Elizabeth Hopkinson's Hidden Grove

This is my last day at the festival, as I have responsibilities tomorrow.  Looking at my planned line-up of events, I expect to have my mind blown! I begin in the Old Building of Bradford College, which feels like a fascinating journey into the past.  I took a course here once, but have never been in the Sir Henry Mitchell Hall.  It feels like one of the theatres from my Angelio Trilogy.  I'm here for  Jerusalem: The Anthem , although we have to wait a while for all the speakers to be ready.  One of them is Ben Okri, who I had to study at uni, so this should be interesting, since I studied Blake as well. We are given some background to the poem, which originally appeared in the preface to two handmade copies of Milton .  We learn of Blake's pacifism, his unique but strong brand of Christian faith, and his sense of himself as a prophet, who saw a landscape infused with the spiritual.  We also hear how Hubert Parry was commissioned to write the musi...

I start the week tired, but excited to see Bradford Lit Fest on the Channel 4 News.  Added to the fact that AA Dhand is on the cover of Writing Magazine , and that the David Hockney celebrations also make the national news, I feel that Bradford is getting some amazing positive exposure. I hope to return to what I've dubbed "Bradtopia" on Wednesday, for Lunch Bites: Fantasy Fiction , but unfortunately it is cancelled as speaker Naomi Foyle has broken her ankle.   So, it's Friday again, and I'm going to A Nearly Infallible History of the Reformation . I approach with some trepidation.  As a Christian who is committed to ecumenism, and whose spiritual DNA is part-Baptist, part-Catholic, there a few events in history I feel more conflicted about. It turns out to be an enjoyable and informative event.  Author Nick Page manages to inject humour and a balanced view into an incredibly complex history.  Our whirlwind tour takes in Playmobil Martin Luthers, Top Trumps of ...

It's day two, and I have considerably less energy than yesterday.  Still, I manage to drive down the hill and park in the Broadway.  (A considerable acheivement for a nervous driver!)  To do this, I have had to leave partway through a sermon entitled: "Are you in prison?"  The question resonates. Today, I have my 1-1 Meet the Literary Agent with Kate Nash.  Bizarrely, I find this less helpful than my impromptu chat with Lisa Milton yesterday, as Kate is clearly expecting less experienced writers.  I  feel somewhat dispirited as I eat my jacket potato in Esquires. I am now pinning considerable hope on the experience of hearing  David Olusoga speak to his book,  Black and British: A Forgotten History.   I have brought my own copy from home, in the hopes that he will sign it, and maybe allow a selfie.  I do my lipstick, just in case.   Mercifully, David does not disappoint.  I am completely starstruck as he talks through them...

          The Arabian Nights panel.   Abdul-Rehman Malik,  Robert Irwin and SF Said. It's the first full day of the festival and I can't wait to get going.  I even do my nails! My first event of the day is Book Bidding Wars , which takes place in City Hall.  One of the panellists is Kate Nash, with whom I have a 1-1 tomorrow, so I am listening carefully.  The panel take us on a fascinating tour of the inner workings of publishing, such as:  What makes a bestseller?  What makes for a distinctive authorial voice?  What happens in acquisition meetings?  The impact of cultural trends (both platforms like Netflix and YouTube, and values like kindness and self-care). And the struggle to achieve diversity in publishing.  A lively Q & A time follows, and the festival volunteers have to evict us from the room to set up the next talk. I then miss my next event on  The Arthurian Legend because I am asking panellist...

400 Writers. 300 Events. 10 Days. One City. Bradford Lit Fest is here again! It's truly incredible how this world-class festival has been built up in only three years by Syima Aslam and Irna Qureshi. In true Bradford style, it's a cutting-edge festival that reflects our city's diversity and desire to discuss religion and politics openly. It's also an intelligent festival.  There are serious academic discussions with serious academics, alongside fun, family events. And on the menu for 2017, a whole stream on Fairy Tales, Myth and Legend! This year, I have been offered a feedback pass by the festival organisers, which means I will be going to LOADS of events!  And I'm going to attempt to blog about every single one of them. My first event is Mastering Eloquence with linguist David Crystal.  I've heard David - and his actor son Ben Crystal - speak more than once at Swanwick Writers' Summer School, so I know to expect something good. David doesn't disappoint...

Earlier this week, I had a short break in York.  And I did something I've been meaning to do for years - go around the Minster in an attempt to identify the statues Susanna Clarke brings to life in her novel of quarrelling Regency magicians, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. I'm probably not the first fan of the book to do this, and I'm sure I won't be the last.  But I'd like to share with you my candidates for the identities of those marvellous statues.  You may disagree.  After all, nothing comes more naturally to magicians! The Cathedral of York, from a window in High Petergate, home of Mr Honeyfoot. Peering up into the gloom of the chancel, where little stone figures jut out.  One begins to speak... "...this was the man who had murdered the girl...We know where he is buried.  In the corner of the south transept!" One of the fifteen stone kings.  (With other, smaller statues above). "...a little group of queer figures with linked arms...atop an an...

Coming soon to an eBook store near you... Tales from the Hidden Grove Elizabeth Hopkinson has had over 60 short fantasy stories published. Now for the first time, 12 of them have been collected in this charming slim volume. Booksellers and emperors learn to fly, fairies deliver the milk, and horses, knitting needles and the Houses of Parliament are not what they seem. Sometimes funny, sometimes moving, always imaginative, this book will take you into the magical world of an author Black Pear Press called: "Amongst the finest short story writers in the UK right now. " This book also contains the previously unpublished "Paper Prince", and a brief "About the Stories" describing the inspiration behind each of them. It will soon become available on iBooks, Kobo, Amazon etc.  But if you can't wait for that, you can buy it direct at:  Here I really hope you like it.  There are stories that have previously appeared in the likes of Byzarium, Vitali...