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16 - Will Hutton -
China – Rise of the Tiger - £5
11.00
Phyllis Court
The Beijing Olympics has focused
the eyes of the world on China and
its rise to superpower status. Its
grip on the fortunes of the global
economy has grown almost too fast
for us in the West to comprehend.
In his timely and thought-provoking new book, The Writing on the Wall,
political commentator Will Hutton
argues that we either collaborate with
the new tiger economies or suffer
the consequences. Make time to hear
him tackle one of this decade’s most
significant political themes.
**** SOLD OUT **** 17 - River Readings -
Simon Williams - £8
11.00
The Hibernia
Another chance to cruise along
the river listening to extracts from
novels, essays and poetry – some
light, some serious, some funny; all
thought provoking - directed by Nansi
Diamond and led by actor Simon
Williams. The river has provided
inspiration for poets and authors from
Conrad to Grahame. All you have to
do is board the Hibernia at Hobbs
Boatyard, sit back and enjoy the trip.
A wonderful way to start a Saturday.
Fun for the Children - Deborah Fielding - Free
11.00am and 3.00pm
Lovibonds (off Greys Road car park)
What could a Flippity Boppity be?
Why don’t you come along and
see? Come and join in the fun with
inspirational children’s writer Deborah
Fielding. With her own young family’s
experiences firmly in place, she
recounts how her squabbling brood
worked it out with a mother’s firsthand
experience. Join Deborah for the
loveable tale of Travis the Sheepdog and
a mini workshop where your children
will have the opportunity to listen,
join in, draw and explore their creative
minds. Suitable for children aged 4–7.
Younger children welcome with adult
supervision.
The Future of Food - Kate Colquhoun and Antony Worral Thompson - £5
11.00am
Regal Cinema
Food has always played a part in the life of Henley with a wealth of excellent restaurants of pubs scattered in the town and the surrounding areas.
So a talk with Kate Colquhoun author of Taste - The Story of Britain through its cooking and Henley's own Worrall Thompson should excite the taste buds. It's the ideal recipe- a critically acclaimed author and one of the country's best known chefs discussing the future of British food.
Kate's book - published by Bloomsbury in October 2007 and in paperback last month - celebrates every aspect of British cuisine from Anglo-Saxon feasts and Tudor banquets, through the skinning of eels and the invention of ice cream, to Dickensian dinner-party excess and the growth of frozen food.
Worral Thompson's local connections are strong - he lives by the river just outside Henley and runs two local pubs - The Greyhound Freehouse and Grill in Rotherfield Peppard and The Lamb Bar & Kitchen at Satwell.
One of the country's best known faces, Antony hardly seems to be off our television screens, whether presenting cookery programs or appearing on 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!' which he did with such success in 2003, helping to make him one of the nation's favourite celebrities.
Antony is passionate about organic farming and grows many herbs and vegetables for his restaurant, and when the writer meets with the chef it should make for a fascinating encounter for anyone who knows and loves their food.
41 - Andrew O’Hagan -
Bridging the Atlantic - £6
11.00am
Regal Cinema
Andrew O’Hagan has long been on a mission to bring back the great days of the
essay. Picking over subjects from Bulger to Blair, Thatcher to the Tartan Army, he has
written with thought, care and elegance for almost two decades now. Twice shortlisted
for the Booker Prize, O’Hagan is among today’s most lauded contemporary
novelists. A columnist for the Daily Telegraph, UNICEF Ambassador and erstwhile
deputy editor of the London Review of Books, his latest collection The Atlantic Ocean,
which recently featured in Radio 4’s Book of the Week, gathers together the best
of his essays - some about America, some about Britain and some about the spaces
in between. Book early to see a master at work; a fabulous speaker and thinker who
always has something witty and deeply thoughtful to say.
*** 19 - Simon Kernick and Mark Billingham -
Criminal Masterminds - £5 ***
11.30
Chantry House
Writer and stand-up comedian Mark Billingham joins Simon Kernick to talk about
the perils of crime writing. Originally an actor, Billingham’s first novel Sleepyhead,
featuring London based detective Tom Thorne, was published seven years ago and
became an instant best-seller. Since then, six more Tom Thorne novels have followed.
