I only bought tickets for a couple of the events at the inaugural Stoke-on-Trent Literary Festival, as I didn't really know what to expect, never having attended a 'literary festival' before. It would be a shame to spend a lot on tickets, only to find that it was all rather dull. I also felt I should book cautiously since getting to it might have proved tricky - we are currently spending most of my non-work days travelling by narrowboat along (at present) the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and I couldn't be sure we would find somewhere that the boat could be left safely unattended for more than a day.
And, to be totally honest, there was a moment when I felt inclined to sulk in my tent after failing to make the short story shortlist, but having paid for the tickets it seemed silly not to do my sulking in the Festival's tent instead. Except that something had gone wrong with that - the Hot Air Marquee - the evening before. I haven't quite got to the bottom of what, but rumour has it that all did not quite go to plan with the stage during David Starkey's appearance and, by the time we arrived for A N Wilson's presentation on his Wedgwood family saga 'A Potter's Hand', the marquee was nowhere to be seen. It's probably just as well nothing unpredictable happened during SAS man Andy McNab's stint, or things might have turned ugly...
I'd booked the A N Wilson event simply because we were going to be home today whatever for Antony Beevor's lecture during the afternoon, and I thought Jon might enjoy hearing another perspective on Josiah Wedgwood, having studied him at University. I couldn't recall ever reading anything by A N Wilson, though had a vague idea I might have seen the name at some point in a Guardian Review article. So it was a great treat to find that Mr Wilson is a witty and engaging speaker, cheerfully undaunted at frequently being out-of-step with his slide-show of Wedgwood-related images and capable of a delightful Alan Bennett impression in the course of describing how he had asked his author friend if he was related to the Potteries author Arnold Bennett, only to be advised that Alan Bennett had a cousin by that name who was a policeman in Leeds. He also dropped the V&A in the proverbial for (allegedly) breaking a piece of Catherine the Great's 'Frog' dinner service, though restoring it so well the Russians have never noticed (allegedly).
After such an enjoyable talk, it would have seemed almost rude not to buy the book and join the queue for the author to sign it - which he duly did "To Jon and Sarah, narrow-boat enthusiasts" after Jon gave him a brief account of our travels (relevant, since Wedgwood was the original sponsor of the Trent and Mersey Canal).
We really will have to get a proper bookshelf sorted out onboard now.
After a morning of craftsmanship and creation, sprinkled with lively humour, the afternoon session proved a sobering contrast - Antony Beevor discussing his study of the Second World War. He's a superb historian, combining official facts and figures with personal accounts to bring some of the cruelest days of the 20th century vividly alive, and covering the vast geographical sweep of his narrative expertly, but it wouldn't be accurate to say that I 'enjoyed' it. Despite his best efforts to remind us of some unexpected acts of compassion, the picture was a bleak one, though it was heartening to hear his opinion that he did not believe such destructive forces would be unleashed again.
More books were bought and signed.
As for furthering my own literary ambitions, I should have booked a seat to hear a panel discussion on crime fiction (happening about now), as my plans for Daphne Randall include a modest amount of seriously unconventional crime-fighting, but I've picked up some details of writers groups and magazines that may be useful.
So, with hindsight, I probably should have thrown caution to the wind and booked for quite a lot more. If today's events are anything to judge by, there has been a lot to enjoy so far and there are some fascinating and entertaining sessions ahead too. I only hope there has been enough enthusiasm about the event as there seemed to be from the people attending today, and we can look forward to another one next year.
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