A Literary Pilgrimage
My recollections of Cheltenham Literally Festival
As Autumn descends on us and the Cheltenham Literary Festival opened it doors yesterday, my thoughts drift back to the enchanting experience of last years festival. It was a source of great delight and inspiration, a literary haven filled with book lovers, writers and agents. I was in book lover heaven!
One of the simple pleasures I revered in, was meandering through the charming bookstores that graced the town and surrounded the festival. I loved being hypnotised by the rows upon rows of books, each a portal to a different world. I recall the excitement of discovering ‘Hatchards’ bookstore, which had opened just in time for the festival weekend. It was bibliophile’s dream come true. A place where I got lost in the crowd and experienced literary wanderlust at it’s best.
One particular book caught my eye on that day was ‘Lucy By The Sea’ by the esteemed author Elizabeth Strout. I had eagerly anticipated attending her talk, poised to absorb the wisdom and insights she would surely share. Alas, fate had other plans, as her talk was cancelled due to her falling ill. Despite this setback, I found solace in reading her book in a cozy cafe just yards away from the festivals main arena.
The heart of Cheltenham Festival lies not only in the boundless sea of books but also in the voices that breathe life into them. Listening to a diverse array of writers, each with their unique stories and perspectives, was an experience I will never forget. Their words were a reminder of the power of storytelling and the endless possibilities it holds
If I was attending this weekend, I’d be looking forward to
and talk about their top tips on how to create a popular Substack, especially as Emma and I are collaborating this November for a creative day retreat where she will be focusing on the topic of ‘Creative Unblocking’.This years festival is bursting with interesting speakers, I’d love to attend the interview between Emma Freud and Richard E Grant. I am yet to read his book ‘A Pocketful of Happiness’. I love following Richards journey over on IG, he tries to embrace a pocket full of happiness every day since his dear wife Joan passed away a couple of years ago, bless his heart.
I’m so gutted I can’t attend the festival this year, I’ll just have to depend of my buddies to tell me all about their experience. Are you going to the festival this weekend? Do let me know what your highlights were and if you bought a stack of book goodies.
Until the next time
Take care & stay safe xxx
Ooh some great ideas for reads in here! I haven’t been to the festival before but I’m only on Oxford so I feel like I should go once! Maybe next year. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love Elizabeth Strout's collection. I started with Olive a few years ago, and I'm not gradually, interspersedly working my way through Lucy Barton. But need to first clarify what comes next in the series, after reading My Name is Lucy Barton, more recently 🤔