Stoke on Trent Literary Festival completed its third year on Saturday evening, 11 June. I have had the pleasure of attending every year and in my opinion, it just keeps getting better.
Literary Festivals come in all shapes and sizes but you will go a long way to find one hosted right in the centre of a working factory. Not just any factory, this is the Emma Bridgewater Factory in Hanley, Stoke on Trent a busy working factory and highly successful one too and if I may say so, a great example of British Business done right. Another good reason to feel #localandproud!
It was a packed programme with an added third day this year and with two of those days being during the week, opportunities existed to add in a factory tour. I understand around 2500 people visited the Festival over the weekend with most sessions sold out. The Festival is already developing a range of fringe events as well. Loud and clear throughout all events was the importance of literacy and the ever-present need to encourage children in their adventures in reading from the earliest possible age.
The Meakin Room which was the location of most of the main events, it is large enough to accommodate a good sized audience and I would hazard a guess that would be between 200-250, it is light and airy even on a very warm and muggy day. The acoustics are good, it is wheelchair accessible and not so big that it is overpowering or impersonal, in fact that’s the crux of it, just like the New Vic Theatre of which I am so fond in Newcastle-under-Lyme, the Bridgewater factory manages to create an intimate and welcoming atmosphere which lends itself to an event of this type. There are other smaller rooms and studios which means simultaneous sessions are also hosted. With a charming café serving lovely wholesome food, a beautiful urban oasis populated with wonderful plants, flowers, bees, chickens and ducks and retail therapy opportunities aplenty in the form of factory shops and the well-stocked event-only Waterstones bookshop, there was something for everyone and from the moment of arrival to the time of departure, everyone was made to feel totally welcome.
This year a refreshment station was added out in the courtyard offering free tea, coffee and very welcome water; a great place to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. This was a lovely idea and really helped ease congestion in the café. Also in the courtyard, the
Emergency Poet, Deborah Alma dispensing poetry for all ills from her vintage ambulance assisted by Nurse Verse and Poemedic, and children’s literacy charity,
Beanstalk Stoke.
Speakers included Oscar nominee (Brooklyn 2016; An Education 2010) Nick Hornby who has a writer’s résumé to die for and whose novels include High Fidelity, About a Boy, How to Be Good & Funny Girl. Nick entertained us with tales of book signings, stalkers, the writer’s working practices, the often surprising sources of ideas and the most important thing for any writer: telling.
What better place than a pottery factory to hear world renowned ceramic artist,
Edmund de Wall, OBE and winner of a number of literary prizes (
The Hare with Amber Eyes, The White Road).
Emma Bridgewater’s own session in which her passion and enthusiasm shone through, was centered around her latest book, Pattern which is a visually stunning look at Bridgewater designs right back to the beginning of the company including an index of some 400 designs, Emma felt there were about as many again which were not included. As with her previous book
Toast and Marmalade, includes some mouth-watering recipes.
Historian and classicist. Professor Mary Beard (S.P.Q.R, Pompeii, It’s A Don’s Life) brought the Roman empire to life in the most accessible and entertaining way including the hundreds of
bags of waste from a dry toilet now being analysed in Oxford which reveal a great deal about the surprisingly normal Roman diet, no stuffed dormice thankfully however the sea urchin spines found in this waste are enough to make eyes water!
Historian Orlando Figes gave us a fascinating insight into Revolutionary Russia; from the world of sport former England cricketer Graeme Fowler was in conversation with John Woodhouse and from TV, the delightful Kirstie Allsopp talked about everything from her news junkie habit to social media trolls. Million-copy bestselling author Meg Rosoff spoke on the subject of her latest book and first novel for adults, Jonathan Unleashed.
Stoke-on-Trent Central MP and historian,
Tristram Hunt, Festival Trustee was finally let loose in a session of his own to discuss his latest book
Ten Cities that made an Empire and led us on a whistle stop tour from Boston, Massachusetts around and across the globe finally arriving back in Liverpool.
Children’s author Cressida Cowell author of the fabulous and wildly popular How to Train Your Dragon series spoke on the final day when there was also the opportunity for children to get involved in a Gangsta Granny making workshop with stage show designer Jackie Trousdale.
Historian Juliet Nicolson (The Perfect Summer, The Great Silence, Abdication) spoke about her latest and most personal work, A House Full of Daughters. During the talk she passed around a letter opener fashioned from the sole of the flamenco shoe of her great-great grandmother Pepita, daughter of a Malaga washer-woman. I have to say this was a gem of a session and provoked a very well deserved standing ovation.
Award winning and Stoke-on-Trent born author, Lisa Blower discussed her debut novel, Sitting Ducks set in the Potteries. Sarah Raven gave us a lively talk about all the good things we should be eating (which in my case was all sounding great until we reached the broccoli) and the things we should avoid! Cultural historian and Guardian/Evening Standard columnist, Simon Jenkins discussed our responsibilities to our architectural heritage.
Unfortunately, there were a couple of sessions that I missed including Peter Pan in Scarlet with author Geraldine McCraughrean and New Vic Theatre’s Artistic Director, Theresa Heskins and How to Get Published with Literary Agent Laura Williams, authors Caroline Lea, Misha Herwin and Programme Director Stuart Collins.
The event was brought to a rousing and lyrical close by the Great British Pottery Throwdown session with
Keith Brymer-Jones, finalist Jim Ranson, Matthew Rice and Emma Bridgewater. Jim very gamely serenaded us with his ever-present guitar, Matthew rose admirably to the challenge of coming up with two audience suggested designs and transferring them by hand to plates during the session, no pressure there! A very lively Q & A session ensued during which the message was loud and clear and a serious one too: we desperately need to find ways to bring ceramics back to the school curriculum. There was good news too for enthusiasts of the TV programme, shooting Series 2 is to commence shortly.
All in all, it was a fabulous three days: inspirational, informative and thoroughly entertaining, for me there were a great many high points, perhaps the foremost being Professor Mary Beard with her fascinating insights into the Roman Empire; Juliet Nicholson, with a talk so authentically brave that many, myself included were reaching for the tissues as we were rising to our feet to applaud.
Huge thanks to everyone involved including Sponsors, Hosts, Trustees, Volunteers, factory staff and of course the wonderful speakers; this event is fast becoming a firm favourite on the literary festival calendar
The sun shone, the rain poured, there was tea, cake and books – what a perfect way to spend three days in Stoke-on-Trent.
Sallie Tams
Appetite Cultural Reporter
The Appetite Cultural Reporter Team is a roving group of local writers, photographers and bloggers who are passionate about the arts in Stoke-on-Trent. Cultural Reporters discover and promote exciting stuff happening locally and regionally through reviews, blogs, vlogs, photography, back stage interviews and more.
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Historian and classicist. 
All in all, it was a fabulous three days: inspirational, informative and thoroughly entertaining, for me there were a great many high points, perhaps the foremost being Professor Mary Beard with her fascinating insights into the Roman Empire; Juliet Nicholson, with a talk so authentically brave that many, myself included were reaching for the tissues as we were rising to our feet to applaud.
