Literary Leicester 2017 highlights
Last month our annual Literary Leicester festival took place, featuring acclaimed literati guests, the dramatic arts and several school events.
2017 took the festival in a fresh new direction, with a programme jam-packed full of experiences tailored to suit literature enthusiasts of all ages and interests.
Highlights included talks from two of our University’s acclaimed alumni- novelist Adele Parks and poet Rory Waterman. Carnegie Medal winner Anne Fine hosted a session to talk about the differences between writing for children and adults.
Journalist and TV presenter Anne Robinson featured as a guest speaker alongside Craig Brown, Ferdinand Mount, and Alexander Waugh for a discussion of the esteemed late Spectator editor Alexander Chancellor.
Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga discussed the pioneering developments in Black British History and writing. A panel event, ‘Rural Racism in Contemporary Britain’, considered the social implications of race and cultural identity.
Shrabani Basu, whose Victoria and Abdul has recently been adapted into a film starring Judi Dench and Michael Gambon, attended the festival for a unique talk and film screening event at the Phoenix.
Setting this year apart from its predecessors was an increased locational reach, with events across the city, from the campus out to the National Space Centre for sci-fi talks with Philip Reeve and Alistair Reynolds, the Phoenix cinema, the King Power Stadium, and local schools.
For those who were unable to attend this year’s events, a selection of recordings can now be accessed below: