The Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2024 makes the town sparkle! Such is the headline from the West Somerset Free Press on 22 November.
With a warm and friendly atmosphere, a whole host of top name authors and speakers, and packed audiences in our charming little moorland town, this third Festival has been hailed as a huge success once more. There were strong ticket sales, queues for book signings and outstanding author talks that spanned a range of emotions – from hilarity to tears. The audiences at each session were fully engaged and asked some excellent and probing questions.
Historical biographer, Andrew Lownie, who was interviewing Jonathan Dimbleby remarked “Dulverton is a wonderful literary festival, with a sense of community and fellowship that you don’t get anywhere else.” High praise indeed!
Festival Director, Ali Pegrum says she is still wading through all the complimentary emails and messages from speakers, sponsors and audience members, with one bestselling author describing the Festival as “a jewel in Somerset’s crown!” Dulverton’s shops and eateries were also delighted with the event – many of whom stayed open the entire weekend and enjoyed a bustling trade. “The town was buzzing!” said Kate Orton, owner of the Copper Kettle Tea Rooms, and Julie Benjamin from the Exmoor Deli said “We were so busy, and the atmosphere in the town was great!”
With the little sparkling Christmas trees put up around the town literally the day before, Dulverton looked gorgeous and festive. The Festival was supported by people from within the community, right across Exmoor and beyond. Ali started a new initiative this year with ‘Friends of the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2024’ and was delighted when Friends came up to say hello from as far afield as Yorkshire, Suffolk, Wales, Sussex, Surrey and London.
Jonathan Dimbleby (L) and Andrew Lownie signing books
All the author talks were packed in Dulverton Town Hall, with Jonathan Dimbleby on Saturday, and Caroline Quentin on Sunday both selling out – not a seat in the house! Jonathan knows Exmoor well and was enchanted by the Festival, the warm welcome, the rapt audience and the intelligent questions asked around his talk about World War II in 1944 and his book ‘Endgame 1944: How Stalin Won the War’. Jonathan was interviewed by Andrew Lownie who brought along his own book of the period, the biography of infamous ‘Cambridge spy’ Guy Burgess, entitled ‘Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess’.
Caroline Quentin has said she was “thrilled” to have been in Dulverton and how the talk was received with the audience. She told the Hall that over the years she has travelled across the globe, but that Exmoor is her favourite place and she would never want to live anywhere else. Her book ‘Drawn to the Garden’ is her personal and charming horticultural journey. She was interviewed by former Editorial Director of Good Housekeeping Magazine, Gaby Huddart.
Caroline Quentin (L) with Gaby Huddart
The Saturday began with a wonderful, emotional talk with a panel of Exmoor’s farmers talking around the beautiful book ‘Exmoor Farms: A Year on the Moor’ with images displayed on the large screen. Commissioned by the Exmoor Hill Farming Network and The Exmoor Society, and written by Victoria Eveleigh with photographs by Eleanor Davis, it charts a farming year on the moor in words and photographs.
Discussing the book ‘Exmoor Farms: A Year on the Moor’ are (L to R) farmer Alan Collins, editor Jane Pearn, farmers Jack Buckingham and Ian May (chairman of the Exmoor Hill Farming Network).
Author Victoria Eveleigh signing a copy of her book ‘Exmoor Farms: A Year on the Moor’
Whilst author talks were taking place in the Town Hall, local author and Celtic harpist Hazel Prior read from her bestselling novels in the Bridge Inn whilst playing her harp. On the Sunday morning, the Bridge Inn played host to a Festival ‘Children’s Story Corner’ with children’s writers and illustrators Emily Hamilton and Emma Bettridge reading their books to young families. Both sessions were free to attend and thoroughly enjoyed by all, with the Bridge Inn welcoming everyone with the cosy woodburning stove alight and coffee and pastries to savour.
Professor Charles Foster with Rachel Campbell Johnston
Later on Saturday morning in the Town Hall multi-award winning author Professor Charles Foster made a passionate case for humans to change our ways when discussing his new book ‘Cry of the Wild: Eight Animals Under Siege’ with Rachel Campbell Johnston. This was an extremely popular and humbling session. Charles himself described writing this book as a “thrilling and disturbing journey”.
Deborah Meaden and Claer Barrett with copies of their books
Deborah Meaden filled the hall on Saturday afternoon, interviewed by author and Financial Times columnist Claer Barrett about her new book ‘Deborah Meaden Talks Money’. A hugely fun hour deconstructing finance for young people (and older ones!). Tax, mortgages, ISAs, krypto currency, the value of money… Deborah was delighted to answer questions from the many teenagers in the audience asking thought-provoking questions around finance and business.
Deborah Meaden signing a copy of her book for Kaila Binding
Best-selling crime writers Louise Douglas (‘The Summer of Lies’) and Sarah Easter Collins (‘Things Don’t Break on Their Own’) held an informal ‘introduction to crime writing’ session in Dulverton Library on Saturday afternoon. Another sell-out session enjoyed by enthusiastic future thriller writers. Sarah commented after the event: “How wonderful it was to spend an entire weekend around books and the people who love them. Thank you especially to all the wonderful people who joined us to talk about crime writing: what a lively discussion it was- your contributions were brilliant!”
