| Date |
Time |
Event |
Description |
| 18th Nov 2005 |
7 pm |
Launch of Peak Festival of Writing |
An evening with local authors with cheese and wine. Countrybookshop local book of the year for the Peak District and Derbyshire will be announced. Confirmed authors for the event include the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Stephen Booth, Patricia Warren, Brian Edwards, Don Shaw, Bill Tidy. |
| 25th Nov 2005 |
7 pm |
Clare Short MP |
One of the government's most outspoken critics. Writing 'more in sorrow than in anger', Clare Short now reveals her thinking about all aspects of the way Britain has been run since 1997. |
| 26th Nov 2005 |
10.15 am |
Dugald Steer and a Wizard Friend |
Creator of the imaginative children's books, 'Egyptology' with nearly a million copies sold worldwide - a fascinating (and fictional) guide to ancient Egypt; 'Dragonology' combining Dragon Folklore with whimsical fantasy and 'Wizardology', an elaborate book created by Merlin for his apprentice, will be with a wizard friend to entertain children of all ages. |
| 26th Nov 2005 |
12 noon |
Clive Aslet - Landmarks of Britain and Andrea Wulf - This Other Eden. Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History |
Clive Aslet is the award-winning editor of Country Life, and an acknowledged authority on British architecture and life. His books - which include 'Anyone For England?' and 'Inside the House of Lords' - have studied our national identity. He regularly appears on current affairs programmes such as Newsnight. Clive Aslet will be talking about Landmarks of Britain, the subject of his new book, promising to be the most unusual history of Britain to be published for years. |
| 26th Nov 2005 |
12 noon |
Clive Aslet - Landmarks of Britain and Andrea Wulf - This Other Eden. Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History |
Andrea Wulf takes you on a captivating journey through England's history through an exploration of seven great gardens - from Hatfield to Chatsworth. Showpieces of grand design, they are also barometers of social change; lasting reflections of intellectual endeavour, of religion and philosophy, science and technology, art and literature. |
| 26th Nov 2005 |
2 pm |
Jane Fearnley Whittingstall |
Jane Fearnley Whittingstall, a loving and closely involved grandmother of four children and mother of TV chef Hugh, has written 'Good Granny Guide' on how to be a modern grandmother. This delightful handbook has a vast resource of wisdom, history and humour. Jane Fearnley Whittingstall has written many books on plants and gardening and works as a landscape and garden designer creating and restoring period gardens. Recent restoration projects include an 18th century town garden in Bath and the rose garden at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. |
| 26th Nov 2005 |
7 pm |
David Rothenberg and Colin Tudge |
Colin Tudge brings stories and facts behind trees from his journeys around the world - from redwoods in California that would have been ancient by the time Columbus first landed to one banyan tree in Calcutta as big as a football field. Colin Tudge, former features editor for New Scientist and documentary film editor for the BBC. |
| 26th Nov 2005 |
7 pm |
David Rothenberg and Colin Tudge |
Performance by David Rothenberg with a discussion of his book 'Why Birds Sing', 'Genuine 21st century music', The Guardian (UK) 'Only one word suffices to describe the sounds emerging from David Rothenberg's CD Why Birds Sing - sublime'. |
| 27th Nov 2005 |
11 am |
Pete Hawkins - Art of Navigation |
Workshop on Map and Compass Skills. Pete Hawkins author of Cicerone Guide 'Map and Compass - The Art of Navigation' will run a workshop on Map and Compass Skills. Come prepared with outdoor clothing as there will be a demonstration outside the shop on the Monsal Trail. |
| 27th Nov 2005 |
12 noon |
Babbling Vagabonds |
Shadow of the Firebird: An epic tale from Eastern Europe crammed full with colourful characters, strange worlds and theatrical magic. A fantastic forty-five minute shadow puppetry performance with an original musical soundtrack. A post show platform where the shadow box is opened to show how everything works, and Q and A. |
| 27th Nov 2005 |
2 pm |
Meg Hutchinson in conversation with Wendy Holden |
Born in the Heart of the Black Country, Meg Hutchinson, now 72, left school at fifteen and didn't return to education until she was thirty-three. Now she is one of the most successful saga writers around with over ten best-selling novels in print. Wendy Holden is a best selling fiction author and lives in Derbyshire. |
| 27th Nov 2005 |
4 pm |
Martin Lilleker, Martyn Ware (Human League), Russel Senior (Pulp), and Eve Wood |
Anne Fine is one of the most highly regarded and acclaimed children's authors. Anne will be talking about her gripping new novel about belief and freedom, 'The Road of Bones' as well as her other books which include 'Up On Cloud Nine' and 'Charm School'. Anne was the second ever Children's Laureate, and has won many prizes including the Carnegie Medal twice, and the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year. Anne is a highly entertaining and amusing author, she's also an accomplished writer of novels for adults. |
