Jonathan Delbridge Performs an Evening of Music for Piano and Organ
Fowey Parish ChurchCelebrated pianist and organist, Jonathan Delbridge, is well-known for his exciting and varied concert programmes. He regularly performs at a range of small and large venues from the Royal Albert Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall to his village church in Somerset. Join us on this Festival opening night for a wonderful evening of music, including...
Picturesque Charlestown – Guided Walk
St Paul’s ChurchThe charming little harbour of Charlestown was built during the Napoleonic Wars. Chris will help you explore the history of the port and the days of sail. You will look at its transformation from a tiny fishing village into a thriving shipping community of shipbuilders and other maritime occupations right up to WW2. It has...
Melissa Quinn – Launching to Space from the UK
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallLaunching to space from the UK, for the first time ever, is not for the faint of heart. A rollercoaster ride of politics, pandemics, protests, propulsion and PR have ensued. So was it worth it? Melissa will discuss how she approached the historic moment, lead her team to deliver under huge pressure, overcame failure and...
Kate Williams – Secrets of the Royal Palaces
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallWe are delighted to welcome historian, author, television presenter and Patron of the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature, Professor Kate Williams. Today she will be talking about her latest TV programme, Secrets of the Royal Palaces which unlocks the secrets of the eight most famous royal palaces: Buckingham, Kensington, Windsor, Sandringham, Balmoral, Highgrove, Holyrood and St James’s Palace. In...
Lennie Goodings – Virago at 50
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin the chair of groundbreaking feminist publisher Virago Books for an entertaining and enlightening insight into the life of a literary editor. Lennie Goodings joined Virago in 1978 when “women wanted a voice, women wanted to understand their history, women wanted to see themselves on the page.” As an editor, she has worked with many of...
Mark Easton – Searching for Truth on the Shoreline
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallJohn Donne’s misguided maxim that “No man is an island”, sparked the imagination of BBC News Home Editor, Mark Easton. In his new book, he takes us on an enchanting and illuminating adventure through the islands of the world from Ancient Crete to modern day Canvey. Can understanding these pockets of land and the mind-set they create in their inhabitants...
Sir Vince Cable – How To Be A Politician 2000 Years of Good (and Bad) Advice
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallThe former Liberal Democrat leader curates the ultimate book of political advice, conjuring the warp, weft, ebbs, flows, highs and lows of a political life, in the words of those who said it best. His book follows the arc of a life in politics – from childhood signs of potential to running for office, getting...
KEV F’S – Comic Art Masterclass
Fowey Parish Hall South Street, Fowey, CornwallKev F Sutherland writes and draws for Beano, Doctor Who and Marvel comics, and makes graphic novels adapted from Shakespeare, and now he'll teach you how easy it is. After the end of a Comic Art Masterclass, everyone goes away with a comic containing a strip by everyone in the class plus an individual caricature...
Daphne du Maurier’s Fowey – Guided Walk
Main Car Park, Hanson Drive, PL23 1ETThis is your opportunity to learn about Daphne, her life, her novels and Fowey. You will be led by either Suzanne or Ros. Be inspired by the landscape and the way it is intricately involved in Daphne’s works. Discover some of the inspiration and scenes from novels written with Fowey, Polruan and the river in...
Natasha Carthew – Undercurrent – A memoir of Poverty, Nature and Resilience
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallUndercurrent is a vivid, powerful exploration of rural poverty and the often-devastating impact of living without the means or support to build a future. This is a journey through place and a story of hope, beauty, and fierce resilience. Natasha Carthew is a Cornish working-class writer who grew up in rural poverty battling limited opportunities,...
Meet The Festival Team – Friends Only Event
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin the team that organises the Festival each year, for a drink and cocktail Cornish pasty. The work we do throughout the year makes it all worthwhile when we meet our visitors. If you would like to become a Friend, and join this event, as well as receiving the many benefits a membership offers, please...
Linda Grant – The Story of the Forest
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallBestselling author of When I Lived in Modern Times and winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, we are delighted to welcome back to the Festival, Linda Grant. She will be in conversation with her publisher and Chair of Virago Press, Lennie Goodings, discussing new novel The Story of the Forest. The story takes us from...
Tim Hannigan – The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallFrom Daphne du Maurier to Doc Martin, and from the romantic melodrama of Poldark to mystical images of the ancient Celts, Cornwall is densely laden with tropes and projections. But how do the ways it has been represented by novelists, poets and travel writers over the centuries intersect with the real place, its landscapes, histories...
