What a blast we had at Monty Lit Fest 2022.
As the sun shone on Montgomery Town Hall, book lovers enjoyed a weekend in the company of over 20 brilliant writers with a range of sessions that offered something for everyone.
We loved hearing from poet, Frieda Hughes, who delighted a packed audience with a masterful mix of her poetry and stories.
We learnt about the very different writing styles of two of our top crime writers, Sophie Hannah and Janice Hallett; talked about sequels, and discovered the joys and challenges of writing historical fiction from a woman’s perspective.
We talked about the things that make us laugh, and how writers can capture some of that comedy gold; how the myths of the Mabinogi have been re-told anew for children, and which 12 poems represent the history of Wales.
We debated the future of food, farming life and our environment and how we might best use our land to sustain us all into the future.
We entered the world of the ancient Persians; walked on the Red Hill with local author, Mike Parker and pondered mental health and wellbeing with Horatio Clare.
We met aspiring writers at our writing workshops; kicked back with punks and mods at our Late Lounge; tested our mettle at our Saturday Night Quiz and rounded everything off with a literary cricket tea at Montgomery’s beautiful cricket club.
And we clearly struck a chord with the people who came along and made the Festival the success that it was – audiences and writers alike. We’ve been described as “joyous” and “wonderful”, with plenty of people saying they’ll be back next year.
More than anything, the Festival was about the local community pulling together: whether that’s the two brilliant bookshops who supported us; the community groups who provided refreshments; the book-themed art exhibition; the buskers and musical groups who helped to create such a buzz in the town or the team of volunteers who organised and ran the event.
See you next year!