Pullman and Morpurgo to appear at the Oxford Literary Festival
Bigger. Better. Even better value. That’s the promise of the 2009 Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, which takes place over eight days this spring in the historic college of Christ Church. Between Sunday, March 29 and Sunday, April 5, more than 400 writers and speakers from around the world will converge on Christ Church, turning its corridors and quads into a hub of ideas. With prices being held at their 2008 level, and more events promised than ever before, there’s no better or more exciting way for book lovers to celebrate the pull of the written word.
There is a huge range of events for children, with appearances promised by everyone from Michael Morpurgo to Malorie Blackman; and young readers can also join Jeremy Paxman as he hosts the final of Off By Heart, the BBC’s exciting poetry-reciting competition for children.
After the remarkable success of its 2008 creative-writing course, this year’s Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival is offering wannabe authors three residential programmes from which to choose. Each five-day course provides a tempting selection of workshops and talks, and the chance to rub shoulders with some truly inspiring writers. Aspiring novelists will be able to hone their skills in Corpus Christi under the watchful eye of Jem Poster and Jill Dawson, and take part in masterclasses with, among others, PD James, Helen Dunmore, Joanne Harris and John Carey, the Sunday Times chief literary critic. Across at Jesus, poets can seek advice from the course directors, Kelly Grovier and Tiffany Atkinson, and attend sessions with Craig Raine, Bernard O’Donoghue, and Faber’s poetry editor Matthew Hollis. And over at Pembroke the emphasis is on children’s writing, with the course directors Philip Gross and Julia Hearn calling on the likes of Philip Pullman, David Almond and the publisher David Fickling for advice and support.
Posted: February 2nd, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Michael Morpurgo, Philip Pullman
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