WORDFest 2016 promises something for everyone

Organisers are promising a terrific two-week event to feature author talks, a family fun day and more, with the 2016 event concluding on World Book Night.

The festival will run from are April 12 to April 23.

WORDFest spokeswoman Natalie Hoare said: “The event will kick off with a comedy evening on Tuesday April 12, followed by a range of exciting author talks, creative workshops, spoken word performances, recitals and more – mostly for free – before concluding on Saturday April 23 on World Book Night, an international celebration of reading. Now in its sixth year, Crawley WORDfest is a voluntary festival organisation that aims to build closer community links among Crawley residents who share a love of reading, writing, music and art.

There will be something for everyone of all ages.

Among the highlights are:

l Killer Women - Agatha Christie’s legacy, in fact and fiction.

This event on Tuesday April 19 welcomes three top crime writers and a former Metropolitan Police detective turned television script consultant, who has worked on programmes including for Prime Suspect and The Bill.

They will both discuss the influence Agatha Christie has had on the genre as well as what makes good crime writing.

l WORDfest regular New Faces of Fiction on Friday April 22 introduces two new writers as they prepare to unveil their first novels to the world; one to be confirmed and the other will be war zone turned writer Rebecca Thornton.

Participants can discover how they successfully negotiated the turbulent world of publishing to make it as authors.

l Now in its second year, Get Stuck in Day on Saturday April 16 invites families to let their kids loose in the library for a fun-packed day of craft activities, workshops, games and children’s theatre.

All activities are put on for free and the event has proved popular in the past.

l Desert Island Books on Thursday April 14, WORDfest invites three successful authors to come and share the books that they simply could not live without in a castaway situation.

Julia Crouch, Brighton-based novelist and WORDfest patron, said: “With adventurous programming, ranging from theatre to literary events to active opportunities to create and tell stories, WORDfest provides a creative focus for the Crawley community, reaching out to all ages and reinforcing the importance of stories in our 21st century lives.

“Grassroots literary festivals are more than just the books and the authors, they are about celebrating reading and the community.

“Stories are a large part of what makes us human, and events like WORDfest give us the perfect opportunity to get together and discuss them.”

For more information about the events and for updates on the programme see the WORDFest 2016 Facebook page www.facebook.com/WORDfestcrawleysussex

People can also go to festival’s website wordfestcrawley.org/