| 27th Nov 2005 |
7 pm |
David and Ben Crystal |
Professor David Crystal is one of the world's foremost experts on the subject of language and has published 50 books. Ben Crystal is a theatre and television actor. |
| 29th Nov 2005 |
6.30 pm |
E.A. Markham |
E.A. Markham, Caribbean Writer with international reputation will be talking about his new book 'Meet Me In Mozambique' which sparkles with intelligence. Wry stories that take in three continents, spanning a lifetime of travel and writing, a kaleidoscope of personal and political issues |
| 29th Nov 2005 |
7.15 pm |
Martin Gurdon |
Martin Gurdon's hilarious debut of 'Hen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance' relived the highs and lows of chicken ownership. His new books are 'Travels With My Chicken', a comic travelogue, and 'Fowl', a parody of American business motivational books. Martin is a motoring journalist and will be coming to the event in a rare, weird, twenty year old, 620,000 mile Nissan Cedric estate car with his chicken. |
| 30th Nov 2005 |
6.30 pm |
James Geary - We Are What We Think |
James Geary will take us on a journey through the wisest and wittiest sayings in the world. A must for language enthusiasts. The author's previous book 'Body Electric' concerned the science behind the remarkable convergence of people and computers. James Geary is Europe Editor at Time magazine. |
| 1st Dec 2005 |
7 pm |
Roger Protz - Food to Match the Beer |
Roger Protz, the co-founder and editor of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide and the author of '300 Beers To Try Before You Die' will be talking about Real Ale and giving a tutored tasting of Thornbridge beers.The event includes 4 course dinner. Ticket Price £35.00 |
| 2nd Dec 2005 |
7 pm |
Mark Gwynne Jones and the Psychic Bread Band - Performance Poetry |
Mark Gwynne Jones is a poet whose work crosses over into physical theatre and the visual arts. An engaging and energetic performer, Mark has presented his work on platforms from Edinburgh to London. |
| 3rd Dec 2005 |
10.30 am |
Brian Turner - Celebrity Chef |
Coffee with Brian Turner - Taste coffee with Brian Turner, one of Britain's most successful and well-known chefs still appearing regularly on 'Ready Steady Cook' and 'Great Food Live'. Countrybookshop Cafe serves Indian Pearl Mountain coffee from the Baba Budan Hills in Chickmagalur, Karnataka. A percentage from the sale of Brian Turner's coffee is donated to community causes and the priority now is on education. |
| 3rd Dec 2005 |
3 pm |
Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in conversation with Emma Harrison |
The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, who was responsible for legendary Chatsworth for the last 53 years will be in conversation with Emma Harrison who has been restoring and managing Thornbridge Hall for the last 3 years. This promises to be an interesting conversation between women of two generations and different backgrounds involved in managing and restoring historic houses. |
| 4th Dec 2005 |
12 noon |
Literary Lunch with Gervase Phinn, Matthew Parris and Jacqueline Moffat at Thornbridge Hall |
Gervase Phinn, an ex-school's inspector, is widely sought after as a speaker and was an immediate star on Esther Rantzen's television show Esther, appearing a second time due to public demand.
Matthew Parris was born in Africa and grew up in Cyprus, Rhodesia, Jamaica and Britain. He worked for the Foreign Office and Margaret Thatcher and was an MP for West Derbyshire for seven years. For thirteen years he was The Times's parliamentary sketchwriter and is a regular travel writer, reviewer, broadcaster and Spectator columnist.
Jackie Moffat and her family moved from London and went North, to Cumbria in 1982. She writes about her rural life, her wacky take on it and the trials, tribulations and pleasures of running a farm. |
| 5th Dec 2005 |
7 pm |
500 Ways To Change The World |
The Festival concludes with a discussion about '500 Ways to Change the World' with: Nick Temple who edited the book of the title and also Globalideasbank website; Mark Waddington, CEO of Warchild (www.warchild.org.uk); Susanne Garnett, Director of Village Aid (www.villageaid.org) working in Africa; Sridhar Gowda, trustee of Gnana (www.gnana.org) promoting literacy in rural India.
And finally, Countrybookshop's presentation of cheques to different charities, including NSPCC, Village Aid and Gnana, from fundraising done throughout the year. |
| 9th Dec 2005 |
7 pm |
Tariq Ali |
One of the world's best-known radicals relives the early years of the protest movement. John Lennon's power to the people and Mick Jagger's Street Fighting Man songs were inspired by Tariq Ali. Tariq Ali is a novelist, historian, political campaigner and one of New Left Review's editors. |
