11.00 am The People’s Hall

The Eternal Note

Poet Victoria Bennett will be reading poetry from her latest collection, The Eternal Note. Lyrical and personal, these poems are taken from a series written over a 5 year span. In 2003, Victoria began writing a poem a day, initially as a dedication to her coming baby. When this pregnancy ended sadly in miscarriage, she continued to keep up the discipline and a poetic and spiritual journey unfolded within the pages of her poetry, completing with the birth of her son in 2008. Written from the raw material of life and death, this collection of writings is raw tender and ultimately uplifting.

Victoria has had numerous other collections published, she founded and runs Cumbrian-based Wild Women Press and the women's poetry collective. Since 1999 Wild Women have performed all over the country including Glastonbury Festival. She has taught poetry for over 12 years, including the BA Hons programme at Lancaster University and for various special needs groups.

Victoria will read from the poems and talk about the process and journey that has culminated in this collection.

Short interval

4 Poetry: Four Short Experimental Poetry Films

A presentation of four experimental poetry films, collaboratively created by poet Victoria Bennett and artist Adam Clarke.

11.00 am Around Sedbergh town centre

Rural Tellorist, Lynette McKone Storyteller

Stop me and hear one, Lynette will be peddling her tall tales around town for your delight.

Lynette McKone is a writer/poet/storyteller based in Smardale near Kirkby Stephen.  Since accidently discovering she was a poet during the famous ‘television documentary/letter writing’ incident in 1992, she has been published extensively as a poet and short story writer and has travelled the UK and USA performing at many well-known poetry festivals including: Edinburgh Fringe (3 times), Paddington International, Howarth Literary, Bradford Literary, Sheffield International and Sedbergh Booktown.  She has been a headline guest performer at the Austin International Poetry Festival and at San Antonio, Georgetown and Bostrum Festivals.  She is the founder of 2 writer’s groups and hosted the Bradford Interchange Spoken Word events for 2 years, before moving to Cumbria.  She has recently completed a year-long project working with 83 children on the West coast of Cumbria, which culminated in the publication of a full-length children’s fantasy fiction novel entitled The Ruby and The Pearl (copies of which will be available to purchase during the festival).  She was a winner in the first ever Sedbergh Booktown Festival Short Story competition.

11.30 am Back Lane/Lupton field (open air)

Penny Plain Theatre Childern's event

Penny Plain Theatre presents The Entire History of the North movingly written by Mr. Sudbury Spoone.

This year , we are proud to present the complete and utter history of the entire North of England. From beastly savages to the present time of 1858 in the glorious reign of Queen Victoria, you, our most valued and generous audience will thrill to the sound of battle, marvel at the re-enactment of our finest moments, and stand quite amaz’d at the depiction of epic stories from the Great North, with no expense spared!

12.30 pm St. Andrews Church rooms (enter through church)

Frog the Dog

Frog the Dog at the Fringe Childern's event

Helen McGlasson reads her Frog the Dog stories, have Frog fun with colouring & questions (8 and under)

Helen McGlasson writes illustrates and publishes her own series of children's books featuring Frog the Dog. She founded Sniff and Wag Publishing in 2004, producing quality books in a variety of formats for the retail and educational markets. She has written cartoon strips for The Sunday Post Magazine, and has recently become a local supplier into ASDA supermarkets across the North West. Support Sniff and Wag's Reading Hero campaign at www.readinghero.co.uk and read the Sniff and Wag diaries at readinghero.blogspot.com/

1.00 pm Around Sedbergh town centre

Rural Tellorist, Lynette McKone Storyteller

Stop me and hear one, Lynette will be peddling her tall tales around town for your delight.

Lynette McKone is a writer/poet/storyteller based in Smardale near Kirkby Stephen.  Since accidently discovering she was a poet during the famous ‘television documentary/letter writing’ incident in 1992, she has been published extensively as a poet and short story writer and has travelled the UK and USA performing at many well-known poetry festivals including: Edinburgh Fringe (3 times), Paddington International, Howarth Literary, Bradford Literary, Sheffield International and Sedbergh Booktown.  She has been a headline guest performer at the Austin International Poetry Festival and at San Antonio, Georgetown and Bostrum Festivals.  She is the founder of 2 writer’s groups and hosted the Bradford Interchange Spoken Word events for 2 years, before moving to Cumbria.  She has recently completed a year-long project working with 83 children on the West coast of Cumbria, which culminated in the publication of a full-length children’s fantasy fiction novel entitled The Ruby and The Pearl (copies of which will be available to purchase during the festival).  She was a winner in the first ever Sedbergh Booktown Festival Short Story competition.

