Peter Pan, Harry Potter, the Hungry Caterpillar and an Alice with Attitude all make appearances in the Stewartry’s own book festival
Children, and the young at heart, are being invited to join the Hungry Caterpillar and friends for Big Lit – the Stewartry’s own book festival.
This Thursday sees the start of four days of events featuring well-known authors and poets, some great music plus entertaining performances and other activities in the delightful Dumfries and Galloway town of Gatehouse of Fleet.
One free family-friendly event is the Wee Folks Woodland Adventure on Friday, 17 April at 10.30am when Susi Sweetpea the fairy will lead a quest round Cally Woods – bumping into all sorts of characters like Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland along the way.
Susi Woodmass, of Wee Folk Storytellers, said: “It will be a real adventure – we will have to collect special food along the way for when we meet the Hungry caterpillar, and then there will be an encounter with Hagrid and his pet dragon, plus Peter Pan and there will also be the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, and our very own Alice – an Alice with attitude.
“The whole idea is to celebrate children’s literature, classic and modern, and the stories which help shape our memories of youth.”
While most of those taking part are expected to be young, Susi was delighted when a lady in her 70s said she would be joining the quest.
“It’s all about being young at heart and having lots of fun based round great stories and characters,” said Susi.
The event is a collaboration between Wee Folk Storytellers and Under the Rainbow Craft and Story Club – with local children having helped create some of the props and playing the roles of the literary characters. It is supported by the Holywood Trust.
Among them are Freya Woodmass, aged 6, and Aiden Robertson, aged 10, who have been modelling fairy and Hungry caterpillar costumes.
Chrys Salt MBE, festival organiser and Artistic Director of the Bakehouse, said: “One of our main aims is to promote a love of literature in all its forms and there can be no better place to start than with children’s stories. We have lots on offer for children and young people, so this is going to be a great event for all the family.
“And we are also looking forward to being able to introduce audiences to some of the country’s leading authors as well as entertaining them with superb music, poetry and performance. It’s great that a small town like Gatehouse is able to stage such a vibrant festival.”
Others taking part in Big Lit include Michele Roberts, Booker shortlisted author of 12 novels including The Looking Glass and Daughters of the House and Terry Darlington, whose book Narrow Dog to Carcassonne is the true story of two pensioners and their whippet who set out, against informed advice, to sail their narrowboat from Staffordshire to the Mediterranean.
There will also be verbal cabaret with the acclaimed duo of Jenny Lindsay and Rachel McCrum providing Sunday afternoon’s finale as their alter egos Rally and Broad.
Other attractions include:
• Stewartry author Karen Campbell, speaking about her new novel Rise
• The poems of Hugh MacDiarmid set to music and sung by Nicola Black.
• Ladies who Launch – Elspeth Brown and Vivien Jones launch new poetry collections
• Candlelit readings in The Temple, a Georgian folly deep in the forest with Liz Niven
• A typically crazy Bill Barlow interactive art installation in The Bakehouse Studio
• And you can rub shoulders with everyone from Leonard Cohen to Ivor Cutler in the Murray Arms with one of Galloway’s longest-standing pub sessions.
There will also be a Big Lit Mill Session with Gerda Stevenson (nominated Scots Singer of the Year, MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards, 2014) with her new album Night Touches Day. She will be accompanied by Norwegian musician Kyrre Slind, on lute, sitar, guitar and mandolin.
Lots of the events are free while many others are as cheap as chips – visit www.biglit.org