Thriller writers Sarah Easter Collins (L) and Louise Douglas in Dulverton Library
Novelist, fashion journalist and socialite Plum Sykes ended Saturday with an amusing conversation with Times journalist Alice Thomson discussing Plum’s latest novel ‘Wives Like Us’ set in an imaginary Cotswold village and describing the lives and loves of its wealthy residents. Many humorous comparisons were drawn between the residents of the Cotswolds and those of Exmoor, with the decision being taken that they are worlds apart!
Novelist Plum Sykes (L) chats with Times journalist Alice Thomson
Guests at the Festival Drinks Party enjoyed delicious ready mixed bottled cocktails from local small business and generous sponsor The Sip Shed. Members of the Festival committee – made up entirely of volunteers – highly recommend having a bottle or two under the tree for Christmas Day!
Sunday morning began with racehorse breeder and owner Janet Vokes sharing her remarkable story about how she bred her own foal who was raised on her Welsh allotment and went on to win the Welsh Grand National! This extraordinary story was captured in Janet’s book ‘Dream Horse’ and made into a Hollywood feature film too. She shared the stage with racing trainer Johnson White of Exmoor. They were both interviewed by racing novelist Charles Blanning (author of ‘Rags to Riches’ and ‘Electric Rabbit’) and the session proved to be an emotional roller coaster – laughter and tears in equal measure. Janet has said she was overwhelmed by the warmth of her welcome in Dulverton and that this talk was the “best one she’d ever done” over many years!
The Racing Talk – L to R Charles Blanning, Janet Vokes and Johnson White
Janet Vokes signing copies of her book ‘Dream Horse’
This year’s Book Club talk, hosted by historical novelist Kate Lord Brown ‘The Golden Hour’, was on the theme of 20th Century Historical Fiction. A lively panel discussion with three multi-award winning, bestselling authors sharing their writing and inspiration with the audience. Jennie Godfrey ‘The List of Suspicious Things’, Vanessa de Haan ‘A Time to Live’ and Jessica Moor ‘Hold Back the Night’. The session concluded with Kate Lord Brown reading out the winning entry from the Festival Children’s Writing Competition 2024 and the four authors handed out the prizes to the winner and runners up.
Book Club authors (L to R) Jennie Godfrey, Jessica Moor, Kate Lord Brown and Vanessa de Haan. With winning Writing Competition contestants (L to R) Toby Vigurs (winner) and runners up Jack Richards and Isla Elliott-Boyle
The competition this year was on the theme of ‘Magical Exmoor’ and received a record 65 entries from Somerset, Devon and event Kent! It was won by Toby Vigurs (Year 5/6 at Bampton School) with runners up Jack Richards (age 7 from Wiveliscombe) and Isla Elliott-Boyle (age 6 from Cullompton). Toby’s winning entry can be found on the Festival page of the website.
Former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child had been booked to appear at the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2024, but sadly had to pull out because of unforeseen circumstances. Lauren was disappointed not to have been able to attend, saying in an email that she had “heard only very good things about the Dulverton festival”.
Stanley Johnson with travel editor Miranda Taylor
Exmoor resident, author, environmental campaigner and former politician Stanley Johnson concluded the Festival on Sunday afternoon with a lively session around his book ‘In the Footsteps of Marco Polo’. This is Stanley’s 26th book and describes his remarkable journey retracing the footsteps of the 13th Century Venetian explorer across China. Stanley and his youngest son Max clearly had an exciting and memorable journey. He was in conversation with travel writer and editor Miranda Taylor, who did a masterful job of keeping Stanley on topic when there was so much to talk about – the audience loved it!
Waterstones Barnstaple were thrilled with the quantity of book sales in their festival popup bookshop in the Entrance Hall, where authors were invited to sign books after each talk. Many of the books were completely sold out on the day.
Richard Collis – one of the ‘Meet the Author’ writers in Dulverton Library
Another new and popular initiative at the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2024 was the ‘Meet the Author’ session in the Library. A number of authors (some local, some self-published) writing on a wide variety of topics, took space in Dulverton Library on Saturday afternoon to share their books and their writing with the public. These included Jo Middleton, Zoe Gibson Quirk, Ian Parsons, Richard Collis and Powers Ian Mawby.
Plans are already in place for for next year’s Festival, to take place in Dulverton over the weekend of 15 & 16 November 2025. Suggestions of authors and speakers to include are always welcomed, please contact Ali Pegrum via hello@visitdulverton.com.
Our thanks again to our generous Festival sponsors… Amicus Law Solicitors, Tozers Solicitors, Stockham Farm Exmoor, Dulverton Development Forum, Mr and Mrs Prebensen of Dulverton, Exmoor Magazine, Knight Frank Exeter Estate Agents, Ware Construction, Paul Hardy Antiques, Exmoor News, Osteo & Physio, Jeff Pegrum Landscaping, Risdons Solicitors, Rothwell & Dunworth Antique Books, Winsbere House B&B, Somerset Life Magazine, Waterstones Barnstaple, The Bridge Inn Dulverton, The Sip Shed, Exmoor Character Cottages and Dulverton Town Council.
