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 150^th 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