THE Lowdham Book Festival holds its Winter Weekend on 1-3 March 2013, exploring the theme of ‘secrets and lies’. Top writers including Polly Toynbee and Catherine Bailey return to the village for what should be stimulating discussions, while on Saturday and Sunday local publishers offer books for sale (10.30am to 4.30pm in the Village Hall Committee Room) and a pop-up cafe from Mm Deli will serve snacks and drinks.
A number of events are listed below.
Friday 1 March 2013: Weird Stuff, with Roy Bainton (2.00-3.30pm, Lowdham WI Hall)
The first First Friday event of 2013 has Roy Bainton, author of the Mammoth Book of Unexplained Phenomena, discuss mysteries including showers of frogs over Hungary, UFOs, mediums, and general paranoia. Tickets are £5/£4/£3 for Festival Friends, and include tea and cake.
Friday 1 March 2013: Searching for Lost Breweries (and the odd missing football ground), with Chris Arnot (7.30-9.00pm, Old Ship Inn)
There was a time when Nottingham without Shipstones would have been as unthinkable as Leeds without Tetley or Manchester without Boddington. Chris Arnot reminds us what we have lost while wandering round the UK searching for long-forgotten football grounds. Tickets: £5/£4/£3.
Saturday 2 March 2013: Secrets and Lies in the novels of Ian McEwan and Sarah Waters, with Sheelagh Gallagher (2.00-3.00pm, Lowdham Village Hall)
Sheelagh Gallagher, from Nottinghamshire Libraries, wanders through the darker side of two of Britain’s best-known novelists. Tickets: £3
Saturday 2 March 2013: New Fiction from Alison Moore (3.30-5.00pm, Lowdham Village Hall)
Nottinghamshire writer Alison Moore hit the headlines when her book The Lighthouse was short-listed for the 2012 Booker Prize. “A masterclass in slow burn storytelling” said Boyd Tonkin in The Independent. Alison will be in conversation with Ross Bradshaw from Five Leaves. Tickets: £5/£4/£3
Saturday 2 March 2013: Polly Toynbee – Dogma and Disarray: David Cameron at Half Time (6.45-8.45pm, Lowdham Village Hall)
Guardian writer Polly Toynbee last came to Lowdham to give a verdict on how Labour was doing. Now, halfway through the Coalition government, she looks at how David Cameron is managing, and what drives him. In conversation with fellow author David Williams, she will look in detail at what has happened to the NHS and the Welfare State. There will be plenty of time for discussion. Tickets: £12/£10/£9, including a copy of the book Dogma and Disarray (Granta Books). There will be a bar.
Sunday 3 March 2013: Mysteries, Secrets and Curiosities of Nottinghamshire, with Chris Weir (11am-12.30pm, Lowdham Village Hall)
Chris Weir from Nottinghamshire Archives returns to Lowdham to talk about obscure local history, including the statue commemorating the invention of the umbrella, the strange Viking Sculpture at Cuckney Church, and the origins of the Major Oak’s name. Tickets: £5/£4/£3
Sunday 3 March 2013: Catherine Bailey and the Secret Rooms (2.00-3.30pm, Lowdham Village Hall)
Catherine Bailey discusses her new book, Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery – the complex story of love, honour and betrayal inside the walls of Belvoir Castle. Bailey is also the author of Black Diamonds, the story behind the Wentworth estate. She will be in discussion with Professor John Lucas. Tickets: £7/£6/£5
Sunday 3 March 2013: An Evening with Sophie Hannah (7.00-9.00pm Lowdham Village Hall)
Acclaimed author Sophie Hannah wrote several collections of poetry before turning to a life of crime. Tickets: £7/£6/£5, bar available.