Tower and Town, October 2018 (view the full edition)Arts ReviewMarlborough Literature Festival - it's fun, it's fast, it's busy, it's stimulating, and it's non-stop. "Three cheers for nearby coffee establishments, hip hip...!" LitFest comes round faster every year, each time bringing something new and fresh to the table. In fact, I'd say this year's line up is pretty hot. The festival is something people look forward to, whether they are local or from further afield. But, nobody said it would be easy - not least for the staff at The White Horse Bookshop who are part of the cohort working from dawn till dusk! Here's a little peep into what goes on backstage... As the festival's principle bookseller, The White Horse Bookshop readies itself for a large logistical operational weekend. The shop is bursting at the seams with stock. Not only do we have our regular deliveries and 'new titles' to take care of, but we also have to order and house the LitFest stock. All in all, there are a lot of boxes and we do a lot of weightlifting. Once everything has been scanned, counted, arranged and organised, the books have to be transported to their necessary venues. This takes time, but the fabulous displays always make it worth it in the end. Stock in place, it is now a question of staffing and making sure we have enough staff to actually continue to run the shop as normal, as well as be in each venue. Thankfully, we have a superb team on hand who are dotted about all over the place. The only downside of course is we generally miss out on attending any of the events, and hearing any of the talks. However, one of the venues is our own beautiful gallery, and so it is wonderful to have this space used, and a nice opportunity to connect the bookshop with the LitFest more closely. Although it is a hardworking few days, The White Horse Bookshop firmly believes it is a tremendous privilege to be involved in something that is becoming increasingly important to the town. Furthermore, from a profile perspective, it is always great to have authors and publishers come and see Marlborough's finest bookshop. The LitFest is always a busy one, yet the buzz that shivers through the town makes it an enjoyable weekend to be part of each year. So...bring it on! Gabriella Venus |