Llandeilo Literature Festival, which is in its fourth year running, is set to return as an online event in 2021. The popular celebration of literature and the arts, is due to run in a virtual format, from April 24th– April 25th after being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
Organisers hope that moving the event online will enable it to reach further afield, offering audiences from all over the world the opportunity to access the festival and putting the small town in Carmarthenshire, on the literary map.
There are usually several venues around the town that host book and poetry readings for the live event in the town, as well as talks with authors. The organisers have taken 4 months to prepare for the launch on the digital festival and are hopeful of a great success.
“Thanks to the online streaming by Fresh Productions our sessions will be recorded and can be accessed after the event, so everyone has the option to see all the sessions. So please save the date.’
The festival follows in the footsteps of others who have made similar decisions, in particular the Telegraph Hay Literature Festival, one of the biggest in the UK and based in Hay on Wye, Wales. Hay Festival organisers took the lead in the digital revolution, by putting it’s 2020 festival online in May/June last year. This was possible thanks to donations from the public and the keen interest of authors, presenters and other key names to take part for minimal or now fees.
The Llandeilo Literature Festival programme is available on their website and includes events such as ink drawing, foraging walks and gin making as well as author events. Carmarthen author Julie Ma, who published her first novel ‘Happy Families in February’ is one of those confirmed to be speaking at the event. Julie, who runs a Chinese Takeaway in Carmarthen, won ‘Richard and Judy’s Search for a Best Seller’ book competition in 2020. Her book is based on three generations of a Chinese immigrant family in rural Wales and has already received rave reviews. Other authors involved are, Cardiff writer Dan Tyte and Sarah Broughton. There will also be creative workshops on topics such as writing fantasy stories and creating Roma poetry.
Councillor Edward Thomas of Llandeilo and Dyffryn Cennen has called it ‘a festival with a difference’.
Find out more and buy tickets to events here – https://llandeilolitfest.org/
