The Sturminster Newton Literary Festival returns for its fourth year from 5th to 10th June with an expanded programme that now includes non-fiction events and covers the wider Wessex region. The festival offers a diverse range of topics, from Michael Langridge’s sequel to Tess of the D’Urbervilles to Chris Taylor’s experiences as a helicopter test pilot, and Jon Woolcott’s insights into Dorset’s history.
Festival highlights include journalist Felice Hardy’s talk about her grandmother, an Austrian tennis champion who escaped the Nazis and played at Wimbledon, and West Dorset-based author Brian Jackman’s discussion of how the natural surroundings inspired him to write Wild About Dorset.
The festival also features local playwright Sue Ashby’s dramatic monologue From Sturminster Newton to The White House: the Fuller sisters in America, and local singers will be performing songs by the Fuller sisters.
In addition to talks, the festival offers walks and tours of notable locations, such as Robert Young’s Sturminster Newton and the Marnhull setting for Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
Festival committee chairman, Pauline Batstone says ‘I am delighted that we have such a full and wide ranging programme for our fourth year,’
Details of all events can be found on the Stur Litfest booking portal here