This weekend marks the start of the Words by the Water Festival at Theatre by the Lake and we thought we’d share some of our top picks to help guide your trip to the festival.
Words by the Water is an annual literary festival with talks from authors from all genres and you will leave the festival feeling positive, uplifted and motivated (and with an arm full of books).
If you’re wondering if you should go to the literary festival (you really should!) click here for 5 reasons why you will love it.
We at Cumbria 24 are avid fans of the festival and head there every year. Here are some stand out talks you won’t want to miss.
Saturday 7th March
Polly Toynbee and David Walker – After a Dark Decade What Lies Ahead : The last decade was full of national tragedies and was a tumultuous period. Journalists Polly Toynbee and David Walker take a look at the past decade and discuss what lies ahead for us. 4:15pm, Main House
Linda Blair Workshop : Linda Blair comes to the festival most years and we are huge fans here at Cumbria 24. Last year we went to one of her workshops, which focus on mindfulness, and it’s something I still think about a year later. You will learn so much at this workshop and come away with practical ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life. 3pm, Circle Gallery
Kajal Odedra – Activism for Everyone : This hour long talk will provide you with an insight and users guide into using your voice for good. Kajal us an activist and director of Change.org and is passionate about helping people use their voices. 2.15pm, Studio
Sunday 8th March
Ruth Davidson – Women Who Broke the Mould : The former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party has written a book about remarkable women who have paved the way and broken the mould to create some amazing things. This is the perfect talk to go see on International Women’s Day. 12.45pm, Main House
Natalie Haynes – A Women’s War : Comedian, broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes retells the story of the Trojan War from an all female perspective. This sounds like a really fun and interesting show which celebrates women who have for so long been silent. 7.30pm, Main House
Nicholas Coleridge – Magazines, Museums and Selective Memoirs : Nicholas Coleridge has been a key figure in the glossy magazine world for 40 years and this talk is going to be filled with gossipy good fun as he talks about his encounters with people including David Bowie, Anna Wintour and Bob Geldof. It sounds like it’s going to be a lot of good fun! 2.15pm, Studio Theatre
Monday 9th March
Douglas Thompson – In Her Own Words : If you were a fan of the BBC Drama The Trials of Christine Keeler then you need to go to this talk. Douglas Thompson explores the trial and shares insights which weren’t published at the time. 2.30pm, Main House
Michael Mullett – Penrith in the Nineteenth Century : Professor Mullet shares how our local town grew and developed to become a prosperous agricultural town. 10.45am, Studio Theatre
Tuesday 10th March
Philip Collins – A Roadmap for the Politically Homeless : As we live in turbulent political times, journalist Philip Collins looks at the people who feel politically stuck and proposes how we can fix our broken politics. 12.45pm, Main House
David Owen – Making Sense of Donald Trump : The former foreign Secretary analyses the mental and physical condition of political leaders, past and present, and explores how they paved the way for President Trump. It definitely sounds like an interesting talk which I’m looking forward to hearing. 7.30pm, Main House
Wednesday 11th March
Janie Brown – Helpless to Hopeful – The Collective Story of Mortality : Janie was an oncology nurse for 30 years where she had countless conversations with patients which uncovered different perspectives and experiences of death. This is a talk all about finding hope at the end of life. 12.45pm, Main House
Esther Rutter Knitted History : Esther has scoured the British Isles (including the Lake District) to unravel its social history and the politics of knitting. This sounds like a really interesting talk! 4pm, Studio Theatre
Thursday 12th March
Kerry Irving A Life-Saving Friendship – Max the Miracal dog, along with his brothers Paddy and Harry, and owner Kerry Irving are local celebrities and we at Cumbria 24 are big fans. After having a car accident, Keswick resident Kerry’s life changed forever as he faced unbearable pain and panic. On a short walk, he met Max the dog who changed is life. They now have a book out about their inspiring story and adventures. A must see talk at the festival! 7.30pm, Main House
Julie Summers Editor Extraordinaire : Historian Julie Summers tells the story of Audrey Withers, editor of Vogue from the Blitz to the 60s. We get an insight into the world of the formidable editor and stories from how the magazine was run in that time. 11am, Main House
Friday 13th March
Claudia Hammond – Why Rest Matters : The Radio 4 presenter is exploring the top 10 activities we find restful and provides us with a roadmap to get more rest and balance in our lives. This sounds like such an informative talk by a brilliant broadcaster and we can’t wait. 2.30pm, Main Theatre
Paul Mason Radical Optimism – Looking for ways to be optimistic in the age of uncertainty can be hard but this talk aims to show us we can, through anguage, innovation and co- operation. 4.15pm, Main House
Saturday 14th March
Lennie Goodings – A Celebration of Writing, Publishing and Reading : Publisher and Editor at Virago Press, Lennie Goodings looks at extraordinary authors including Margret Atwood, Naomi Wolf and Maya Angelou. 11am, Main House
Tim Waterstone The Road to Waterstones : The founder of Waterstones looks at his own history and the epiphany he had which created the high street name we all know and love. 6pm, Main House
Jenny Eclair – Generational Consequences : Comedian Jenny Eclair shares her latest novel, Inheritance, which promises wit, humour and a few tears. We at Cumbria 24 can’t wait for this! 7.45pm, Main House
Sunday 15th March
Julia Neuberger – On Antisemitism : Antisemitism has been on the rise in recent years. Rabbi Julia Neuberger discusses what constitutes antisemitism and why it is so crucial to come to a shared understanding now. 2.30pm, Main Theatre
Anil Ananthaswamy – Quantum Mechanics Made Simple : Quantum Mechanics is one of those mysterious things which unless you’re in that world, may leave you feeling a bit befuddled. Science journalist Anil Ananthaswamy explains how a single experiment lays bare the mysterious nature of quantum reality. 4pm, Studio Theatre
Those are some highlights of Words by the Water which we are looking forward to going to. You can get the full itinerary online here. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram as we will be heading to the festival later in the week and will be live blogging and giving you a real insight into it!
