Budleigh Literary Festival announces online events in March

Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival has announced a range of online events on Saturday, March 13th and Sunday, March 14th 2021.

With Covid restrictions still in place, audiences in East Devon and beyond will be able to watch talks by the writers of some of the season's new publications from their own homes.

Each event costs £8 to view, per household, and there's also an option to buy the relevant books for a discounted price at the same time as booking the virtual tickets.

The festival's Artistic Director, Annie Ashworth, said: "We are so excited to be able to bring such a packed programme of events.

"Despite live events not being possible yet and bookshops still being closed, there are some excellent books being published and authors very keen to talk about them.

"Our audiences have been so responsive to adapting to online events and we are very pleased we can bring them even more to enjoy."

The line-up in March includes Somerset's nature-writer Stephen Moss, whose uplifting book The Accidental Countryside marvels at how wildlife is adapting to new environments created by man.

For sport lovers, former Exeter Chiefs player Chris Bentley talks to Guardian Rugby columnist Robert Kitson, whose book Exe Men charts the extraordinary rise of the team.

The full line-up includes one of the most acclaimed modern historians in the world – the Reith lecturer Professor Margaret MacMillan who will be talking to Mike Martin, Visiting War Studies Fellow at King's College London, about our complex relationship with war and conflict and why we can't resist it.

Tim Marshall, former Diplomatic and Foreign Affairs Editor at Sky News, will talk about The Power of Geography, the follow-on to his hugely successful book Prisoners of Geography, looking at how ten different regions in the world are shaping global politics and power today.

Drama both real and imagined will include a fascinating exploration of the life and times of the notorious media tycoon Robert Maxwell, whose life is documented by the journalist and A Very English Scandal and The Dig writer John Preston.

Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland will talk about his alter ego as the best-selling author Sam Bourne, and his latest thriller To Kill a Man, which centres on a scandal in The White House.

The much-admired author of Island Dreams, Gavin Francis, will reflect on the subject of his latest book Intensive Care, which explores the impact of the pandemic; not just from his medical viewpoint as an Edinburgh GP, but also the impact it has had, and will have, on communities long after it is over.

Dame Marina Warner's acclaimed writing includes fiction, non-fiction and short stories and she is the first female president of the Royal Society of Literature. Her latest book, Inventory of a Life Mislaid, looks at her childhood in Egypt.

Sparked by the discovery of an old map of Cairo, it pieces together evocatively the reckonings and discoveries her Italian mother and English father made during the first years of their marriage.

Lucy Jago's first book, The Northern Lights, won the National Biography prize and her highly-anticipated debut novel, A Net for Small Fishes, is based on the true scandal that rocked the court of James I.

The Festival, as a charity, is committed to supporting literacy in the region and its programme includes three events available entirely free to school, families and children home-learning that will be available from 4th March – World Book Day – until 19th March.

Events for children and families include a draw-along with the multi-award-winning Rob Biddulph, author of Odd Dog Out; the Waterstones Children's Book prize winner Sita Brahmachari, sharing her World Book Day book The River Whale, exploring the themes of belonging for years 4 to 5; and the author/illustrator behind the beautiful children's books, including Where Bear?, Sophy Henn.

Sue Briggs, Festival Chair, said: "This year more than ever, it is important for us to support those in our local community and beyond, and bring the joy of reading and literature and a little bit of escapism to people's homes with our Spring Weekend of events.

"Our education outreach programme is at the heart of what we do, so we're thrilled to be able to share some exciting events for World Book Day for young children too, to inspire a love of words and books."

All events for young people and families will be free to view on the Festival website, launching on World Book Day on 4th March.

Tickets for the other events are on sale now from the Festival's website and cost £8 per event, or with an additional option to buy a discounted signed book.

Books will be supplied by Winstone's Books in Sidmouth, and event sponsors include Jurassic Kitchens.