Tower and Town, September 2022 (view the full edition)Editorial: LitFest 2022Books. Don't you just love 'em. And, for all those non-authors among us, how fascinating it is to learn how those books came into being. What is the wondrous alchemy that turns the germ of an idea into the finished work? How do authors conduct their research? When do they write? How do they write? How do they edit? How do they cope with rejection? And with success? Are they already working on their next novel, history or travel book? These are just some of the questions to which you can find answers at this, the 13th Marlborough LitFest. After last year's Covid-affected hybrid festival, 2022 sees a return to a full programme across four action-packed days, from the opening on Thursday, when 50 children from Marlborough St Mary's will congregate outside the Town Hall and treat us to a medley of songs from the Queen's reign, to the close on Sunday, with the Big Town Read (local bestselling author JS Monroe) and Cornwall-based giant of fiction, Patrick Gale. And there is so much to soak up in between: poet and national treasure Pam Ayres, a memoir-writing workshop, explorer Benedict Allen, award-winning novelist Kamila Shamsie, the translation duel, debut authors, Stonehenge (in the form of archaeologist-writer Mike Pitts), doyenne of children's fiction Jacqueline Wilson, veteran historian Max Hastings - there's even a fascinating glimpse from Louise Willder into the arcane art of 'blurb' writing. So don't delay - buy your tickets now for Wiltshire's premier cultural event. Ben Tarring |