Tower and Town, September 2023 (view the full edition)Editorial: Marlborough LitFest 2023Regicides. A serpent fairy. Mayhem in Montego Bay. Fair Rosaline. The Caucasus mountains. I'm sure you've guessed the answer to the question of what links the above. Yes, they all feature in books at this year's LitFest, the 14th iteration of the best literary festival in the world. Probably. A grand total of 40 events will unfold over the course of the four days of LitFest 2023, which this year is delighted to welcome a new lead sponsor, Fermoie, Marlborough-based maker of fine fabrics. As ever, there is something for everyone: literary heavyweight Sebastian Barry is our Golding Speaker; Luke Jennings, the creator of Killing Eve, will tell us about his latest novel; 'rock-star mythologist' Natalie Haynes will give a new take on old goddesses; Mike Brearley is here to reflect on a lifetime of cricket and more; comedian Andy Hamilton is one of a trio of top football writers; Amanda Craig takes us to Tuscany in the company of three fictional eighty-somethings... Meanwhile, storytellers will be popping up all over town to entertain younger festival goers, who will also be regaled by award-winning authors Mini Grey and Frank Cottrell-Boyce, not to mention theatre performances featuring dogs, ducklings and more. And in case you think that LitFest is limited to four days in autumn, check out the article by our chair, Genevieve Clarke, on page 13, in which she outlines our Love Books Competition, our children's story trail, our partnerships with local businesses. So do please turn the page to find enticing reviews of some of our festival fare. Thanks for reading and, to all those who contributed to this edition of Tower and Town, thanks for writing. Marlborough LitFest runs from 28 September to 1 October. The programme is available at the White Horse Bookshop and on marlboroughlitfest.org. The box office is now open: you can buy tickets in the White Horse Bookshop, phone TicketSource on 0333 666 3366 or visit marlboroughlitfest.org/tickets. Ben Tarring |