HAVANT LITERARY FESTIVAL: A REFLECTION
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 8:10PM | Leila De Lara 
Ten days, twenty three venues, one hundred and one events. This past autumn saw one of the best literary festivals to grace the South of England take place in Havant, bringing a variety of entertainment organised by a clearly creative and dedicated team. This is definitely a cultural event that should be noted. Something that fans of fact, fiction, and indeed writing, will need to look out for in 2010.
As winter takes hold and Christmas rapidly approaches, we can reflect upon this year's festival, and take heed from its celebration of literature. Perhaps we can make a resolution this new year - to read more, write more, and really enjoy this old yet timeless art.
This year's writer in residence is a winner of the Stonewell prize, Stella Duffy. Involved in many of the festival's events, including the opening ceremony, where prizes for several poetry and short story competitions were given out. She also most notably held a very successful one-day workshop, around writing, ways to overcome writers-block, and inspiration to start writing.
The Havant Literary Festival also celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of Sherlock Holmes fame. There were a wide and varied selection of events, talks, and exhibitions set to showcase his life and works, and it was one of these such events, that SHARP OBJEX was fortunate enough to attend.
“Arthur Conan Doyle's Greatest Mystery," was a talk by author Russell Miller around Conan Doyle's fascination with spiritualism. Held in the delightful Ninevah Bookshop, a wonderful little venue that has a menagerie of books on sale. From the old to the new, the ordinary to the extraordinary - it was all there. In the back there was a small but lovely cafe area, where visitors could indulge in a good old cup of tea after some dedicated browsing, and upstairs was where the talk was to be held. It was in a small yet atmospheric room that a crowd of eager and enthusiastic festival goers sat listening to Russell Miller's fascinating and unusual speech, on this lesser known aspect of Arthur Conan Doyle's life.
Russell Miller is an experienced biographer and author who has recently written a biography on Conan Doyle (The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle). Having free access to the collection of material bequeathed to Portsmouth City Museum for a Conan Doyle Exhibition (the city Arthur lived and worked in for many years), and also to several of his personal letters, Miller clearly knew his stuff. It was an interesting talk, despite being on such a specific subject, namely Doyle's preoccupation with spirituality. Yet despite this, Miller spoke well, giving a brilliant insight into why this man - a medical practitioner, a physicist, and creator of a character known for his seriousness, and love of logic, Sherlock Holmes - spent many years obsessing over trying to prove such things as the afterlife, ghosts and fairies. We learned of his life and losses, how the death of both his son and his wife affected him, and how his new wife encouraged his work around spiritualism. A truly intriguing character, we also heard of his involvement in the famous Cottingley fairies debate, and also of his friendship with Houdini who opposed the existence of such things. Doyle however, thought Houdini possessed supernatural powers himself, who in turn attempted to show him it was all illusion and the like, but eventually it lead to an argument that put an end to their friendship. The speech finished with the opportunity to ask questions, and the audience were very keen to discuss this topic in great depth.
Aside from talks on various areas of interest and workshops, the festival offered a wide array of exciting things to attend. From book signings, theatre, and street entertainment, to music, book fairs, and even a ghost walk - exploring the mysterious stories and history of the local area.
Be sure to keep up to date on news of next year's festival, and more details will undoubtedly be posted on their website nearer the time. www.havantlitfest.org.uk
Reader Comments (14)
This is a good article,thank you for your share,I like it very much.Our products are superior in quality and moderate in price and are sure to be saleable in your market,by virtue of this superior quality, this product is often sold out in many areas. This new product is really much better than the previous one. You have to try it to believe it.iwc repicas|
I love the ed hardy clothings from the visual POV. ed hardy clothes created ripples one of the fashion conscious immediately after the ed hardy was launched. I like the ed hardy clothing. ed hardy is one kind of the most famous brands. ed hardy clothing displays the brilliant work of Don ed hardy. He's a gifted painter, printmaker and tattoo artist. ed hardy offerings include
Ed Hardy
Ed Hardy Clothing
Ed Hardy Bikini
shirts
Ed Hardy Clothes
shoes
swimwear
ed hardy clothes is merely 4 yrs . old and was launched by Audigier in 2004. There were many Hollywood stars who wear his ed hardy clothing.
