By James Bonthron
The Margate Bookie festival kicked off on Thursday 19 October with “Writing the Climate Crisis” at The Margate School.
The event, which had a panel filled to bursting with literary talent, was my first foray into the world of Margate Bookie and I was pleased to attend the opening event.
I arrived in the foyer of The Margate School at 5.30pm, by which point it was already brimming with excitement. In contrast to the crisp October air, the room was thick with the idle chit chat of aspiring artists and writers.
The room of the event was perhaps a little snug for circa 40 people, but its fairly plush interior helped to set the tone.
What I enjoyed most was the diversity of perspectives- all the authors came at the problem from different angles.
The panel was made up of Rosa Rankin-Gee, award winning author of two novels (one set in a near-future, dystopic Margate), multi-award winning Guyanese/British writer Maggie Harris and sustainability veteran Georgina Wilson-Powell.
Not to be outdone, host Jessica Taggart Rose is also an established writer, having been published in a range of magazines as well as being a founding member of Poets for the Planet.
So, what in particular was discussed?
Rosa spoke much about her book “Dreamland”, a delight for devourers of dystopic teen novels. Part of the appeal, of course, is just how easily the topic could be related to event-goers.
In particular, Rosa spoke about why she chose Margate as the setting. She suggested Margate is a town of extremes- it’s known for its rides and coast and holidaymaking, but it’s also known for its poverty and has a coastline that may well be underwater in the near future.
As well as the rest of the panel, Rosa suggested that it’s impossible to not talk about climate change in contemporary writing given the scale and prevalence of it. Rosa was one of the more politically-minded of the panel, which was on-theme with her Margate-based book.
#margatebookie2023 is off to a flying start! Thank you so much to everyone who came to our kick off tonight, and to our wonderful speakers, Rosa Rankin-Gee, Maggie Harris, Georgina Wilson-Powell and Jessica Taggart Rose 🧡 pic.twitter.com/GKtBHd5Whx
— MargateBookie (@MargateBookie) October 20, 2023
Maggie, the poet of the panel, spoke about Guyana and its environmental heritage and problems. She pointed out Guyana has one of the last pristine rainforests in the world, which is under increasing threat from the recent discovery of oil there.
One particular point she made was about how life in Guyana has changed over time, especially over environmental awareness. She suggested that her education was all about going to church, with very little time for environmental learning.
Georgina Wilson-Powell said her work was all about creating something fun but impactful. She suggested that non-fiction can be a really useful tool to ground people and help them to find some sense in an age of dis- and misinformation. She emphasised that people need to do more if they can.
One specific underlying theme was the importance of hope and importance of calling people to action.
If the opening night was an indication of the rest of the literature festival, then attendees will be enjoying a thought-provoking and interesting time.
James Bonthron lives in Ramsgate. he has studied Wildlife Conservation with a year in journalism degree at the University of Kent. During his time at university, he has been spreading the word about environmental issues and trying to inform people about what’s going on locally.
