Art and books at this year’s Ramsgate Literary Festival
An arty programme has been added to Ramsgate's annual literary happening.
IF you love books and art you can’t afford to miss Ramsgate’s third literary festival, now repackaged and expanded into the wider ranging Ramsgate Book and Art Festival, taking place at various Ramsgate main street venues, from Friday, November 10, to Sunday, November 12.
It is being organised by Ramsgate business owners, book lovers, artists and performers, so expect a vibey, colourful and community-driven festival.
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The festival starts with an art exhibition opening at the Artists’ Gallery on the Friday at 6pm. It will showcase the work of two new artists in the Artists’ Gallery collective, painter Claudia Plunkett and the collection of limited edition prints in the Elaine Goodman Fine Arts section of the Gallery. All art lovers are welcome to attend and enjoy a glass of wine and meet the artists.
Thereafter, ‘Poetry by Candlelight’, offering real life poetry by real life poets, will be held upstairs at Burlesque Café at 8pm.
On Saturday, the main street will be abuzz with all sorts of arty happenings, offering interesting foods inside and outside the restaurants, great book stalls and arts and crafts. Art exhibitions will be set up in various restaurants as well as at Gaze Gallery, Artists’ Gallery and Riverbend Art Gallery.
Authors’ talks will be held in the covered area behind The Crayfish Inn and at the Whale Deck overlooking the ocean, on Saturday.
This year’s line-up of interesting authors includes the infamous Shani Krebs who wrote Dragons and Butterflies. In 1994 Shani flew to Thailand, where he was caught for heroin trafficking.
He was locked in Bangkwang Central Prison, the notorious ‘Bangkok Hilton’. He was initially sentenced to death. Shani not only survived but after years of addiction, he put drugs behind him and began a life-transforming engagement with art.
After serving 18 years – he was the longest-serving westerner in a Thai prison – he stepped off a plane at OR Tambo Airport in April 2012. This is a talk not to be missed.
Carl Roberts, the famous South African sculptor and recent Tuesday Rostrum guest speaker, has an exquisite coffee table book written about him and his fascinating sculptures made from bone, wood and bronze. Carl, an entertaining and knowledgeable speaker, will be at the festival.
‘Genius Creativity’ is the topic of the talk by Graeme Butchart who will explain how to move from habit thinking to genius thinking.
Valerie Payne from Harding will also be there to chat about her new book entitled ‘An Ecological Gardener’s Handbook’.
There is no entry fee to these sessions but guests are asked to bring a book suitable for school-going children to be put into any one of the collection boxes that will be at every venue.
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A welcome addition to the programme this year is the inclusion of a ‘youth in the community’ project. The festival committee has reached out to all the local schools and home schools in this area in the name of poetry. A poetry book will be printed with a selection of self-penned poems. A similar book will also be printed for adults – here, anyone with ‘roots in Ramsgate’ is welcome to send in their poems for consideration. The two books will be launched at the festival.
Interesting workshops will be on offer, at a small cost, including an art workshop by painter Claudia Plunkett on Sunday morning, as well as a The Genius Programme Workshop by Graeme Butchart.
A supper theatre will take place at The Lobster Pot on Saturday evening entitled ‘Bosman, Curry and Cabaret’, where local actress and storyteller Barbie Meyer and singer Natasha Muller will take to the stage.
Sunday evening will see the final ‘Wine Down’ evening that will take place at the Lobster Pot with snacks and wine pairing. Tickets for all shows can be obtained at Artists’ Gallery. For more details call Pauline Lee at 083 6544303 or Barbie Meyer at 082 4963545.
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