Book lovers might have a new date to put in the calendar each year after an inaugural Northumberland book festival this weekend was deemed a success.
The first ever Morpeth Book Festival proved a hit with lovers of the written word as around 600 visitors descended on Northumberland's County Town to hear from local and international authors over the weekend. Around 30 writers took part in a range of events, from story time and workshops for children, to talks and events dealing with a wide range of genres: including crime and dystopian fiction.
Local writers were high up on the bill, with Ann Cleeves, best-known in our region for the much-loved Vera series, kicking off the festival on Saturday morning. And appearing later that day was former probation officer turned crime writer Mari Hannah, creator of the DCI Kate Daniels series.
Mari, whose series is currently being adapted for TV, is hoping the Morpeth Book Festival will become a regular fixture in the literary calendar. She said: "It’s always good to celebrate a new book festival.
"For me it was a triple celebration as I was first published ten years ago today. Because of Covid, there have been few ‘in person’ events, so it was an opportunity to talk about Her Last Request , my latest title, the launch of which was cancelled due to Covid.
"We had a lovely warm crowd and an interesting Q&A afterwards. Readers I spoke to were all in favour of a repeat of the festival next year which I’d love to be a part of."
Other local writers on the bill included Ashington vicar's daughter Barbara Fox and Miles Hewitt, who penned two fascinating books about his travels across the world.
The 'Murder and Mayhem' event was also popular, showcasing Trevor Wood, whose debut novel The Man on the Street won a Crime Writers' Association Dagger; Robert Scragg, winner of the 2021 Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Writing; Fiona Veitch Smith, who wrote about the exploits of Morpeth-born Poppy Denby; and Fiona Erskine, author of the Jacqueline Silver books.
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And lovers of historical novels could see Lorna Windham, best known for The Jacobite's Daughter. Poetry also had a strong representation at the festival, with 14 poets taking part including Catherine Ayres, Eileen Beers and Roy Heath.
But there was an international star appearing via video link too. American novelist, screenwriter and television producer Chuck Hogan, who wrote The Killing Moon, The Devil in Exile, and The Strain series with Guillermo del Toro, joined to give a talk on Dystopian fiction alongside local authors, columnists and playwrights Amy Lord, Mark Iveson and Sarah Elliott.
Organised by The Greater Morpeth Development Trust and the Northumberland County Council Library Service and held in the Pleased to Meet You Suites on Bridge Street, it is hoped this will become an annual event like similar book festivals in Hexham and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Mari continued: "I’ve enjoyed the support of Northumberland Libraries throughout my career and have a fabulous relationship with the readers of Morpeth who’ve taken my characters to their hearts. Crime fiction fans across the world can’t get enough of them.
Cllr Jeff Watson, Cabinet Member responsible for libraries, said: "It was fantastic to see people out and about and enjoying real world events again. The two-day festival was such a success that plans are already underway to make it an annual event.
"As well as showing the importance of reading and telling stories, proven to help the wellbeing of people of all ages, the festival brought visitors to the area, boosting trade and raising the profile of local businesses. Although the focus of the festival was rightly on Morpeth, Northumberland has a very strong Library Service across the county which provides access to thousands of books, IT services, events, community space and friendly meeting places with knowledgeable and helpful staff."
