Authors ~ Storytellers ~ Poets ~ Musicians ~ Acrobats
Discussions ~ Readings ~ Talks ~ Performances
FRIDAY 9th MAY
VYBARR CREGAN-REID – on the power of good reading.
Arts Centre, Devizes Road SN1 4BJ
Tel 01793 535534
12.30pm ~ 9th May ~ £8 (£7)
Does what you read determine how you think, what you do, and who you are? Can reading shape our lives? What’s it like to be lost in a good book? What constitutes a good book? Why does Literature last? Any other questions?
English professor, broadcaster, writer on evolution, running, and reading, Vybarr Cregan-Reid has some answers.
His latest book, We Are What We Read, assesses the transformative power of reading good books, why we should take reading seriously, how our brains are rewired by books, the magic of memoir, and how fiction might be far more real than we think.
Here’s a line from his book. ‘Being yourself requires a lot less effort than trying to be someone and something else. On finishing that book . . . my life had changed . . . . I never stopped reading.’
MICHAEL SHELDRICK – in conversation with HEIDI ALEXANDER. Presented by Bert's Books in association with the Swindon Festival of Literature.
Bert's Books, 54 Godwin Court, Swindon SN1 4BB
Tel 07949 190977
7pm ~ 9th May
Michael Sheldrick, author of From Ideas to Impact, policy entrepreneur, and co-founder of Global Citizen, grew up in Swindon before his journeys took him around the world.
Heidi Alexander is Secretary of State for Transport and has been an MP for Swindon South since 2024.
IVO GRAHAM – on Yardsticks for Failure.
Arts Centre, Devizes Road SN1 4BJ
Tel 01793 535534
6.30pm ~ 9th May ~ £10 (£9)
After coming a lamentable last on Taskmaster Series 15, and seeing his emotional frailties laid bare, Ivo Graham is adapting to an increasingly irreversible reputation as a man better known for his chaos than his comedy.
His new book, Yardsticks for Failure, is an exquisite map of the brain behind the breakdowns, where his solution to the general bedlam of his life has been to pile his plate higher than ever before. Longer-term resolutions of rest and relaxation must wait. For now, Ivo is trying to host the greatest club night of all time, run a sub-3 hour marathon while pushing a wheelchair, and put his heart on the line in a show unlike anything he’s ever done before. Can these dreams become a reality, or will they just become more yardsticks for failure?
A gleeful glimpse behind the grubby curtain of stand-up comedy; a feast for anyone who’s ever been enthralled or appalled by Ivo’s cursed politeness; and a unique self-examination from one of the most eloquent writers and worriers of his generation.
Maybe future worries and joys will also both come to Ivo through his loyal and longstanding support of Swindon Town FC.
ALISTAIR MCGOWAN – with comedy, impressions, poems, and piano!
Arts Centre, Devizes Road SN1 4BJ
Tel 01793 535534
8pm ~ 9th May ~ £10(£9)
Expect beautiful live music, poignant poems, and spot-on mimicry. Alistair brings you the comedy and impressions for which he is known and loved, plays short piano favourites by Chopin, Grieg, Elgar, and Satie, and reads from his newly-published collection of poems. Three great shows in one!
Alistair McGowan, a favourite at the Swindon Festival of Literature, is an impressionist, actor, writer of jokes, plays and sketches, stand-up comedian, and accomplished pianist. He became a household name with his appearances on hit television shows Spitting Image and The Big Impression.
