The Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2023

The programme for the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2023 across the weekend of Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 November featured a selection of fascinating speakers on a wide variety of topics.

Loads of reading for the 2023 Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival

A sell-out audience heard Michael Morpurgo chatting and joking with Alice Thompson about his writing, horses, farming and his preference for the wonderful ‘War Horse’ theatre production over the Steven Spielberg feature film version!  He even sang us a traditional folk song from the period.  Enjoy this news piece featuring Michael’s wonderful singing.

Rachel Johnson’s enlightening talk about her life in the political arena attracted another huge audience, in conversation with art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston.

Rachel Johnson signing her book ‘Rake’s Progress’

Writers Julian Glover and Victoria Eveleigh discussed the complexities of the use and protection of the countryside, in the company of a fascinated audience that included many Exmoor farmers and landowners.

‘Duchesses Behaving Badly’ became the in-house title for a lively talk with historical biographers Andrew Lownie and Catherine Ostler.  Their books about Edward VIII and the Duchess of Windsor, and the 18^thC Duchess of Kingston sold like hot cakes in the popup event bookshop run by Waterstones of Barnstaple.

Other topics in the weekend’s programme included our local railways with historians Freddie Huxtable, Ian Coleby and Amyas Crump.  Award-winning wine writer Henry Jeffreys and local foodie celebrity William Sitwell discussed all things British wine; and adventurers and explorers Belinda Kirk, John Hudson and Hilary Bradt talked in depth about the benefits to one’s wellbeing of taking on challenge and adventure.  Writer and former Conde Nast Managing Director Albert Read and celebrity photographer Harry Borden chatted with editor Miranda Taylor on the subject of creativity in its many forms.

From the talk on Challenge and Adventure L to R: travel publisher Hilary Bradt, British explorer Belinda Kirk, festival director Ali Pegrum, UK military survival expert John Hudson

Lovers of fiction were treated to a talk with three remarkable novelists – Sarah Turner, Hannah Richell and Janet Ellis – all of whom have new books in the pipeline coming very soon.  Janet, a former Blue Peter presenter, said ‘the atmosphere couldn’t have been nicer and [the whole event] sparkled!’

Fabulous Festival Feedback…

Just some of the charming comments received about the 2023 Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival from speakers, sponsors and members of the audience…

“The Exmoor event of the year”; “excellent organisation, wonderful talks”; “a triumph”; “a stellar lineup” and “the most wonderfully diverse, yet completely connected literary festival”.  And with Exmoor in mind…”[the festival] brought a great lungful of another sort of culture to the already rich culture of the moor.”

Festival Children’s Writing Competition 2023

Historical novelist Kate Lord Brown judged the festival’s Children’s Writing Competition and Michael Morpurgo handed the prizes to winner Fergus Brewer (age 6) and runners up Amelia Toms (age 12) and Jack Richards (age 6).  Fergus’ incredibly imaginative story can be found here.

Kate Lord Brown and Michael Morpurgo with winning young writers