Simon Kernick also wrote his first crime fiction story in 2001 and last year he was
selected as one of Richard & Judy’s Top Summer Reads. Both authors infuse their
novels with gripping authentic detail and unputdownable plots. Anticipate a fastpaced
and amusing conversation between two of today’s leading crime writers.
18 - Jenny Gucci -
A Family at War - £5
11.30
Town Hall Chamber
Marrying into the Gucci empire whilst
studying music in Italy, Jenny Gucci
led a life of incredible privilege until
it all went horribly sour; divorcing
her philandering husband Paolo, she
and her daughter were cut off without
a penny. When Paolo died and she
began searching for his fortune, Jenny
discovered the reality of getting on
the wrong side of the Gucci family
and tells an incredible tale of murder,
treachery and intrigue while never
losing her spirit and sense of humour.
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22 - A Celebration of
Ian Fleming -
Samantha Weinberg, Robert Laycock, Michael Smith - £6
12.00
Kenton Theatre
This year is the centenary of the
creator of 007, Ian Fleming; a national
figure with local connections having
lived in what is now the Sue Ryder
home in Nettlebed. Samantha
Weinberg is the author of The
Moneypenny Diaries, Michael Smith
has written several books on MI6 and
says Fleming’s secret service was not
so very fictional, and Robert Laycock
is Fleming’s great nephew. Come and
listen to a fabulous panel of Fleming
specialists spill the best kept secrets
of Bond.
Workshop 1 - Creative Writing for Children (for 7 - 12 year olds) -
with Patricia Elliott - £3
12.00
River & Rowing Museum: Source Room
Last year our children’s writing
workshop proved to be one of the
big hits. Patricia Elliott, through her
own childhood as an avid reader,
15 years in publishing and her latest
reincarnation as a children’s author,
understands what really stimulates a
child’s imagination. Her novels are
influenced by myth and fairy tales,
and their Gothic vision and alternative
worlds of the past are fabulous
reads for both younger children and
teenagers. Come and create your own
mysterious world for an enthralling
hour in the company of the author of
The Night Walker, Murkmere, Ambergate and The Ice Boy.
Sarah Mussi - Inspiration for 11+ Year-Olds - Free
12.30
Lovibond's Brewery
(off Greys Road car park)
Teacher and author Sarah Mussi has an almost miraculous ability to enter the minds of children, and knows exactly how to talk to her readers. The Door of No Return, Mussi's first novel and winner of the Children's category Glen Dimplex award, is a powerful story rooted in the terrible legacy of the African slave trade. Narrated by 16 year-old hoody Zac, the book has it all - adventure, nail-biting tension, humour, excitement - and bravely engages with issues such as friendship, trust, betrayal, greed, degaradation and survival. Join Sarah as she discusses, with both sensitivity and humour, the genuinely true and important story behind her work. This event will aim to inspire 11 to 16 year-olds with a mix of readings and audience participation, and is sure to be a fun hour for all children interested in creative writing or those with a vivid imagination.
23 - Alice King -
The Power of Addiction - £5
12.30
Phyllis Court
Alice King always knew she loved
wine. She had a talent for picking out
different tastes, and an equal talent
for translating those tastes into words.
At the age of 22 she was made deputy
editor of Decanter magazine and by her
mid-20s she was famous, married, the
mother of three children - and sliding
rapidly towards alcoholism. Now,
twenty years later, she tells her story,
from the breakup of her marriage to
the gradual realisation that something
was very, very wrong. Inspiring, honest
and lyrical, King provides an eloquent
guide to the dark and redemptive
power of addiction.
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River Readings -
Simon Williams - £8
13.00
The Hibernia
Another chance to cruise along the river listening to extracts from novels, essays and poetry – some light, some serious, some funny; all thought provoking - directed by Nansi Diamond. The river has provided inspiration for poets and authors from Conrad to Grahame. All you have to do is board the Hibernia at Hobbs Boatyard, sit back and enjoy the trip.
24 - David Miller, Colin Midson, Patrick Lennon, Charles Boyle -
How to Get Published - £7
13.00
Chantry House
How does a writer find an agent?
What will an agent do for them and
are they worth their cut? What’s the
best way of presenting work? Who’s
who, who does what, and, in an age
obsessed with interactivity, is it really
worth putting pen to page any longer?
