We need your support if we are to ensure Derby Book Festival’s continuing success.
The first Derby Book Festival was a great success with over 10,000 people
participating in more than 60 events, and 98% of feedback rated events as
Excellent or Good. And as you have seen from our video, David Nicholls - international best selling author who came to our Festival in 2015 - agrees! We aim to build on it
this year, featuring an even wider range of authors and events aimed at all
ages and interests.
As two volunteers living
in Derby we set the Festival up last year to celebrate the joy of books and the
pleasure and power of reading. We want
to inspire a new generation of readers. And
we want to showcase Derby’s wonderful city-centre cultural attractions. It is a local festival, with a programme ranging from author
talks, discussions, live performances and workshops for budding writers to a
children’s book trail, storytelling and ‘Make It’ sessions. We hope there’s something for everyone with
topics from cycling to cricket, railways to real ale and birding to
board games!
Why we need your support
We are a
registered charity and the festival is largely organised and run by volunteers,
with an amazing number of wonderful people and organisations donating
their time and expertise for free. Some of the bigger events with
top authors are self-financing, but many are not. There are still
significant core costs that can only be met by a combination of public grants
and private donations and sponsorship. We are delighted to have
again gained the support of the Arts Council of England for our main funding,
but even this is dependent upon our continuing to achieve challenging private
fund-raising targets, including at least £1000 from crowdfunding. Please
help us achieve this target, ensure the success of the Derby Book Festival,
receive a special tote bag (normal retail price £10) as a token of our
appreciation, and also enter a draw for a range of cultural goodies! Prizes
include:
- Waterstones book tokens worth £100
- One night B&B at the beautiful
boutique Cathedral Quarter Hotel
- Iberico world tapas for two (2015 Michelin Guide 'Bib Gourmand')
- A year's free membership to QUAD, Derby's wonderful arts centre.
What’s happening this year
See our website for
full details. Events will take
place in venues across the city centre and in Derby's primary and
secondary schools. There are events to appeal to local people with Derby-related themes, there is a
significant programme for children and young people, and local writing talent
is showcased as well as internationally celebrated, best-selling authors. Highlights of the Festival this year include:
- Tracy
Chevalier, author of Girl with a
Pearl Earring, will talk about her latest novel At the Edge of the Orchard and will discuss Charlotte Brontë
with biographer Claire Harman
- Louis
de Bernières, author of Captain
Corelli’s Mandolin, will talk about his latest novel The Dust that Falls from Dreams and
perform with The Bookshop Band
- Former
MPs, Ken Livingstone with Matthew Parris will give an insight into the world
of politics
- Actor
and writer, Simon Callow on Orson Welles
- Historian
and historical novelist, Alison Weir will discuss her new novel about Katherine
of Aragon
- Booker
shortlisted novelist, Sunjeev Sahota
- BBC
Radio 4’s James Naughtie will be in conversation with Sir Peter
Bazalgette, Chair of Arts Council England
- Lauren
Child, Children’s author and illustrator of Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean and the Ruby Redfort books will meet children from Derby schools
- David
Lindo aka The Urban Birder will talk about the cities he has visited and there will be a chance to view the Derby Cathedral Peregrines
Follow us, and spread the
word
Find out about the latest
speakers and events:
www.derbybookfestival.co.uk
Twitter: @derbybookfest
Facebook : derbybookfestival
And then please tell everyone
else about it! Share the news through social media, by email, telephone, in a
chat over the fence or on your blog. It'll be brilliant for Derby, and
the more people who know about it, the more chance that the Festival will
become a key date in the city's annual calendar.
Please donate
And of course if you can help us
reach our target of £1000 that would be brilliant! All funds go towards Derby Book Festival which is a charity (CIO no. 1159763). Check out the rewards which we would like to give
you as a big thank you, and who knows … you may win the lucky draw.