Glorious Chorus – Farewell Concert
Fowey Parish ChurchJoin Glorious Chorus for a farewell season by one of the region’s leading choirs. After twenty years in the limelight Glorious Chorus will be performing its last performances this summer. The choir, directed by award-winning songwriter Helen Yeomans, has earned an enviable reputation for passionate, polished performances, wowing audiences with its pizzazz and originality. Helen’s...
Rachel Lambert – Spring Hedge Foraging Walk
Fowey Harbour Hotel Esplanade, Fowey, CornwallJoin Rachel and take a leisurely wander down to the Saint's Way to discover the fantastic and abundant flavours thriving in the hedgerows and stone walls. Expect lots of hands on and sensory learning alongside guidance on how to identify wild foods, sustainable picking and plenty of recipe suggestions. Rachel has been leading foraging walks...
Wyl Menmuir – The Draw of The Sea
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin Booker Prize nominated author, Wyl Menmuir, in conversation about his first foray into non-fiction. In his latest book, The Draw of The Sea, he examines the lives of people whose worlds are inextricably shaped by the sea. In thirteen interlinked chapters of beautifully-written prose, he investigates what it is that draws us to the water’s edge,...
Rachel Lambert – Wild and Sweet – Celebrating Wild Flavours
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallRachel is an award-winning author and is renown for her pocket books on foraging in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Her latest book: WILD AND SWEET - forage and make 101 seasonal desserts, celebrates incredible, untapped wild flavours and the alchemy of sweet baking. Today throughout the talk and through imagery, you'll discover the edibility...
Dr Sarah-Louise Miller – The Women Behind The Few
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallHistorian and author Dr Sarah-Louise Miller discusses the work of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and RAF Intelligence during the Second World War and how their 'hidden' contribution was vital to the success of the 'Few'. In this thrilling book, Sarah brings the women of the force back to life, celebrating their wartime contribution to British...
The Story Republic – Stories from an Inland Community
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallThe Story Republic will bring you contemporary stories from communities in Cornwall. Collected by our writers, and crafted into beautiful vignettes of humour and warmth, these stories give an insight into previously unseen lives. Coupled with new songs by Claire Ingleheart, celebrating Cornish women in history, the evening will bring together tales of the past...
The Bookshop Band in Concert
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallWe're delighted to welcome back The Bookshop Band to the Festival, for a unique and magical concert of songs inspired by books, curated by the award winning bookshop Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights. Since they last attended our Festival, Ben Please and Beth Porter have been on quite a journey, touring the USA and Canada,...
Du Maurier Reading Group – Castle D’Or
Fowey Parish Hall South Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin Dr Serena Trowbridge for an informal reading group discussion on du Maurier's Castle D’Or. The reading group will be a relaxed and informal opportunity to discuss and share ideas about the story. Participants are requested to have the novels; no further preparation is necessary. Just bring yourself, your copy of the book, and your enthusiasm...
Patrick Newberry – The Cornish Country House
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallIn 1846, Edward Twycross published a handsome folio sized book on the Cornish country house. Lavishly illustrated with fine lithographs, it described eighty one of Cornwall’s most important houses. It was intended to be the first volume of a series of books describing the country houses of all of England’s counties. In the event, only...
Dr Serena Trowbridge – Pre-Raphaelite Mythbuster: Gossip, Scandals and Secrets
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallDid Elizabeth Siddall's hair really grow in her coffin? Why did Effie Gray really divorce Ruskin? Did Rossetti really seduce all his models? Did Holman Hunt see gnomes? During this event, Serena will look at the evidence and explore a number of myths surrounding the Victorian artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, using serious research to...
Veronica Henry – Thirty Days In Paris
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallWhen Juliet separates amicably from her husband, she rents an apartment in Paris to finish the novel she has been writing - and finds herself an exciting new future. Let Veronica Henry whisk you away to the streets of Paris as she talks about her latest novel and why the City of Light is such...
Fern Britton – The Good Servant
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallFern Britton, broadcaster and presenter, is the highly acclaimed author of ten Sunday Times bestselling novels. These have all been set in her beloved Cornwall but The Good Servant breaks away from this theme and focuses on a real woman, Marion Crawford, known as Crawfie, the governess to the royal princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret. This period novel addresses...