David Miller, voted agent of the year,
joins Bloomsbury publicist Colin Midson
and local author Patrick Lennon in an
attempt to answer these questions and
more as they discuss the best way to get
into print.
Joining these three is Charles Boyle whose novel 24 for 3, written under the name of Jennie Walker, was published this August. On a Friday, as a Test match between England and India begins, a woman's attention is torn between
a husband who is all too keen to explain the rules, a lover who prefers mystery, and a sixteen year-
old son who hasn't come home. By Tuesday night the match will have been won or lost. . .or
perhaps it will have reached a draw in which only pride may be salvaged.
27 - Posy Simmonds -
Drawing on Life - £6
14.00
Kenton Theatre
Posy Simmonds is known to millions of newspaper readers as the witty, acerbic and
devastatingly accurate illustrator behind the Literary Life series, Gemma Bovery, and
Tamara Drewe. For 30 years, Simmonds has been picking through the handbags
and speech patterns of the English, satirising their sources and laying them down
on the page with sublime accuracy. She was the talk of Aldeburgh Literary Festival
after her appearance had the audience rocking in the aisles. Take this chance to hear
her talking about the business of illustration and her own career, and giving a rare
masterclass on drawing.
Workshop 2 - Writing for Children -
Paul Bryers - £5
15.00
River & Rowing Museum: Source Room
Paul Bryers is a writer with a
fascinating take on straddling
children’s and adult’s books and how
the researching and writing of one
feeds the other. Author of Kobal, the
first in a trilogy of children’s books,
The Mysteries of the Septagram, he will
explain how to use fairy tales as basis
for structuring novels and the tricks
of storyboarding novels - painting the
novel before you write it. If you have
ever wanted to write a children’s book,
don’t miss this opportunity to learn
how to do it.
**** SOLD OUT **** 30 - Harry Mount & Lucinda Lambton -
Sills & Thrones - £5
15.00
Chantry House
Confused between Corinthian
and Ionic? Crushed by corbels and
crowstep gables? Let Harry Mount
guide you gently through the wilds of
the concrete jungle. Lucinda Lambton,
writer, broadcaster and lifelong
architecture enthusiast has done
more than almost any other person
to encourage the British to love and
value their history. Her new book is
about the rise of the importance of
the lavatory. Join them for a witty and
illustrating stroll around everything
you need to know about buildings.
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28 - A.N. Wilson -
Spectator of our Times - £6
14.30
Phyllis Court
A profilic newspaper columnist,
novelist and social commentator,
A.N. Wilson has also written about
figures as diverse as Belloc, Betjeman,
Jesus, Milton, Tolstoy, Sir Walter Scott
and CS Lewis in his range of highly
regarded biographies. Now in his latest
book, Our Times, Wilson casts an
analytical eye over the second half of
the last century and the first few years
of this one. Taking the coronation
of Queen Elizabeth II as his starting
point, Wilson charts five decades of
unprecedented social and political
change. Touching upon the abolition
of hanging, the Vietnam war, the rise
of celebrity culture and the reigns of
11 Prime Ministers, the concluding
part of his trilogy is sure to be a
compelling read. Come and listen to a
master of his craft dissect some of the
extraordinary changes that he has lived
through.
26 - John Howard Davies & Helen Lederer -
World of Comedy Writing - £5
14.00
Chantry House
John Howard Davies’ career in TV and film spans an extraordinary range of
experience, from playing the title role in David Lean’s classic version of Oliver Twist
to producing and directing the great comedy classics Monty Python, Fawlty Towers,
Reginald Perrin, To The Manor Born and Mr Bean. Davies - the BBC’s Head of
Comedy from 1977 to 1982 – gives his fascinating masterclass in the business of
writing comedy, from the basis of good characterisation to finding ideas, selling scripts
and knowing what makes a really great joke. He is joined by Helen Lederer – writer,
comedienne and actress – who is best known for The Young Ones, Naked Video and
Absolutely Fabulous and has long experience of pitching comedy ideas. According to
Helen, her hit record of getting a commission is every five years – most recently for a
BBC Radio 2 comedy to be recorded in October this year.
