The last ‘normal’ thing I did before Lockdown 0.1 in March 2020 was attend an annual event in Cumbria that has become a passion for me – Words by the Water, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth.
It was the first time Skype (do you remember that before we all started Zooming?) and Facetime was used for a speaker to give his presentation from the comfort of their own boxroom, cupboard or shed.
It was such a novelty to see inside people’s homes and take a look at what they were displaying on their bookshelves – to give us more insight into the person on screen. There were the issues we have all wrestled with over the past two years – lost connections and frozen screens – however, the festival went ahead and it was ahead of its time with a mix of live and virtual.
It was so close to the start of COVID restrictions the final day was cancelled as more of the speakers were unable to make the journey for fear of their own safety and health.
One of the positives of the lockdowns which followed was having the time to catch up on all the books (all beautifully signed for me by the authors) which I had purchased over several years of attending Words by the Water.
Reading the press notice that Words by the Water was returning in 2022 was a lovely moment. It’s ok interacting across virtual reality, however, I wanted to be in the room….the room where it happens (to misquote a line from the wonderful musical Hamilton).
Rather than the luxurious two-week-long festival, the amazing team are bringing us a compact and beautifully curated six days of literary wonder.
And this is the coming of age celebration for Words by the Water – the 21st festival.
Three weeks from today, the first speakers will be taking to the stages at Theatre by the Lake for Words by the Water 2022, running from 15-20 March. And to countdown to the great event, we will be featuring authors who will be attending this year’s Lake District literary festival.
So keep following us on social media for links to our posts to find out more about the 56 speakers who will be delighting us at Words by the Water 2022 at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick.
If you want to see a few why I wanted to go to Words by the water 2019 – take a look at this post.
And to find out how Words by the Water 2020 helped me through lockdown – take a look at this post.
- To view the full programme and book your tickets for Words by the Water visit: https://www.theatrebythelake.com/festival/words-by-the-water-22/
