RAWORTHS HARROGATE LITERATURE FESTIVAL The Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival, launched in 2012, has become the hot ticket on the national Festival circuit thanks to its stellar line-up of literary names. Hosted over a long weekend in the Edwardian grandeur of Harrogate’s St George Hotel, you’ll experience inspiring talks and stimulating debate – all in a convivial atmosphere. Socialise with fellow book lovers, relax in style, and soak up our eclectic programme designed to entertain and inspire. Come for a day-long experience, dip into one-off events, or indulge in the whole weekend!
THURSDAY 10 JULY Viv Groskop: I Laughed, I Cried | 1pm Viv Groskop is a prolific journalist, BBC Radio 4 broadcaster and standup comedian. She first performed with Stephen Fry in a Footlights show in Cambridge at 18 and then did nothing on stage for 20 years. Pushing forty, recession-scarred, wondering what to make of the rest of her life, Viv plunged into one of the most difficult-to-achieve art forms. She succeeded, and you will see why. Tickets: £12 Unreserved MP Kwasi Kwarteng In Conversation with Hugh Pym | 2.30pm
Sir Ranulph Fiennes Cold: Extreme Adventures at the Lowest Temperatures on Earth | 6.30pm Sir Ranulph Fiennes (OBE) has spent much of his life exploring in conditions of extreme cold. Dubbed as ‘the world’s greatest explorer’, Fiennes takes us on a voyage through his latest book Cold. Historically questioning and intensely personal, Cold is a celebration of a life dedicated to researching and exploring some of the most hostile and brutally cold places on earth. Tickets: £18 Unreserved Kate Adie Fighting On The Home Front | 8pm Bestselling author and award-winning former BBC Chief News Correspondent Kate Adie reveals the ways in which women’s lives changed during WWI and what the impact has been for women in its centenary year. In 1914 the world changed forever. When WWI broke out and a generation of men went off to fight, Kate Adie shows how women emerged from the shadows of their domestic lives. Tickets: £15 Unreserved
FRIDAY 11 JULY Raworths Literary Lunch in association with Yorkshire Life | 12pm Join us for a delicious three course lunch and enlightening speakers including: BBC Presenter Kirsty Wark, Newsnight anchor for over fourteen years; comedy writer David Nobbs, creator of the unforgettable character Reginald Perrin; and journalist, author and political commentator Nick Cohen. Tickets: £35 Including Lunch
Linda Colley Acts of Union, Acts of Disunion | 5.00pm In a year that sees a Scottish referendum on independence, historian Linda Colley analyses some of the forces that have unified Britain in the past. She examines the mythology of Britishness, and how far – and why – it has faded. She discusses the Acts of Union with Wales, Scotland and Ireland and considers how the pieces might be put together anew. Tickets: £8 Unreserved
Much loved TV drama DCI Banks returned to our screens for a third series on ITV in February 2014. In this unique event we join best-selling author Peter Robinson, as he discusses watching DCI Banks move from page to screen with none other than Stephen Tompkinson. The two will be joined by executive producer Gabriel Silver from Left Bank Pictures. Tickets: £15 Unreserved
BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner 6.30pm
Bibliotherapy LIVE with Ben Aaronovitch and Ella Berthoud | 2.00pm
On 6 June 2004 BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner and cameraman Simon Cumbers were ambushed by Islamist gunmen in a quiet Riyadh back street. As he lay in the dust, a figure stood over him and pumped four more bullets into him at point-blank range. Frank survived. Ten years on, although partly paralysed, he continues to travel reporting for the BBC. Ex-ITV Political Editor, Gerry Foley, interviews. Tickets: £15 Unreserved
Where do you place yourself on the book scale? Do you judge others by the books they have on their shelves? Bibliotherapy allows us to unleash in to our lives the magic held between two end papers. Witness a bibliotherapy LIVE session with bestselling author Ben Aaronovitch in the chair, ready to have his literary past probed and future prescribed. Tickets: £8 Unreserved
SALON North Gets Up Close to Personal Taste | 8pm SALON North is a revolutionary movement for the heart and mind, in which three speakers bring you stimulating ideas in art, science and psychology. We will hear from: author and musician Daniel Rachel, who will reveal the stories behind the UK’s best songs and help us enjoy our playlists on a whole other level; renowned philosopher Julian Baggini who examines our taste in food, and asks could food be better for the soul than art?; and Ella Berthoud will be leading the audience in a bibliotherapy session LIVE to ensure you get the right book for you. Tickets: £18 Unreserved
SATURDAY 12 JULY
In his latest book War and Gold Kwasi Kwarteng turns his expert gaze to the fascinating history of international finance. From the Spanish conquistadors’ discovery of the New World in the Sixteenth Century to the financial crash of 2008, Kwarteng will be In Conversation with the Chief Economics Correspondent for BBC News, Hugh Pym. Hugh is one of only a handful of broadcast correspondents to have covered the financial crisis from its origins in 2007 to the present. He was part of the BBC News Team which won an award for their coverage of the crisis. Tickets: £15 Unreserved
Throughout England’s cultural history, its buildings have reflected changing economic circumstances and fashions, and architecture has always been an expression of power and influence. The Building of England is a fascinating exploration of the history of English architecture with leading architectural historian Simon Thurley who has been the Head of English Heritage since 2003. Tickets: £12 Unreserved
The hilarious and wise Mrs Moneypenny will show you how to set your own financial finish line, and then how to go about reaching it. From cutting your grocery bills to buying a house, from starting a business to saving a pension, she gives practical ways to think about your money and take control of your life. Mrs Moneypenny will inspire you, inform you, and above all, empower you. Tickets: £12 Unreserved
Book Online | www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
Box Office | 01423 562 303
Book Online | www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
Simon Thurley: The Building of England 3.30pm
DCI Banks From Page to Screen | 12.00pm
The Financial Times’ Mrs Moneypenny 10.30am
Digesting Literature with John Crace and John Sutherland | 3.30pm ‘The Two Johnnies’ team up for a fantastic literary double act. Crace is best known for the Digested Read in the Guardian: deadly parodies of contemporary books. Sutherland is an academic, biographer, and author of the recent A Little History of Literature. Expect an irreverent look at today’s literary landscape from this unorthodox pairing. What a tonic! Tickets: £8 Unreserved Mark Watson: Hotel Alpha | 5.00pm Mark Watson is the author of four acclaimed novels and is also a standup comedian, well-known for his appearances on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Mock the Week. His highly original live shows consistently delight audiences and critics alike the world over. Mark will discuss his latest release Hotel Alpha, his most ambitious and accomplished novel to date. Tickets: £15 Unreserved
Box Office | 01423 562 303