Derby Book Festival’s Autumn Edition opens this week

Derby Book Festival’s Autumn Edition opens on Thursday 14 November with 25 events in venues across the city, including QUAD, Derby Museum, Landau Forte College, Artcore and local libraries.  Tickets can be booked online at www.derbybookfestival.co.uk. Tickets are still available for most events and can be bought on the day at venues.  Please check website for details of availability.

The Festival is organised with the support of all the major arts and cultural partners in the city with funding from the Arts Council England, the University of Derby and over 20 businesses and individuals across the city.

Highlights of this year’s Autumn Edition include:

• Guardian columnist and radio and TV presenter Adrian Chiles, who will be in conversation with BBC Midlands Correspondent Navtej Johal
• Current affairs: political journalist Tom Baldwin on his authoritative biography of Keir Starmer and David Torrance on The Wild Men: The Remarkable Story of Britain’s First Labour Government
• Sports: former BBC and commercial radio presenter Marcus Alton will be talking about Brian Clough with legendary BBC Radio Derby sports presenter Colin Gibson
• Novelists: Jonathan Coe on his latest The Proof of my Innocence, Cecelia Ahern in conversation with Joanna Cannon, and Sarah Ward with the first of a new crime series set in New England. Sarah will be in conversation with archaeologist Sarah Tarlow.
• History: Stonemason Andrew Ziminski on Church Going: A Stonemason’s Guide to the Churches of the British Isle; award-winning historical biographer Lucy Hughes-Hallett on The Scapegoat, her biography of George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham; Julia A Hickey on A Little History of Derbyshire; Sam Leith, Literary Editor of The Spectator, on The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading and historian Julie Summers on British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon.

For children and families, Naomi Jones and Rebecca Ashdown, the author and illustrator of this year’s winner of Derby Children’s Book Award, Thunderboots, will hold an event in the Old Library, Derby Museum on Sunday 17 November. There will also be two sessions of Playful Moves: Giraffes Can’t Dance Workshop for pre-school children and their parents to enjoy at West End Community Centre on Friday 15 November. The illustration sessions with author and illustrator Pippa Curnick on Saturday 16 November at Alvaston Library and Normanton Library are both sold out.

There will be more of the popular, free University of Derby CivicLAB events at the Artcore Gallery with academics sharing their latest research publications on a range of subjects, including The Many Faces of Dracula and the impact of The Beatles in the USA.

The Festival will also include a Book and Craft Market at the Museum of Making on Saturday 23 November from 10.30am – 4pm with book-related stalls, including booksellers, book crafts and publishers with the Festival’s stall selling signed copies of books from this year’s Festivals. The Museum will be organising book-related activities for families during the day.

The Autumn Edition is a ‘hybrid’ Festival of in-person events, all of which will be recorded.  People can buy individual recordings of events (for 50% of the in-person ticket price) or a Digital Pass is available giving access to all 15 recorded events, which will be available to watch for six weeks after the Festival ends (from 22 November to 3 January) for £35.

Professor Keith McLay, Chair of the Festival and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “It has been another successful year for the Derby Book Festival, which continues to emphasise its role in fostering a love for books and encouraging people across the city and county to discover new authors and ideas.

“The Festival is an opportunity to spark conversation and discovery, and for people to enjoy the escapism that a good book can provide.

“The University of Derby, as a Civic University and champion of local arts and culture, is proud to support the Festival and its role in strengthening Derby’s cultural scene.”

Following the success of previous Book Appeals, the Festival is organising another Children’s Book Appeal to coincide with the Autumn Edition. In the summer over 800 books were distributed to 26 schools in Derby to pass on to children.

Throughout the Autumn Edition people are invited to donate gently used, pre-loved books suitable for primary school children. Drop off venues include partners Marketing Derby, Derbion, Wathalls and QUAD.  Local businesses are also getting involved with collections from staff, including Rolls-Royce. Festival audiences can also bring their books to events where they will be gratefully received.

Throughout the Festival there will be a book stall at QUAD selling all the books featured at the Festival, plus signed books from the Autumn Edition and previous Festivals, as well as a selection of Book Aid Charity Christmas cards, children’s books and a Mystery Book selection.

The Festival programme, designed by local digital marketing company, Gravity, is available from QUAD, other arts venues, all libraries and tourist offices. Tickets can be booked online at: https://www.derbybookfestival.co.uk/whats-on/events/

or in person or by phone at QUAD – please check QUAD opening times first.