2.00 pm Back Lane/Lupton field (open air)

Penny Plain Theatre Childern's event

Penny Plain Theatre presents The Entire History of the North movingly written by Mr. Sudbury Spoone

This year , we are proud to present the complete and utter history of the entire North of England. From beastly savages to the present time of 1858 in the glorious reign of Queen Victoria, you, our most valued and generous audience will thrill to the sound of battle, marvel at the re-enactment of our finest moments, and stand quite amaz’d at the depiction of epic stories from the Great North, with no expense spared!

2.00 pm St Andrews Church Rooms (enter through church)

Caroline Brown Performance Poet

2.30 pm St Andrews Church Room

UK Poet Geraldine Green

Geraldine Green’s first collection The Skin was published in 2003. Her second collection Passio, was published 2006. Her poetry is included in various anthologies in the UK, USA and Scotland. She has read widely in the UK, also in Italy, Greece and America, including, The Wordsworth Trust Grasmere, International Women’s Arts Festival, Kendal; Oxford Poetry Festival; various readings in Cornwall; The Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea, The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, various venues in Manchester; Poetry on the Lake, Orta, Italy; The New School, The Arts Club and Bowery Poetry Club in NYC; Colony Café Woodstock; Branford House, University of Connecticut and has been invited to perform at various venues in America in Summer 2008, including The Woody Guthrie Festival. Geraldine runs Creative Writing workshops and teaches Creative Writing at the Universities of Lancaster and Cumbria.

3.00 pm The People’s Hall

Women, Shakespeare and Song, a revue

The Topdog company explore the words of Shakespeare on love, power, sex, marriage and deceit then adds the songs his women might have sung, join Topdog on a journey through life, love and lyrics. The Company, Elaine Garner’s background is in theatre, education and the circus, she now runs drama workshops and writes her own material. Greg Truckell is a musician and storyteller working in the tradition of the African Griot, weaving tales and tunes to educate and entertain.

3.00 pm The Library Room (upstairs)

The Sheriff of Nottingham’s Last Day

Stories written and read by Janet Prince Sedbergh CDC Creative Writers

3.30 pm St Andrews Church Rooms

Kate Davies, Poet

Kate Davies was crowned South Cumbria Poet laureate at the Word Market Festival in February 2008.

“I initially trained as a fashion designer in the belief that messing about with beautiful fabric was likely to be more entertaining and less hard work than the chosen career paths of many of my teenaged peers. It was. I turned out to be a moderately good designer but was unlikely ever to set the world on fire and, although I’ve never fallen out with frocks we drifted apart. Over the years I’ve moved backwards in the direction of my first passion in life, literature. I now work mainly with words and text in schools and with community groups. I think my work is concerned with finding…ways to say exactly what we mean. This can translate into all manner of things; I’ll try any medium to find ways of getting to the point. Historically I’ve tended to say that I can’t do narrative but ’m beginning to realize that telling stories is pretty much all I do.”

4.00 pm St Andrews Church Room

The Sniff and Wag Diaries...or why my husband sighs a great deal!

Behind the scenes at a small publishing imprint, with readings. questions and audience participation

4.30 pm People’s Hall

Rough Magic Theatre

Rough Magic Theatre presents “Alice in Wonderland” Childern's event

This brilliant family show has puppets of all shapes and sizes, shadow puppets to marionettes, rod puppets to intricate Bunraku creations! With whirlwind performances from its 2 stars and riotous singing and audience interaction. Alice in Wonderland is a guaranteed delight for all ages!

5.30 pm St Andrews Church Room

Understanding Gregory Bateson

Gregory Bateson

Noel Charlton introduces his book on the great thinker, scientist and environmentalist. Audience discussion Dr. Noel Charlton has been studying and writing about the thought of Gregory Bateson for the last fifteen years and his book: "Understanding Gregory Bateson: Mind, Beauty and the Sacred Earth" was recently published (in their Environmental Philosophy series) by the State University of New York Press. The insights of Gregory Bateson are crucially important for us all as we confront the social and environmental problems which are rapidly becoming more evident and Charlton's book offers a uniquely accessible introduction to Bateson's wisdom. Bateson (1904-1980) moved through the fields of biology, anthropology, cybernetics, psychology, aesthetics, animal communication and, finally, environmental concerns linked to spirituality. His understanding of (a) the nature of 'minds' and mental process, (b) the importance of engagement with the natural world and with creative arts of all kinds, and (c) the linking of all this with a new and wider understanding of 'the sacred' as the totality of the living processes of Earth, are the key areas. Noel Charlton will explain the main features of Bateson's life and thought and will be pleased to sign copies of the book for those wishing to purchase a copy.