boot for sale
Discount UGG boots
UGG boots
boot on sale
UGG Bailey Button Boots
UGG Classic Argyle Knit Boots
UGG Classic Cardy Boots
UGG Classic Mini Boots
UGG Classic Short Boots
UGG Classic Tall Boots
Loved the article - I needed an idea for a birthday gift for my friends. Hopefully they will enjoy them as you have.clothing sale
innovative new product, called the Reebok Easytone Shoes, but it seems like the brand giant has left men in the lurch. The Easytone Shoes is exclusively designed with women in mind, and with the aim of toning their buttocks and thighs. While there isn’t much chance any man will complain about what this Reebok Easy Tone Shoes will do for the opposite sex, the question of why a similar Reebok EasyTone wasn’t designed for the men, demands to be answered. Obviously, everybody would like to have a more Reebok EasyTone Inspire rear. The Discount Reebok EasyTone, which was introduced all over the planet this month, has a unique technology, unlike anything on the market currently. The lopsided easy tone
href="http://www.feetlockers.com/reebok-easytone-c-25.html">Reebok ZigTech footwear. Unlike women, men tend to not be concerned as much about their choice of Reebok Easytone Shoes and tend to be lost when trying to find the right pair of Reebok ZigTech shoes. Depending upon how dressy your job Reebok EasyTone environment is you have several styles to choose from, here are a few things to consider that will help you make the right Discount Reebok zigtech choice for your situation.</p>
<p>Since the average person tends to walk five finger around three miles or so per day, the first thing you should be vibram shoes concerned with is comfort. How much padding do they have? Do they have a sturdy insole? If you have high arches you want a vibram fivefingers shoe that will rise up to support them. This is really the crucial five fingers consideration for comfort. Also, if you have a job that vibram five requires you to be on pavement or perhaps some other abrasive surface you may want to consider fivefingers kso with a Vibram sole which is a very comfortable rubber sole
<p>If you are a businessman or someone who has to wear dress Reebok Zig pulse shoes in your place of employment it is necessary to have at least a couple of pairs of quality Reebok ZigTech footwear. Unlike women, men tend to not be concerned as much about their choice of Reebok Easytone Shoes and tend to be lost when trying to find the right pair of Reebok ZigTech shoes. Depending upon how dressy your job Reebok EasyTone environment is you have several styles to choose from, here are a few things to consider that will help you make the right Discount Reebok zigtech choice for your situation.</p>
<p>Since the average person tends to walk five finger around three miles or so per day, the first thing you should be vibram shoes concerned with is comfort. How much padding do they have? Do they have a sturdy insole? If you have high arches you want a vibram fivefingers shoe that will rise up to support them. This is really the crucial five fingers consideration for comfort. Also, if you have a job that vibram five requires you to be on pavement or perhaps some other abrasive surface you may want to consider fivefingers kso with a Vibram sole which is a very comfortable rubber sole that is also resistant to tory burch shoes abrasion and chemicals.</p>
<p>The durability of the <a
<p>Every few years there is an vibram fivefingers innovation that takes the world by surprise and changes our way of life to a great extent. Vibram five fingers is one of those revolutionary innovations that aims and promises to refashion our idea of five finger footwear. These thin, lightweight, and glove-like protective coverings for your feet give you the vibram kso pleasure of walking vibram five barefoot, while at the same time ensure that your feet remains safe from rough vibram five fingers shoes edges.The company five finger speed has been in the shoe-business for more than 70 years now and is vibram classic renowned for making high-quality soles. The Vibram Five Fingers are made of soft and elastic Polyamide vibram five finger soles that can be easily stretched to hug the outline of your feet. These vibram shoes can be washed in a machine so that you can keep them clean and fresh.</p>
<p>If you’re one of those vibram five fingers unfortunate people, who have to wear tightly laced 5fingers shoes for long hours almost every day of your life, then you probably know how much of a burden fivefingers kso shoes can become. The human feet have nothing less than 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory vibram fivefingers kso receptors, tendons and ligaments within that little space. It is not for no reason, of course. Our feet is capable of vibram flow great strength, quickness, and stamina-only, we have to hone their potential. </p>
<p>If you’ve recently purchased a pair of vibram five, chances are you can’t get enough of them. This new found enthusiasm for VFF’s can be both a blessing and a curse. Traditional five fingers shoes have had your feet locked up in tight narrow vibram fivefingers for years and they need time to transition to this new found fivefingers kso freedom. If you are looking to become a full time VFF runner there are a few things you vibram five finger should know.The following is tell you how to run in five fingers vibram Shoes.</p>
<p>1. Take off your vibram five fingers. The best way to learn how to run in vibram fivefinger is to first go barefoot. You must train yourself to land softly with each five finger shoes stride. By being completely barefoot you will vibram five finger shoes automatically learn to land correctly. If you try to heal strike while barefoot, you will get instant five fingers classic feedback in the form of pain! The goal is to land on the ball of your foot and set the heal down five finger speed gently. </p>
[url=http://www.coachbuying.com/coach-handbags-c-25.html]Coach Tote Bags[/url] are great discounts and affordable.Coach Bags just like what you can find in trendy counterfeit Coach Stores that you can find in the market. Coach women's handbags were made out of sturdy cowhide, which was of much better quality than others.[url=http://www.coachbuying.com]Coach Online Store[/url] are famous for the discounts they offer.
