Less than a week to go, everybody.
But before our eagerly-anticipated writers arrive, let’s take a breath and say a big thank you to all the many people who make Monty Lit Fest possible.
The town of Montgomery is very much part of the Festival’s story and its success. And, once again this year, it’ll be abuzz with a whole host of events. Thank you, Celf Trefaldwyn, for curating this year’s art and craft exhibition – now a Festival weekend staple – and for the new art workshop. Thanks, too, to Monty Folk and friends who will be playing music near the Town Hall in between our sessions with authors. There’ll be street food as well as the hostelries and eateries of Montgomery, and – this is a literary festival after all – readings by Montgomery Creative Writing Group. Montgomery doesn’t just ‘host’ Monty Lit Fest; we’re all part of the same community.
No-one understood that better than Jill Kibble. Very sadly missed and impossible to forget, it has been an honour to name our new children’s festival – Monty Mini Fest – after this dynamo of the town. It has also been a pleasure to bring her husband, Brett, onto the festival committee, and like all the volunteers there, he has put his shoulder firmly to the wheel. A special shout out, too, to Sharon Benton who joined the committee this year and has been instrumental in launching Mini Fest, and to award-winning Welsh publisher, Firefly Press, who have partnered with us to bring us our first Mini Fest authors.
It takes many people to make a lit fest, and we also pay tribute to our organising committee – volunteers all –and all the other volunteers who help make the weekend such a wonderful experience for our visitors and writers: our stewards, our ‘box office’ crew, our (world-famous) cake-makers, our clear-uppers, and Kay, who dresses the stage so brilliantly for us every year.
And a round of applause, too, for the local school staff, everyone at the Montgomery Activity Centre, the Town Hall – and the medical centre for helping out with parking. As the Festival slowly expands, so does the space we need, so we really couldn’t do without you.
But we also do need money! So could we have a standing ovation please for our sponsors and supporters, some new and some who have been with us for years:
Booka Books, Oswestry; Bryn Uchel Holiday Park, Dyfi Valley; The Dragon Hotel, Montgomery; Luned and David Corser; EvaBuild; Field Mouse Research; Harrisons Solicitors, Welshpool; Literary Cat Books, Machynlleth; Menter Iaith Maldwyn; Montgomery Movie Club; Monty’s Brewery, Montgomery; Ponthafren, Newtown; WPG Printers, Welshpool and Whitehall Dairy, Montgomery.
Thanks also to Literature Wales for their financial support and to the Aberystwyth University Centre for Creativity and Wellbeing for funding this year’s writers’ workshops. And to the journalists, broadcasters and feature editors who take a growing interest in Monty Lit Fest.
We would be nothing, of course, without our authors and interviewers who give of their time so generously to share their stories.
Nor everyone who has bought a ticket, will buy a ticket or who will just turn up over the weekend, regulars and first-timers alike.
And, as the banners go up, there is one final diolch yn fawr we’re sneaking in here – to our local ticket sellers. In an age where we’re urged to do everything online, isn’t it great to be able to speak to Barry and Richard at the Bookshop or Denice at the Ivy House Cafe and talk about which world class writers are coming to the Festival.
Tickets are available online, or in person with the wonderful people at The Montgomery Bookshop or Ivy House Café in Montgomery.