Hungerford book weekend

Launch looks forward to literary festival

Pictured: Hungerford Literary Festival curator, Hungerford Bookshop owner Emma Milne-White with author Robert Harris at Monday night's festival reception.

THIS weekend's Hungerford Literary Festival got off to a rousing start on Monday night with a launch event held at the Dick Lovett BMW dealership.

Guests were invited to hear excerpts from the recent writing competition plus a performance from stand-up poet Toni Kent, who read poetry specially commissioned for the festival.

Emma Milne-White who curates the festival and owns The Hungerford Bookshop, said: “The festival has been running for several years, but it’s the first time we have chosen a theme for the festival.

"This year, all of the books revolve around the theme of ‘journeys’ which seems appropriate when our world appears to be in such a state of flux and going through so many changes.”

Martin Bell, one of the outstanding reporters of our time, will open the festival with his latest book War and the Death of News, which draws upon his years as a soldier and journalist, as well as his experiences as an MP and a UNICEF ambassador.

For the full programme, visit www.hungerfordbookshop.co.uk/hungerfordliteraryfestival or www.artsforhungerford.com/hungerford-literaryfestival/

The event with Sunday Times writer Jonathan Dean, who traces his remarkable family history in I Must Belong Somewhere, which draws parallels between the thirties and present-day refugee crisis has been cancelled.