Leeds Big Bookend Festival 2014
Big Bookend calls itself a Rock Festival for Words. It's not like other Lit Fests where you see the same names and faces on the festival circuit. Not that there's anything wrong with those names and faces by any means, but there are already festivals in Harrogate, Ilkley, Headingley and Huddersfield. So Bookend aims to do things a bit differently. More of a fringe festival, and giving local writers and those passionate about words, a chance to get involved. That said, Alan Bennett is headlining in 2014. And Leeds-born Tony Harrison headlined in 2013. Each year it gets bigger and better - but still different. And still for everyone.
I met Fiona, who runs Bookend, at the Napkin flash fiction event last year. So now I volunteer for Bookend as well as Script Yorkshire. Fiona's very persuasive like that!
Along with my writer friend Helen Brandom, we were asked to judge the schools' review writing competition. This is us awarding the prize at Waterstones to Nadia Mahmood for her insightful review of Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Well done Nadia.
I'm also helping out at the Young Adult events on Saturday and Sunday.
Big Bookend is here to stay. Very much like Script Yorkshire, it manages to do an awful lot with very little. Amazing how much you can achieve with help from volunteers.
A big personal thank you to Fiona just for being there for local writers like me. It's very much appreciated.
