The Margate Bookie is back – bigger and better than ever

Photo Benjamin Bowles

Bookworms, storytellers and just those who like a good yarn are in for a treat with the third Margate Bookie festival this Summer.

The event returns with line-up of established authors, rising literary stars and breakout local talent.

Running from August 17-20 the festival will include more than 32 speakers, 25 author readings, interactive sessions, workshops and talks at venues including Turner Contemporary, Sands Hotel and Bernie’s Chocolate Bar. Many of the events will be free to enter although booking is advised.

Margate Bookie was created by Margate author and trainer Andreas Loizou in 2015 as a way to share his love of reading and writing, and his passion for his hometown.

Since then the event had grown from the first festival consisting of a half-day of author talks and readings at Resort Studios in Margate; the second becoming a two-day event, which took place across five venues in the town, to this year’s four days of literary entertainment.

Andreas said: “We have a brilliantly varied line-up this year. Our authors have written about everything from food to romance, history to happiness, rock ‘n’ roll to swimming off rocks.

“Budding writers can find out how to bag an agent, write from the heart and promote their work.  Book lovers will come away with a new favourite book to add to their reading pile.”

The full line-up and programme will be announced over the coming weeks but confirmed authors include:

Writer, campaigner and cook, Yasmin Kahn whose critically acclaimed best-seller The Saffron Tales: Recipes From the Persian Kitchen was chosen by the New York Times Book Review, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC Food Programme as one of the cookbooks of 2016.

Barney Hoskyns, leading music writer and critic, will talk about his latest novel, Never Enough, which charts his relationship with music and how he overcame drug addiction.

The UK’s top-selling female historian, Alison Weir, who has published seventeen history books and six historical novels, will shed new light on the intruiging life of royal wife, Anne Boleyn.

Margate’s own Daisy Buchanan (above), Grazia magazine agony aunt, will dispense emotional and practical advice from her new bestseller How to be a Grown-Up.

Local authors – including Andrea Bennett, Nigel West, Dosh Archer and Sam Gayton

‘Something for everyone’

Andreas added: “Some lit fests can be seen as stuffy and that’s off-putting for people who are thinking of going to one for the first time. We’ve created a friendly festival with a lineup which has something for everyone, and a mix of free and low-cost events.”

Bookie in numbers

3 festivals

4 days

3 venues

25 readings

32 speakers

17-20 August

74 days to go!

Keep up to date and book tickets

The Margate Bookie has a new website at www.margatebookie.com where you can read more about the programme and authors and book tickets.

Book here: https://event.bookitbee.com/12582/margate-bookie-2017/

The Bookie is also on Twitter and Facebook.