Contrasts and attractions at Festival of Literature in May

Swindon Festival of Literature is shaping up to be yet another fascinating two weeks of words well written and well spoken, and overflowing ideas, from 4 to 16 May, writes Louisa Davison

Opposites attract, they say, and where else would known-for-being -nice TV personality Sandi Toksvig sit on the same festival bill as known-for-being-spiky, activist Peter Tatchell?

Or where can audiences hear Rory Bremner ‘in conversation’, probably with many voices, one day, then see former Labour home secretary Alan Johnson the next? The answers will be found at the town’s annual ideas-led, book-friendly, thinking-person’s festival, a stay-cation for anyone looking for an entertaining intellectual fix.

The festival is book-ended by two popular standing dishes of delight: the 5.30am Dawn Chorus launch in Old Town’s Lawn Woods and, at the Town Hall, the eclectic Festival Finale: Poems, Pints, and Music.

In between, there are trail-blazing events; some of which have been adopted across the land, like the competitive verse Poetry Slams, and others which are unique to Swindon, like the competitively philosophical  Think Slam.

There are appearances from successful home-grown writers too, such as Hilda Sheehan, Vanessa Lafaye, and Mike Pringle; and established novelists with new books, like Jung Chang and Patrick Gale.

There are challenging events, with Dr Nikolaus Wachsmann on the history of concentration camps and Daisy Christodoulou on educational myths.

And on the very first day of the festival, there’s reinvented glamour model, Nell McAndrew, who turns out to be rather good at running and matters of health and well being.

Festival director Matt Holland said: “If you want novelists and poets and also talks and thoughts about education, religion, culture, democracy, equality, philosophy, reading, writing, and comedy, you will find it all here in Swindon. It’s going to be terrific.”

The festival programme will be available from 19 March. Find out more at www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk