Coleford Festival of Words

Coleford Festival of Words will be held from Monday 1st July to Sunday 7th July.  Celebrating 6 years of festivals, you will find a week full of activities for all ages.

For tickets, please contact The Forest Bookshop on 01594 833334 or visit www.forestbookshop.com

Please find the itinerary below:

Monday 1st July – Launch Night


5.30PM: Forest Bookshop Festival Launch – Readings and performances.

6.30PM – 8PM: Ritmo’s Tapas Bar 60 Second Film Show – 1.  Make a 60 second or less film inspired by Coleford 2. Bring on a USB stick, between 5-6PM or Dropbox it to tom@tomcousins.co.uk or 3. Come 6.30PM to the screening. £60 local Prizes awarded by the Mayor and judging panel plus audience clapometer. All films must be suitable for family viewing.

Tuesday 2nd July – Coleford Baptist Church

7PM £5 (£4):  Talking About Pictures 1. Local photographers Caroline Taylor, David Lloyd, Brian Griffith, and Alex Pownall join Chris Morris.

8.15PM: Talking About Pictures 2. Daniel Meadows, formerly of the Journalism School at Cardiff University and the BBC’s digital storytelling project Capture Wales screens multimedia short stories and invites discussion.

Wednesday 3rd July – Coleford Library

2PM onwards: Coleford Reading Group invites you to an afternoon of talking about books with Alis Hawkins & Derek Smith. Afterwards world acclaimed author Andrew Taylor speaks about plots.

Wednesday 3rd July – Forest Bookshop

7PM – Bookshop Jam/Favourite Song Forum: What makes a great song? Open house at The Forest Bookshop. Bring a guitar, ukelele, banjo, mandolin, percussion or any other musical instrument…and a song in your heart…Bring lyrics (and chords), of an original or cover-song for us to play along with, or for you to perform. All welcome.

Thursday 4th July – Coleford Baptist Church

7.30PM £5 (£4): The Forest Bookshop presents Lives, Loves & Locations. Bestselling authors Sheila O’Flanagan and Julia Gregson each read from their latest books (Things We Never Say and Jasmine Nights) and discuss their approaches to fiction writing. Followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Free glasses of wine or juice for all attending and £1 off RRP for every book purchased.

Friday 5th July – Coleford Baptist Church

6.30PM: Young Voices – Words you should hear! – Books you should read! including launch of Berry Hill Poetry book.

8.30PM £5 (£4) Buried Heart: A film, inspired by Dennis Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills, one part of The Dennis Potter Archive project that celebrates his visionary work. Buried Heart has been made and performed by young people from Lakers School in collaboration with The Rural Media Company.

Saturday 6th July – Forest Bookshop

10 – 4PM:  Children’s Fun Day at The Forest Bookshop with JL Smith (abominators) and Sue Smith (Mr & Mrs Sparrow), craft activities, storytelling and other surprises.

Coleford Baptist Church

10 – 12.30PM £5 (£4) – FED Writing: Festival workshops, readings and performances. Start or refresh your writing skills, read your work, stories, drama & music. Book on 01594 833334.

Coleford Town Centre

1 – 4PM: Pop-up Performances. Street Theatre to make you think and make you laugh. A stand-up argument – with ladders and sports – will the glass be half empty or half full – and what will it be full of? Come and see on the streets on Festival Saturday. Open mic soapbox book a spot – 01594 833334.

Great original performances from “Ghost of A Dog” plus supporting music and poets.

Chalk Stories.

Human Library – Choose your own live story.

All events indoor at the Baptist Church if wet.