This is a good levis mager article,thank you for levis kæreste your share,I like it very much.Our products are levis kvinder superior in quality and moderate in price and are sure to be saleable in your market,by virtue of this superior quality, this product is often sold out in many areas. This new levis tilbehør product is really much better than the previous one. You have to levis jeans butik try it to believe it.iwc repicas|
Such notions first confronted [url=http://www.coachs.me]coach outlet
[/url]me as a teenager reading<h1>coach outlet online
</h1> science-fiction and watching Star Trek.coach handbags
Wednesday I read an article <h1>coach handbags outlet</h1>about a new study that coach purseconcludes the cosmos is teeming with Earth-type planets
It's very useful for my information, and I'll leave a message here.
Abercrombie
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie and Fitch
Abercrombie Deutschland
Abercrombie Fitch Deutschland
Abercrombie & Fitch Deutschland
Abercrombie and Fitch Deutschland
Hollister Deutschland
Hollister Frankfurt
Abercrombie
Abercrombie & Fitch
What a fun pattern! It’s great to hear from you and see what you’ve sent up to. All of the projects look great! You make it so simple to this. Thanks
To tell the truth, I was particularly replica christian louboutin heels reluctant about buying christian louboutin shoes knock replica daffodil christian louboutin off replica christian louboutin christian louboutin replica boots boots christian louboutin shoes christian christian louboutin boots 2011 louboutin replica handbags christian louboutin replica pumps fake imitation shoes christian louboutin replica sneakers for christian louboutin christian louboutin boots knockoffs boots fake a lot of reasons. One replica christian louboutin daffodile cause was that I was afraid to get screwed by some duplicate web Replica christian Louboutin sites christian louboutin boots thigh high and that I most probably would pay but would fake christian louboutin boots not get the product. It's possible that I was apprehensive about this since I always thought that these knock off christian louboutin boots kinds of web sites accept cash transfers or orders. To calm myself down, I christian louboutin boots replica began looking for sites with great reviews. One more great place that I looked for was Ripoffreport.com Faux Chrisitan Louboutin and what I ran across was a worldwide answer Fake christian Louboutin for scams.Thankfully, one of those days I put Replica Handbags in Christian Louboutin replica boots the search results and discovered a good amount of websites that sell reproduction shoes and bags. I'd state that the best way for me to determine a great footwear was to see Christian Louboutin replica a number of pictures where I could view every detail that I had to see.
99You can search Cheap Coach Bags and Coach Purse Outlet Online Coach Factory Outlet Store that will Cheap Coach Pursesshow you where to Coach Outlet Online Coach Bag for much Coach Outletcheaper. You willCoach Factory Outlet save a lot Coach Factoryof money buying from Coach Factorythese particularCoach Factory Outlet Online sites.To save moneyCoach Factory Store Online on that perfect Coach Outlet Online be sure that you shop Coach Store Online to save that Coach Outlet Storesmuch needed moneyCoach Outlet Online Store. You no Coach Outlet Online Storelonger have to leave the Coach Outlet Store to shop when Coach Factory Outlet Onlineyou can shop and save online for your Coach Outlet Coupon