracey Norman talking about witchcraft and folklore, followed by Richard Dee and PJ Reed on exploring fantasy worlds. Finally, JC Hall spoke about his trilogy of thriller stories, and then we had Richard Lappas talking about his career as a top level professional news photographer.
All in all, a brilliant and entertaining day. I’m already looking forward to next year’s. Many thanks to the Exeter Authors’ Association, Crediton Library, and the Friends of Crediton Library for providing such an enjoyable event.
writerlywitterings 
Do you find that some libraries are better at putting on these events than others? You often mention something on in Exeter, Crediton, Plymouth etc. I have recently moved from Essex where there was never much in the way of literary events to Suffolk and am amazed at the number of talks by local authors that my village library (which is tiny) have put on in the few months I have been here.
LikeLike