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Red Funnel Isle of Wight Literary Festival goes digital for 2020

Posted 12/08/2020

PRESS RELEASE: 12th August 2020

With the usual festival format compromised due to the current Covid-19 situation, organisers are preparing FREE online sessions to delight, inspire and enlighten audiences this 9 to 11 October.

Organisers of The Red Funnel Isle of Wight Literary Festival today announced that, for the first time ever, this year’s festival will take place digitally, across three days, starting Friday 9th October.

Now in their ninth year, the organising committee will carry on the tradition of bringing authors together to share their work and provide audiences with an inspiring and engaging programme that offers something for all.

Festival participants can expect wide range of free video content from a host of top writers and will be able to choose from myriad sessions including history, poetry, the lives of famous people, adventure and everything in between.

Island writers will be celebrated and take centre stage with a special feature about the Island landscapes and views that inspire them.

Maggie Ankers, Chair of the Isle of Wight Literary Festival comments: “While we are very sorry not to be gathering in person this Autumn at our beautiful event home – Northwood House in Cowes, we look forward to delivering a rich and varied programme. We can’t wait to reconnect with our loyal festival patrons who have supported us since the start and we also hope to use this far-reaching digital platform to attract new fans, whom we hope to meet in person next year.”

For more information, to stay up to date with the latest news and be the first to hear about speaker announcements, digital festival goers should visit  www.isleofwightliteraryfestival.com and subscribe to Festival newsletter. Subscribers will also benefit from special access to pre-order titles from the Festival’s bookshop partner, Blackwells as well as receive exclusive ferry offers from Red Funnel, the headline Festival sponsor.

Said Fran Collins, CEO, Red Funnel: “We are pleased to support the Isle of Wight Literary Festival and ensure its spirit lives on for 2020. It’s disappointing that there won’t be a live gathering this year but we hope to see everyone online and having a great time. The Festival organising committee is a tremendously dedicated group which has done a brilliant job delivering a quality experience for nearly a decade and its passion for showcasing literature to all is clear. I have every confidence that they will delight audiences for yet another year in a row and I am personally looking forward to enjoying this year’s festival in its new digital guise!”

Festival Radio will be working with organisers to deliver the digital festival format and will begin broadcasting from Friday 9th October with information about the event and interviews with authors.

For a preview of what to expect this October,  listen to 2019’s Festival highlights at https://isleofwightliteraryfestival.com/festivalradio/

 

About the Isle of Wight Literary Festival

The Isle of Wight Literary Festival, an established event on the UK Arts calendar, is now in its ninth year. The festival provides a far-reaching eclectic programme designed to attract a wide audience and increase the cultural richness of the Isle of Wight.  The festival is normally hosted at Northwood House, Cowes over 4 days with more than 60 writers and presenters talking about their latest works and providing thought provoking insights.   This year arrangements are digital but we look forward to 2021 and a very special festival to celebrate our 10th anniversary.

The Isle of Wight Literary Festival is a registered charity (No. 1164814) relying on the generous support of sponsors, benefactors and friends. The festival is organised and staffed by volunteers. The festival has two patrons: Major General Sir Martin White KCVO, CB, CBE and Nicholas Allan – author and illustrator patron of the Youth Programme and two vice patrons, Alan Titchmarsh MBE DL and Michael Grade – The Lord Grade of Yarmouth CBE.

The Schools’ Programme, which is supported by the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, sends authors, illustrators and dramatists into the schools to enrich the education for the under 18s on the Isle of Wight by providing cultural experiences to stimulate interest in learning and creative ideas.   In 2019 over 40 schools and nearly 5000 Isle of Wight children were involved in the programme.

About Red Funnel:

Red Funnel is the original Isle of Wight ferry company with roots tracing back to 1820. Based in the UK port of Southampton, Red Funnel carries 2.3m passengers and over 800,000 vehicles on its ferry route between the UK port of Southampton and East Cowes and 1.1m passengers between Southampton and West Cowes on its Red Jet Hi-Speed service. For more information, see www.redfunnel.co.uk

 

For more information please contact: 

marketing@isleofwightliteraryfestival.com

t: 01983 295612

Isle of Wight Literary Festival, Northwood House, Ward Avenue, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 8AZ.

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