**** SOLD OUT **** 29 - Kate Adie -
Dangerous Pursuits - £7
15.00
Town Hall
Bestselling author and BBC war correspondent Kate Adie knows better than most
what attracts people to danger. Why are front lines notorious for attracting ‘war
junkies’ looking for career advancement and an adrenaline hit? Why do people seek
out extreme sports, climb the Eiger’s North Face, or repeatedly push the boundaries
of speed, depth and flight?
Notorious for being a harbinger of trouble herself - the British army used to joke that
if Adie appeared, they knew things were serious - no-one could be better placed than
her to offer insight into humanity’s passion for risk. Come and hear an extraordinary
woman talk with wit and style about her own motivations and her new book, Into Danger.
32 - Anna Pasternak and Marius Brill -
Battle of the Sexes - £5
16.00
Phyllis Court
Journalists Anna Pasternak and Marius
Brill took Helen Fielding’s Bridget
Jones into the 21st century, but in
opposite directions. One laughed
with her, the other at her. Pasternak’s Daisy Dooley Does Divorce is sharp and
witty. Brill’s Making Love, a Conspiracy
of the Heart is hilarious. Now the two
authors go head to head to defend
their comic visions and give insights
into what makes us laugh.
31 - Marcus Berkmann -
Be a Whizz in the Quiz - £5
16.00
Chantry House
The British are passionate about
quizzes and sport. Columnist and
critic Marcus Berkmann is an expert
on both. As the author of Rain
Men and Zimmer Men, bibles of the
disappointed clubman, he has already
dissected the tribulations of amateur
English cricket. Now, in A Matter
of Facts, he does the same for the
pub quiz. Filled with useful useless
information, tips, jokes and insights,
he tells you what you need to know.
Come prepared for a great hour’s
entertainment - and, of course, a quiz.
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33 - Adrian Monck -
Read All About It - £4
17.00
Town Hall Chamber
The media dominates and overwhelms
us. Caught between viewing, surfing,
listening and reading, we are assaulted
by information. The media itself is
rife with allegations of fake phone-ins,
buggings, rigged footage and made-up
quotes. Who do we believe, and how?
In his new book, Can You Trust the
Media?, Adrian Monck, Professor of
Journalism at City University, looks
at the media’s shadowy past and its
dubious future. Come and listen to
a riveting debate on one of Britain’s
most vital contemporary questions.
Poetry at Hot Gossip - Collette Walle and Richard Marggraf Turley - Free
18.00 & 19.30
Hot Gossip Coffeehouse
Collette Waller is only 36. She has MS
and although her body is letting her
down, her spirit remains defiant -
this is the cruel irony that fuels the
remarkable collections of poems.
Friends of Collette will read from Party
Girl, a book published by her local
hospice. Joining Collette is Richard
Marggraf Turley, last year’s winner of
the Keats-Shelley Prize for poetry, and
author of The Fossil Box.
There is a £5 refundable fee to reserve tickets through
the Box Office or at Hot Gossip.
**** SOLD OUT **** 34 - A Celebration of Hugh Massingberd -
Craig Brown, Edward Fox, Moray Watson and friends - £12
18.00
Kenton Theatre
Compiled by Craig Brown, directed by Michael Whitehall, starring Edward Fox as
Hugh Massingberd, Moray Watson as James Lees-Milne and also featuring Andrew
Barrow, Craig Brown, Jonathan Cecil, Ferdinand Mount, Christopher Sykes,
Michael Whitehall, A.N. Wilson and the harmony group The Vagabond Trills. “As a subaltern, Lt Col. Geoffrey Knowles was bitten in the buttocks by a bear — he
survived but the bear expired.” It was wit such as this that made Hugh Massingberd
the best-known obituarist in the world. Friends from the worlds of theatre and letters
gather to celebrate, with laughter and music, the life and work of this remarkable
eccentric in an original script.
35 - John Mortimer with Valerie Grove -
An Extraordinary Life in Words - £8
20.15
Kenton Theatre
John Mortimer has been a vital part
of the English literary and legal scene
for over 60 years. Loved by all, he is
particularly special to Henley, having
lived in Turville for most of his life.
His exceptional output has included
over 50 books, plays and scripts,
including his great fictional creation
Rumpole. Mortimer’s biographer
Valerie Grove knows every secret and
talks to him on home ground about
his life, his loves and his books. Join
one of England’s most distinguished
literary figures for a very special hour.
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