6.00pm People’s Hall

Monkeyrack Writers

A Lancaster collective working on everything from micro-haiku to brick-thick novels. Thematically, there is no theme, so festival goers should be prepared to laugh, cry and, quite possibly, go into anaphylactic shock. Writers likely to participate are: Norman Hadley, Mollie Baxter, Ron Baker, Sarah Fiske, Simon Baker, Simon Unsworth and Ron Scowcroft

7.00 pm United Reformed Church Rooms

In Our Own Words

Garsdale Scribblers & Sedbergh CDC Creative Writers present an evening of poetry, stories and observations.

7.30 pm The People’s Hall

Duncan Darbishire

A Posse of Poets from Furness

Poems and music from Graham Austin, Duncan Darbishire and Mark Carson.

8.00pm Duo Café Bar & Bistro Main Street

Lynette McKone and Jackie Huck.

Lynette McKone is a writer/poet/storyteller based in Smardale near Kirkby Stephen.  Since accidently discovering she was a poet during the famous ‘television documentary/letter writing’ incident in 1992, she has been published extensively as a poet and short story writer and has travelled the UK and USA performing at many well-known poetry festivals including: Edinburgh Fringe (3 times), Paddington International, Howarth Literary, Bradford Literary, Sheffield International and Sedbergh Booktown.  She has been a headline guest performer at the Austin International Poetry Festival and at San Antonio, Georgetown and Bostrum Festivals.  She is the founder of 2 writer’s groups and hosted the Bradford Interchange Spoken Word events for 2 years, before moving to Cumbria.  She has recently completed a year-long project working with 83 children on the West coast of Cumbria, which culminated in the publication of a full-length children’s fantasy fiction novel entitled The Ruby and The Pearl (copies of which will be available to purchase during the festival).  She was a winner in the first ever Sedbergh Booktown Festival Short Story competition.

Jackie Huck, is a farmers wife living in Orton. She’s been writing poetry since a child, and has had many poems published in magazines and anthologies. She has self-published 5 books, which have sold throughout the country, and regularly entertains local groups with her work. Her poetry is a combination of influences from her days growing up in the industrial north, through 15 years of nursing, to the beauty of her adopted home in Cumbria. Her philosophy is that “poetry should create an emotion which leaves a memory with the reader or listener, and unlike The Emperor’s new clothes the audience shouldn’t have to pretend that they enjoy and understand the words.”

9.00 pm People’s Hall

Lucy Crispin loves words, and the way they can connect us with each other.

Lucy Crispin

South Cumbria Poet Laureate of 2004 Lucy Crispin loves words, and the way they can connect us with each other. South Cumbria Poet Laureate of 2004, she is a published poet, craft bookbinder and practising counsellor. Lucy also enjoys teaching literature and creative writing, and is a busy singer in what remains of her spare time.

9.30pm People’s Hall

Eliza Mood “Ruby’s Room” - A theory of the Giant

Eliza has been published in various poetry journals and is a member of ‘Sixpoets’ ( www.sixpoets.org.uk) and has her own website at www.elizamood.co.uk. Her novel Giving up Architecture was published by Seaglass in 2006. Eliza is a Lecturer in English Language and Creative Writing at St. Martin’s College, Lancaster.

10.15pm People’s Hall

“Hovis in Wonderland”, a play for voices, adapted by Dave Morgan from Hovis Presley’s “Poetic off Licence”

Mark Radcliffe’s recent Radio 4 programme Hovis has left the Building (March 18 2008), has sparked a national interest in the work of Bolton poet Hovis Presley (1960-2005). With coverage in the review columns of the national press, a mention in Hello Magazine, soaring sales of his collected works Poetic off Licence, and a nationwide interest in his web-site, the hugely sympathetic appraisal of his life and work, featuring Johnny Vegas, Lucy Porter and Badly Drawn Boy among others, triggered a huge and spontaneous response. The unassuming Bolton performer might have been lost for words if he realised just how popular he was going to be. A Memorial Fund set up by family and friends after his untimely death in 2005 donates to various charities, a collection will be made for the Fund.