From the 5th to 21st September the Books and Drama Festival in Sedbergh, England's Book Town, is celebrating the greatest British writer of all time?....yes William Shakespeare.  In case you have immediately decided that 'oh, that sounds much too serious and heavy for me,' Festival Director Carole Nelson explains; 'We are doing Shakespeare but as the starting point for other writers, actors and interpreters, Shakespeare as inspiration.  We've got great actors ex the RSC Barrie Rutter and Michael Pennington, an author/actor from The Globe Ben Crystal, who has now written 3 books showing how Shakespeare has influenced all sorts of modern writing, a revue imagining what sort of popular songs Shakespeare's heroines might have sung and a new book called 'Breaking the Shakespeare Codes' which proves Shakespeare wasn't Shakespeare at all!'

For the first time in Cumbria there is a FRINGE FESTIVAL, this is a showcase of all that wonderful local talent - Saturday 13th of September is the day given over to LITERARY MAYHEM, with plays, puppets, poets, philosophy, playtime and picnics for all the family, the Fringe starts around 11am and finishes around? It looks as if it will be l a t e, be there.

The festival is packed with events (check out the Write Out Loud gig guide) - workshops including Sword-fighting in Shakespeare Plays and Travel Writing, author talks and book launches, the Brontes, and much more.

For further information visit  
http://www.sedbergh.org.uk/booktown/festival/2008/ or ring for a programme

015306 20125.