First-year Creative Writing students at De Montfort University are preparing to attend and review events at the annual Cultural Exchanges Festival. There's the usual mix of headline acts, less well-known but intriguing guests, and a few who may just be the big names of tomorrow.
There's a lot of interest in Claire Bloom and Carol Ann Duffy, and I expect some students will choose to review their talks. But I'm particularly looking forward to the poetry reading by Peter Hughes, whose Oystercatcher Press produces such lovely pamphlets, and, if I can get a ticket, to the memorial event for horror and fantasy writer Graham Joyce. (I'm a particular fan of his book on football.) I may also attend the talk on preserving sporting heritage in the hope that it includes photographs of old swimming pools and lidos.
But I must make my mind up and book before all the tickets go. So that's enough blogging for today.
Kathleen Bell
