The Literary Escape Festival at Newcastle Racecourse on Saturday 22nd August brought together North East book lovers for a day of indie authors, bookish merchandise, and reading recommendations, as part of the National Year of Reading.
The festival, created for a love of stories and their writers, has travelled across the country since March, with previous events in Dundee, Bath, Liverpool, Perth, Birmingham and York, and upcoming stops in Oxford, Cardiff, London, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Indie Authors and Genre Variety
Newcastle Racecourse hosted 15 indie authors showcasing their work, offering readers the chance to chat with them at ease and get books signed. Genres ranged from romantasy, sci-fi, paranormal tales, Greek retellings, poetry to thrillers, catering to a wide range of tastes.
One attendee, Georgia Cuthbertson, spoke with poet Simona Prilogan, whose work focuses on nature and has been translated into English and Japanese. She also chatted with author L. D'Arlin, whose first novel in the Nexus Portal series features themes of found family and a prophecy, and discussed the use of language to bring the heritage of the North of England to the fantasy genre.
Bookish Stalls and Purchases
While some attendees held off on buying books to tackle their own reading piles, the festival's stalls offered homemade book-inspired ornaments, bookmarks, book jackets, pins and stickers. Five stalls included Sugar Dreams Jewellery, Dear Green Reads, and Midgard Crafting, which offered a range of blind date with a book options.
Literary Luxe Designs, run by women, proved popular with a lucky draw that included a bookmark, stickers and £5 off a purchase. Tickets were under £5, with those under 16 admitted free, allowing visitors to support indie authors and local bookish businesses.
The festival is set to return next year, with dates to be confirmed.
