Arundel Literary Festival – Friday 7th March 2025

Daytime sessions in the Red Room 7th March

A whole day of readings, talks, presentations, discussions and opportunities to get involved with creative writing at all levels.

Tickets options are
– £30 for an all day ticket (all 5 sessions throughout the day)
– £8 per session

All tickets subject to availability. We will try not to allow changes to the programme to occur, but things happen, and your understanding in that circumstance is appreciated 🙂

In the Red Room

11:00 – 12:00
Geoffrey Seed & Jonathan Kydd

Where The Past Lies

Geoffrey’s next political thriller, “Where the Past Lies”, is being published in Spring by actor, Jonathan Kydd, son of Sam Kydd, who appeared in almost three hundred movies and numerous BBC and ITV shows. 

Jonathan is about to put out the second volume of his late father’s diaries following publication of his own book about his career as a voice-over artiste in the asylum that is the world of TV commercials – “Go Quicker, Sound Slower”.

Together they will talk about their collaboration and share a few funnies along the way.

“Where the Past Lies” is about twins – a girl and boy – taken from their unmarried teenage mother in 1946. Fast forward and she becomes a diplomat / spy and he an actor, recently killed off from a TV police series. He only learns of her existence via DNA after her suspicious death. 

He then tries to be a real detective to find out who and why someone might have killed his sister. But he’s up against hidden players who want this secret kept that way for it would expose a US / UK conspiracy during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Please note this talk replaces the advertised talk by Oliver Hawkins who is unfortunately unable to attend.


12:30 – 1:30
Naomi Foyle & Wendy Pye
Poems and Film Poems: Vessels for Grief

Join poet Naomi Foyle and filmmaker Wendy Pye for a screening and discussion of their current collaboration: two film poems from Naomi Foyle’s new collection Salt & Snow (Waterloo Press, 2025). Salt & Snow is a triptych of personal and collective elegies, and the film poems form part of a larger project conceived by Brighton-based visual arts organisation Luna Arts, aiming to use creativity to encourage healthy conversations about death and dying – from the loss of loved ones to the deaths of people unknown to us, yet brought close by the daily news.


2:00 – 3:00
Joanna Arman
The Forgotten Queen, Matilda II and the Sussex connection

At the turn of the 12th century a young English Princess married the son of William the Conqueror, uniting the English and Norman royal line. Her name was Edith, but she was renamed Matilda by her Norman husband.

Her achievements have fallen into obscurity, but I’m bringing her back into the light of history. Edith/Matilda was a patron of learning and more educated than her husband. She also had a special connection with Sussex with spanned the generations.


3:30 – 4:30
Roger Morgan-Grenville

Fed up with headlines on biodiversity loss, Roger Morgan-Grenville set out on a 1000 mile walk through a British Spring to see for himself if there is cause for hope for the natural world. His aim was to walk 20 miles a day, as oak leaves emerge – what unfolds on his journey is both life-affirming and life-changing.

Roger spent nine years in the British army, during which he served in five continents and led the first expedition that successfully retraced Sir Ernest Shackleton’s escape across the South Georgia ice in 1917. After running a small family trading business, he became a full-time writer in 2017. In 2007, he was one of the founder members and first head fund raiser of the charity Help for Heroes, and from 2020 he has been chair of the conservation charity, Curlew Action.

His books include Liquid Gold (2020), Shearwater (2021), Across a Waking Land (2023) and The Return of the Grey Partridge (2024). The account of his journey around the edge of Britain, The Restless Coast, is published in June 2025.


5:00 – 6:00
Mike Read
Writing On The Wall

Mike’s book, Writing On The Wall contains the stories and people behind 100 blue plaques from across the United Kingdom, each linking, through a common denominator, to the next. From David Bowie to William Shakespeare it runs the gamut of plaques remembering kings, actors, singers, explorers, footballers, cricketers, writers, inventors, scientists, politicians, musicians, reformers, broadcasters, songwriters, comedians, pioneers, artists, the military, athletes, dancers, activists, poets and education. From Lennon and McCartney to the victims of Jack the Ripper this is an eclectic representation of British life, through our blue plaques, from the 1500s to 2017.

 A Knight of Malta, Mike has written over 40 books, several stage musicals and songs for 45 major artists.


See also…
Thursday daytime sessions 11am – 6pm in the Red Room – click here for full details
Saturday daytime sessions 11am – 6pm in the Red Room – click here for full details

Evening concerts 7:30pm – 10pm
Thursday evening film 7:30pm in the Red Room – The Importance Of Being Earnest
Friday evening concert 7:30pm in the Red Room – click here for full details
Saturday evening concert 7:30pm in the Red Room – click here for full details

In The Green Room

Orientation desk explaining what’s available and when.

Ticket office taking cash and card payments.

Book stall selling signed copies of each contributor’s books. Cash and cards accepted.

Breakout area serving tea and coffee. Bring your own buns!

Volunteers

If you’d like to be involved in any way with the day as a volunteer please email events@thevictoriainstitute.com.

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