The 2017 Crickhowell Literary Festival will take place from the 1st til the 8th October, in the town of Crickhowell. 

Highlights include: 

October 1st
Special Guest Lecture in partnership with St Edmunds Church, Crickhowell. Dr Rowan Williams – ‘A Poet’s View of Henry Vaughan’

Dr Rowan Williams is well known for his enthusiasm and respect for the work of the great seventeenth-century Breconshire poet, Henry Vaughan. He will introduce some of Vaughan’s ideas and ideals, and reflect on a selection of his most celebrated poems. Tickets here.

October 7th
Harry Bingham – When Matt met Harry
Local author Matt Johnson is in conversation with best-selling crime novelist Harry Bingham.  Harry is the author of the Fiona Griffiths series of crime novels, set in Cardiff and featuring a heroine described by the Sunday Times as ‘the most startling protagonist in modern crime fiction … brutal, freakish and totally original’.  Harry’s most recent novel The Deepest Grave is the sixth book in the Fiona Griffiths series.

Wicked Game, by ex-policeman turned author, Matt Johnson, was listed for the 2016 Crime Writers’ Association ‘John Creasey New-Blood Dagger Award’. Tickets here.

October 7th
To mark the 50^th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, the BBC commissioned Owen Sheers to write a film-poem. It is performed by a stellar cast of Wales’s best known acting talent, including Michael Sheen, Jonathan Pryce, Sian Phillips, Eve Myles and Iwan Rheon, with contributions from the local community. The production draws on interviews with survivors, parents and people involved in the rescue operation, many of whom have never before spoken about their experiences. The film went out to critical acclaim on BBC One Wales and BBC Four last year.  This special screening of the BAFTA-nominated film will be introduced by Owen Sheers and followed by a Q&A. Tickets here.

October 7th
Matt Johnson and John Sutherland – Twenty-First Century Policing, Fact and Fiction
Author, Matt Johnson served as a police officer for 21 years. He was present at the 1982 Regents Park bombing and, in 1984, escorted his mortally-wounded friend, Yvonne Fletcher, to hospital at the start of the Libyan Peoples’ Bureau siege. Chief Superintendent John Sutherland was a rising star in the Metropolitan Police who was in charge of policing the London Borough of Southwark, one of the most challenging roles in UK policing. More info and tickets here.

October 7th
Ed Thomas, Ed Talfan & David Wilson – Hinterland

The producers and creators of the cult noir film thriller Hinterland are joined by photographer David Wilson to talk about the silent character in the hit TV show: the landscape of Ceredigion. As an introduction to the book being published by Graffeg in October this year, they will reflect on what the settings have brought to the show, and the impact the show has had on this quiet part of Wales.

October 8th
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the first Sherlock Holmes publication, Professor Bran Nicol will discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles and mention the ‘black dogs’ legend of Powys. Some believe that the inspiration for the novel’s location was Wales, not Devon. Other Sherlock Holmes anniversary texts, such as The Speckled Band (125 years old this year) and His Last Bow (the very last Sherlock Holmes story – written 100 years ago) will also feature. Tickets here. 

October 8th
Horatio Clare – Myths & Legends of the Brecon Beacons
Discover the magic and myths hidden in the rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons. Find Arthur and his Knights sleeping away the decades in a cave, and go on the search for the White Lady of Tretower Court. An exploration of ten stories of myth and legend based in Wales’s famous Brecon Beacons. Written by award-winning local author Horiatio Clare. Tickets here.
Ticket £35 to include a two course supper and wine.