Songwriting Workshop with The Bookshop Band
Fowey Parish Hall South Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin The Bookshop Band for a literary-inspired songwriting workshop. Between them, Ben & Beth have written scores for Oscar and IVOR-nominated musicals, BAFTA-winning shorts and have spent the last three years working with rock legend Pete Townshend on a new album. Get a unique behind-the-scenes look at their songwriting process and have fun as they...
Liz Fenwick And Becky Hunter – In Conversation
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallThe queen of Cornish fiction is back with The Secret Shore, a sweeping story set in World War 2, while Becky Hunter’s emotional debut, One Moment, will steal your heart. They talk to Veronica Henry about the inspiration behind their books, their writing process and what’s next.
Arkangel – Lunchtime Recital – ‘As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning’.
Fowey Parish ChurchEnjoy a wonderful recital with the talented Arkangel as they perform with violin, guitar and voice, and through music and word, trace the journey of Laurie Lee, violinist and dreamer. From the comfort of rural Gloucestershire to the depravations of a life on the road. From the smouldering gypsies of Malaga to the fire-blackened Christ...
Kate London – From Detective Constable to Crime Author
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallKate London was a detective in the Metropolitan Police Service before resigning to write full time. Her debut novel, Post Mortem, was published in 2014 to strong reviews. In 2021 it was adapted for television by Patrick Harbinson as The Tower, and broadcast by ITV. The Sunday Times said of the novel: "An absorbing debut ... a...
Dr Serena Trowbridge – ‘The past is still close to us’: Reading Rebecca as Gothic
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallRebecca is often referred to as a Gothic novel, but what exactly is Gothic as a genre? What are its rules and what does it do to a reader? How does du Maurier play with the genre, looking back to earlier novels in the Gothic tradition to create a work also very much of its...
Ann Widdecombe – Life and Times
Fowey Parish ChurchWe are delighted to welcome back to the Festival, Ann Widdecombe, one of the most popular and outspoken politicians of our time. As entertaining, enlightening and, controversial, as you would expect, Ann will be talking about her very varied life – from growing up in Singapore, to becoming a Minister in John Major’s Government, to embracing...
Comedy Evening with Johnny Cowling
Fowey Parish ChurchFamous for his Cornish charm and quick wit, Johnny Cowling has performed across the UK during his impressive career spanning over 20 years, including supporting Paddy McGuinness on tour and warming up for many popular live TV shows including: The Jonathan Ross Show, Dancing on Ice and Strictly Come Dancing. Known for his jokes about...
Du Maurier Reading Group – The Loving Spirit
Fowey Parish Hall South Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin Dr Serena Trowbridge for an informal reading group discussion on du Maurier's The Loving Spirit. The reading group will be a relaxed and informal opportunity to discuss and share ideas about the story. Participants are requested to have read the novel; no further preparation is necessary. Just bring yourself, your copy of the book, and...
Daphne du Maurier’s Fowey – Guided Walk
Main Car Park, Hanson Drive, PL23 1ETThis is your opportunity to learn about Daphne, her life, her novels and Fowey. You will be led by either Suzanne or Ros. Be inspired by the landscape and the way it is intricately involved in Daphne’s works. Discover some of the inspiration and scenes from novels written with Fowey, Polruan and the river in...
J.S Monroe – No Place to Hide
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallJ.S. Monroe is the pseudonym of the British author Jon Stock. Writing as J.S.Monroe, Jon is the author of five psychological thrillers: Find Me, Forget My Name, The Other You, The Man on Hackpen Hill and, published in April 2023, is his latest novel, reviewed to high acclaim, No Place to Hide. J.S Monroe’s own passion for...
Kate Aspengren – Rebecca: Stage and Screen
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallSince its publication, Daphne du Maurier’s novel, Rebecca, has been adapted for stage, film, television, and even radio. Join playwright Kate Aspengren for a look at these various adaptations from the earliest radio and stage productions (including du Maurier’s own 1939 play) through the film version that was released in 2020. Kate is on the...
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan – The Sleep Watcher
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallCosta-shortlisted novelist, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan talks about her latest book The Sleep Watcher. Highly reviewed, it is a tense yet beautifully observed novel set by the English seaside. The Sleep Watcher is a moving portrait of family, danger and guilt, captured through the strange summer heat of adolescence. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is a Japanese-British-Chinese-American writer. Her debut novel,...
Julia Hollander – Why We Sing
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallIn many walks of life, people are waking up to the joys of singing. Song-making is available in an increasingly broad range of social and therapeutic contexts. Julia Hollander offers explanations for why this should be, and inspiration to anyone who loves to sing. Singing has always been there for us, at the root...
