LIT FEST 2024

Embracing Empowerment: My Excitement for LIT FEST 2024

As March approaches, I find myself counting down the days to LIT FEST 2024. Produced by ArtfulScribe, in collaboration with University of Southampton’s English Department, this three day event holds a special place in my heart as it revolves around the empowering theme of International Women’s Day.

From March 8-10th, MAST Mayflower Studios is set to welcome writers from around the country, unfolding stories through choreo-poetry, film and literature - I can’t wait to immerse my senses in the different forms this festival has to offer.

Friday 8th March: Keynote: International Women’s Day & Joelle Taylor Showcase

Friday’s festivities are the perfect blend of creativity and academia.

To get the festival underway, our partners, University of Southampton’s English Department presents a keynote address centering around The Female Gaze. As an alumni from the university, I’m looking forward to tuning in to this presentation from people who nurtured my own creativity.

The evening’s showcase will bring together a quartet of powerful voices on stage. Curator, headliner and queer poet Joelle Taylor, choreo-poet Safiya Kinshasa, T.S. Elliot nominee Fran Lock, and Edinborough Makar Hannah Lavery, will share unique perspectives, inspiring us to embrace our own journeys with newfound vigor.

Saturday 9th March: Workshops & More Showcases

Daytime workshops and evening showcases are the main focus for the programme for Saturday.

Whilst Joelle Taylor makes a reappearance with a workshop: Writing the Female Experience, Stuart Bartholomew from VERVE Poetry Press shares ‘tips and tricks for getting published’ and Elizabeth Parker from Seren Books invites us to explore the fluidity of writing and emotion in Write Your River. Writing is about understanding the world and our place in it, and I imagine leaving all of these events feeling more connected to myself and those around me.

As an enthusiast of literature and those who champion it, I’m delighted to say that there will be a Small Press Showcase featuring Seren, Wales’ leading independent literary publisher and VERVE Poetry Press, a Birmingham based poetry indie. The readings will include Rachael Clyne, Vanessa Lampert, Taz Rahman and Elizabeth Parker from Seren, and Jemima Hughes, Tim Tim Cheng, Erica Gillingham and Ellora Sutton from VERVE Poetry Press. This showcase will offer a diverse range of voices that will stay with you long after the festival ends.

Local open mic nights, Winchester Muse and Write a Note, present a showcase of poets specially selected for LIT FEST 2024. As a regular attendee of Write a Note, I’m looking forward to meeting more local poets and seeing how the two open mic groups will complement each other’s style.

Sunday 10th March: Community Celebration

The final day of LIT FEST 2024 is curated as a community celebration.

Up and coming voices who regularly attend our creative writing classes will share their work at the closing event: Community Showcase. This event is a celebration of their writing achievements from last year and this spring term. I look forward to cheering on Mayflower Creative Writers, of which I co-lead, as well as the inspiring writers from Writing for Wellbeing, SO:Write Women, and Writing for Page and Stage.

The Festival’s Ending But We’ll Still Be Here

For me, LIT FEST 2024 isn't just a literary event; it's a journey of personal connection and empowerment. The theme of International Women's Day resonates deeply with my own experiences and aspirations. I look forward to the stories, wisdom, and camaraderie weaving through these three days, and to seeing the mark they make on my own narrative journey.

As I prepare to embark on this literary adventure, I invite fellow enthusiasts, readers, and dreamers to join me in celebrating the power of women's voices at LIT FEST 2024. Let's dive into the pages of empowerment, inked with the stories of resilience, creativity, and unyielding strength. Here's to a weekend filled with words that will echo in our hearts long after the festival's final chapter. See you at LIT FEST 2024!

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LIT FEST 2024