MONDAY 8 MARCH
Northwest Voices @ Words by the Water Festival
Readings and discussions from Northwest writers, celebrating the strength and diversity of the region’s wide-ranging literary output, covering poetry, short fiction and novel writing.
Afternoon Session: 1.30pm – 5.30pm
1.30pm • POETRY SHOWCASE
Flapjack Press presents Jackie Hagan, Gerry Potter and Helen Thomas
A showcase of vibrant new voices with children’s writer and poet Helen Thomas, playwright, performance poet and life-long Doctor Who fan Gerry Potter, and politicised stand-up poet Jackie Hagan.
2.35pm • SHORT STORY SHOWCASE
Comma Press presents Zoe Lambert and Annie Clarkson
Zoe Lambert’s stories globe-trot over continents and time-travel backwards and forwards across decades in an unflinching exploration of the long-term consequences of conflict; Annie Clarkson’s work on the other hand studies the quieter, subtler tensions underpinning everyday relationships.
3.40pm • NOVEL SHOWCASE
Literature Northwest presents Jenn Ashworth and Brigid Rose
Two new authors share visions from their debut novels; Brigid Rose’s ‘The City of Lists’ imagines a ‘consciousness revolution’ in a not-too-distant future, while Jenn Ashworth’s ‘A Kind of Intimacy’ draws us into the unreliable world of Annie, the girl who’s never quite invited to the party.
4.45pm • SURVIVING AS A WRITER
To round off the day, publishers Ra Page and Paul Neads lead a discussion with some of the invited authors on the pitfalls and practicalities of surviving as a writer, finding an audience for your work, and most important of all developing a voice.
Today’s events are run in association with Slate.
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick. Day ticket: £20. To book ahead call 017687 74411.
For more information about the festival click here.
Supported by SLATE.

SATURDAY 13 MARCH
SARA MAITLAND PREMIERE
To round off the Adaptation Day's events Huddersfield University have specially commissioned a new adaptation of Sara Maitland's acclaimed short story 'Moss Witch', twhich receives its world premiere tonight. Directed by animator Lisa Risbec, it tells of the collision between two different worlds - the language and discipline of science and the timeless mythology of fairytales.
Sara Maitland will introduce the film with a talk about the relationship between prose fiction and film, having previously worked with Stanley Kubrick on early drafts of his A.I. project, and seen her short story 'Far North' developed into a feature film by Asif Kapadia, starring Michelle Yeoh and Sean Bean. Sara's first novel, Daughters of Jerusalem, was published in 1978 and won the Somerset Maugham Award. Novels since have included Three Times Table (1990), Home Truths (1993) and Brittle Joys (1999), and one cowritten with Michelene Wandor – Arky Types (1987). Her short story collections include Telling Tales (1983), A Book of Spells (1987) and most recently, On Becoming a Fairy Godmother (2003). With Lisa Risbec, she will also talk about the process of adapting this story in particular.
Peacock Lounge, Viaduct Street, Huddersfield. £7 / £5.
Festival box office: 01484 430528
More information about the event via Huddersfield Literature Festival.

View Comma's previous events, 2002 to present: EVENTS ARCHIVE