One of our favourite festivals, the Henley Literary Festival, starts next week and features 170 talks, performances and workshops for adults and children at venues across this picturesque riverside town (also headquarters for BritMums), covering everything from fiction, feminism, film and food to history, humour and Henley itself.
We’ve had a look through the schedule, and there are some fantastic don’t-miss sessions. Here, some of our top picks. If you’re thinking about going, check these out:
Candace Bushnell: The real-life Carrie Bradshaw
Monday 28 September
- 2.30pm Thriller writers SJ Watson and Renee Knight in conversation with writer and vlogger Cesca Major (a BritMums favourite)
- 8.30pm Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell in conversation with author Hannah Beckerman
Tuesday 29 September
- 10.30am Princess Michael of Kent in conversation with columnist Jane Gordon
- 6.30pm Eastenders icon Pam St Clement looks back on her career
Anita Anand: Presenter of Radio 4’s Any Answers
Wednesday 30 September
- 12.30pm Dazzling Debuts with Emma Hooper, Rachael Ball and Vaseem Khan
- 2.30pm Radio 4’s Anita Anand on Sophia the suffragette princess of India
Thursday 1 October
- 10.30am Bonnie Greer with a special talk on Rosa Parks, 60 years on
- 6.30pm Celebrity Masterchef winner Lisa Faulkner on new book Tea & Cake
- 8.30pm Campaigner and journalist Caroline Criado Perez on the lives of 50 inspirational women
We love Cesca! And Amanda.
Friday 2 October
- 12.30pm BritMums Live favourites Amanda Jennings and Cesca Major are joined by romcom writer Nicola May
- 4.30pm Caroline Lucas on her time as the Green Party’s only MP
- 6.30pm Columnists Polly Vernon and Bryony Gordon in conversation
Saturday 3 October
- 7pm The actual real-life truth about motherhood with Adele Parks, Bryony Gordon, Victoria Young and more – glass of Laithwaite’s Wine with each ticket!
- 9pm The night after The Kennedys debuts on BBC1 creator Emma Kennedy is in conversation with Anita Sethi
Sunday 4 October
- 11am Young novelists Samantha Shannon and Helena Coggan talk to Amanda Jennings.
- 1pm Caribbean Cuisine with Shivi Ramoutar and Rosemary Parkinson
Sessions and activities for children
The children’s line up includes Charlie and Lola creator Lauren Child, Hugless Douglas author and illustrator David Melling, as well as interactive workshops on storytelling, drawing and poetry.
The Baillie Gifford Festival Hub in Henley town square will host free storytellings and activities for children aged two and up over the weekend of October 3 and 4. Children aged three and up can make their own animal headpiece with The Girl with the Parrot on her Head, peek inside Dr Molly’s Medicine Case and hear about The Queen’s Handbag from award-winning author and illustrator Steve Antony.
Children aged five and up can rustle up a tale with the Story Stew Workshop, watch Simon James draw Rex and other dinosaur characters live on stage and meet lovable bear Hugless Douglas. Shows for all the family at Henley’s historic Kenton Theatre include Adventuring with the Famous Five and Adventures in Wonderland. Children aged seven and up can enjoy the tale of two very different sisters in Buckle and Squash, take part in a Beast Quest tournament and bring poetry to life with a poetry workshop.
The Henley Literary Festival runs September 28 – October 4. For the full programme and to book tickets visit http://henleyliteraryfestival.co.uk
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