Writers gather at the launch of free festival
Hundreds are expected to attend October’s event
WRITERS, students, academics and political figures gathered at Waterstones in Uxbridge for an evening to mark the launch of Hillingdon Literary Festival.
The weekend of free events was marked at a VIP launch ahead of its beginning in October and saw authors and students mingle ahead of the second annual festival.
Expected to bring in around 1,500 people, it is supported by Hillingdon Arts, the Mayor of Hillingdon and Brunel University, where performances will be staged.
Andrew Ward, director of corporate relations at Brunel University, said: “It is the only free literature festival of its stature.”
Professor Phillip Tew, who is recognised as a leader in contemporary British literature and is the brains behind the festival’s origins, added: “The festival only existed in my brain two years ago.
“I thought maybe [there should be] a literature festival in Uxbridge because there’s a plethora of cultural ambition here.”
Alongside the festival, a writing competition was launched, urging people to submit work around the theme of writing local, thinking global.
Thomas Hull, 21, who studies at Brunel, said: “I had something written and then adapted it for
The festival only existed in my brain two years ago”
the submission.
“All of us who were selected from them will have our work published in an anthology.”
Lei Harlin, 20, who is also a student, added: “The festival looks pretty good – three of them are our tutors so it’s quite interesting to see how they’re involved.”
Matthias AsieduYeboa, 21, a fellow student, said: “I heard about it and thought why not get involved? The entry was free for the competition and it looks like a good line up.”
Those invited to the launch were also given a talk on the history of communication by Greg Jenner, researcher for the children’s Horrible Histories collection.
The Hillingdon Literary Festival takes place from October 7 to 9 at Brunel University.