A Bridge too Far?: Writing Historical Fiction set in the Sixth Century

Rebecca Stott is a writer, historian and broadcaster. She taught literature and creative writing (with fourteen years at UEA) for three decades but has recently given up teaching to write full-time and to move to Sussex. Her memoir about growing up in a cult, In the Days of Rain, won the Costa Biography prize in 2017. She has published three historical novels, the latest, Dark Earth, set in the derelict sixth-century city of Londinium. Rebecca will tell the story of writing this ambitious book, of how challenging it was to bring a world to life that is reputed to be the very darkest corner of the darkest period of British history, how she had to find ways to work sometimes with only archaeological fragments in the absence of written records. She will try to persuade you that all this was fascinating and fun. She will show you pictures of maps, archaeological finds, swords and mud. And she will try to do all of this in less than 20 minutes.

Cuckmere River

Rachel Poulton is a writer, photographer and educator whose interests lie with our connections to time and place. Her work examines philosophy, inner and outer landscapes, myth and reality, the past, the present and the borderlands between.
For Wordfest, Rachel will introduce her long-form visual and literary project Unseen and then take us on an atmospheric wander along East Sussex’s Cuckmere River that wends its way from the weald to the sea and explore the ghosts and lore that lie en route – from the ancient burial mounds on Windover Hill, guarded by the Wilmington Giant; to the medieval ghost village at Exceat and the World War Two pillboxes mingling with memories of nineteenth century smuggling gangs down at Cuckmere Haven.

Outlandish

David Bramwell is the host of the Catalyst Club but also a broadcaster and author. His brand new collection of writings focus on unconventional journeys and countercultural heroes. In the company of Werner Herzog, Kit Williams, Eva Peron, Marina Abramovic, Grayson Perry and Paul Robeson – to name but a few – Bramwell will share stories of an artist’s pilgrimage around the world with a giant, inflatable ‘deadad’; the world’s biggest treasure hunt, an eleven-year odyssey involving Evita’s mummified corpse and a couple who walked the Great Wall of China from opposite ends, only to spilt up when they finally met in the middle. And how on Earth did Andy Warhol’s penis end up on the moon? Come along and you’ll find out.

In September we learned about ‘Moustache Science’ from Dr Ali Goode, Jonathan Scott shared the story of the sounds and music that ended up on Voyager 2, and Rachel Poulton took us on a psychogeographical journey down the Cuckmere.
We’re back Oct 9th with Lynne Murphy, a new one from your host and a third TBC.

In September artist Nick Sayers shared his adventures making art in Uzbekistan, musician Pete Fij explored some of the more sensational stories from Tiger and Scorcher comics and linguist Lynne Murphy gave a personal and historical talk on undertaker inventions, from the folding chair to the automatic telephone.
We’re back as a one-off at our old venue (formerly the Latest Music Bar) with folklorist Serena Mitchell, author Jonathan Scott and Jacob Funnell.

**Please note change of venue to the Manchester St Arts Club **

A new one-hour monologue from Justin Hopper and a book launch for David Bramwell.

Justin Hopper’s The Great Satanic Swindle:A bizarre true tale of tabloid England ​

Once, a mysterious stranger arrived in a small Sussex village and told a tale of witchcraft, trapped souls and a life-or-death struggle with Satan himself. A group of church-goers, millionaires and aristocrats stepped in to save him, and things got very weird.

A raunchy, true-crime folk-horror comedy of 1980s England, The Great Satanic Swindle is a story about two friends who challenged what it means to believe in something – and someone – no matter how irrational.

Old, Weird Albion and Chanctonbury Rings author and spoken-word artist Justin Hopper tells a story that is at once utterly unbelievable and entirely true.

David Bramwell’s Outlandish

Outlandish is the title of David Bramwell’s new collection of writings, stories and essays – beautifully designed by Erica Smith – that celebrate some of his favourite countercultural heroes and explore some rather unconventional journeys.
Tonight he’ll be sharing a few of his favourites tales. It might be the life of Paul Robeson or Sister Corita Kent, the PopArt nun who invented the Sixties Happening. It could be the bizarre eleven-year odyssey of Eva Peron’s mummified corpse or the Amazon-bound ethnobotanist Richard Evans-Schultes, who catalysed a psychedelic revolution. Rest assured he’ll definitely be sharing the story of how Andy Warhol’s penis ended up on the moon.

Books will be on sale. Bring your pennies!