Fisherman’s Friends
Fowey Parish ChurchTHIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT They have nine albums to their name, two feature films, a stage musical, a book, a TV documentary, they’ve played for royalty and to tens of thousands of fans in sell-out tours year in year out. We are delighted to invite back to Fowey, Britain's oldest boy band, the fabulous...
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan – Creative Writing Workshop
Fowey Parish Hall South Street, Fowey, CornwallIn this creative writing workshop, 'Of Dreams & Night Terrors' Rowan Hisayo, uses dreams, both ancient and recent as pathways into the stories we need to tell. The class will look at recently published work inspired by dreams and at the musings of ancient soothsayers. Participants will consider how dreams might affect characters in their waking hours and...
Mevagissey Meander – Guided Walk
The Willows Car Park Valley Road, Mevagissey, CornwallFishermen, artists and potters! Mevagissey has much more to offer than just a fishing village. Come and join Suzanne who will take you around some of the more obscure parts of the village giving outstanding views. Hear about how the inhabitants lived and the different trades the area inspired. A mostly level linear walk about...
Raynor Winn – Landlines
Fowey Parish ChurchWe are delighted to welcome back to the Festival, Raynor Winn, author of international bestsellers, The Salt Path and The Wild Silence. Today, Raynor will be in conversation with BBC Radio Cornwall's Assistant Editor, Daphne Skinnard, as she recounts her most ambitious journey yet, as she and her husband Moth, walk 1000 miles from the north-west corner of Scotland to...
Rupert Tower – Jung’s Shadow Concept as primary Motif in Daphne Du Maurier’s Novel “The Scapegoat” (1957)
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallDaphne du Maurier’s grandson, Jungian analyst Rupert Tower, talks about the recently published book Jung’s Shadow Concept: The Hidden Light and Darkness in Ourselves. The contributors reframe Carl Jung’s concept of the Shadow in the context of contemporary Jungian thinking, exploring how the Shadow develops in an individual’s infancy and adolescence and its culmination, where collective...
Iain Dale – On This Day In Politics – Britain’s Political history in 365 days
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallOn This Day in Politics is an informative, accessible and opinionated book on key moments in British political history that have occurred on every day from 1 January through to 31 December. From the first meeting of an elected English Parliament on 20 January 1265 to the abolition of the Slave Trade on 25 March 1807;...
The People’s String Foundation Duo
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallEnjoy a wonderful evening with the The People's String Foundation, a South West based band who mix passionate theatrics with an urban gypsy sound. The band is led by composer and musicians Ben Sutcliffe and Zaid Al-Rikabi. The band’s duo show includes their own music, and some of the best songs and compositions that they’ve created...
Dr Ella Westland – A Daphne du Maurier Reading Group
Fowey Parish Hall South Street, Fowey, CornwallJoin Dr Ella Westland for an informal reading group discussion of a du Maurier short story and a novel, The Lordly Ones and The House on the Strand. The reading group will be a relaxed and informal opportunity to discuss and share ideas about both stories. Participants should have read them both, no further preparation is necessary. Just bring...
David Parker – Cornwall on Film
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallThese days you cannot move for TV crews in Cornwall, but nearly a century ago, another sort of filmmaker was out and about capturing ‘real' lives in the county. Television programme maker, David Parker has spent a working life collecting some of those delightful 'home movies'. Today he will be guiding the audience through a...
JEREMY DELLER – ART IS MAGIC
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallArt Is Magic is Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller’s new book where he connects the key works of his career with the art, pop music, film, politics and history that have inspired them. These include his inflatable Stonehenge, his miners’ strike film The Battle of Orgreave; rave culture and hen harriers pecking out the eyes of...
James Strawbridge – Salt and the Art of Seasoning
Fowey Town Hall Market Street, Fowey, CornwallIn this interactive talk and demonstration, explore the extraordinary power of salt and learn how to amplify flavour, create texture and elevate your cooking to a whole new level. In Salt and the Art of Seasoning, celebrity chef and TV Presenter, James Strawbridge, is on a mission to celebrate salt and change long-established views on how it impacts our...
Sing! – A Celebration of Your Favourite Music
Fowey Parish ChurchThe Fowey River Singers and the St Austell Town Brass Band, will once again provide a wonderful closing event as they headline an evening with your favourite songs, with special contributions from local schools. Please join us on the last evening of our 25th Festival, and help us raise the roof on this special finale!
