The joyous celebration of literature aka Crossing the Tees Book Festival, normally runs in libraries across the Tees Valley returns on Wednesday 9th June and runs until Saturday 19th June. However, due to the uncertain nature of a pandemic, this year’s event will be hosted in its entirety online. Meaning a safer and more accessible event but one that’s still filled with all the fun and festivities of previous years.
Making things even more accessible is the decision to price a majority of events on a Pay What You Decide basis, meaning that participants get to choose a price they are comfortable paying. The moving of this year’s festival to an online format also ensures that event capacity will not be limited by social distancing and that the organisers have been able to secure some exciting events that might not have otherwise been possible.
If you like books of any genre, then there will be something in this year’s event for you.
Highlights include:
- Award-winning environmental journalist Tim Smedley discusses his book Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution on Wednesday 9th June
- A contemporary poetry workshop led by Linda France, followed by readings from Manchester based poet Hafsah Aneela Bashir on Thursday 10th June
- A session with bestselling crime fiction author Vaseem Khan will take readers on a journey from the days of the Raj to the heart of modern India, a colourful and conflicted environment of vast new wealth and historical problems. How do you fit an elephant into a crime story? Find out on Friday 11 June.
- Poet Anna Woodford will lead a writing workshop based on themes of nostalgia, memory and childhood to tie in with former Coronation Street writer Keith Hutson’s fantastic poetry collection Baldwin’s Catholic Geese which he will be reading from. Saturday 12 June.
- An online murder-mystery night with Tall Tales Mystery. With a nod to Peaky Blinders, Murder & Flat Caps will see attendees trying to figure out a classic whodunnit. Ask the right questions, find the clues and become Top Detective on Monday 14 June.
- On Tuesday 15th June, join Laura Degnan, founder of Writers’ Block North East as she chats to a panel of three massively popular writers including Linda Green (The Last Thing She Told You), CJ Cooke (The Blame Game) and Clara Barley (The Moss House).
- Nancy Revell will be hosting a tea and chat session focusing on her wildly popular Shipyard Girls series of novels on Wednesday 16th June.
- Sci-fi writer and publisher Gillie Hatton will host authors GX Todd and Claire North on Thursday 17th June, as they chat about sci-fi and fantasy fiction and their own work.
- The Perfect Crime Author Panel takes place on Friday 18th June and is hosted by Dr Noir (aka Dr Jacky Collins) with special guests William Shaw, Trevor Wood and Nell Pattison.
There are also a number of online workshops on Saturday 19th June, including sessions on how to get published, genre fiction, children’s book writing, and how to market your work. These are priced at £4 per session or all four for £12.
Visit the Crossing The Tees Book Festival website for full schedule details.
