Daunt Books is introducing its first ever Summertown Day Festival with an extraordinary line-up of top writers, award winning authors, events and even a Sherlock Holmes performance at the independent bookshop.
“We have a big garden here at the shop which hasn’t been used so when author Mick Herron suggested a day festival around story-telling here, the two seemed to tie in together perfectly,” Daunt Books’ Andrew Murton explains. “So Daunt Books Summertown Day Festival is aimed at all ages and features all kinds of events.”
“Mick is an amazing champion of the shop and worked hard to get all the authors on board, so we have landscaped the garden and put up a marquee, Grape Minds are providing the wine and Tap Social the craft beer, to make it an event to remember,” Andrew adds.
Think award winning Philip Pullman, best known for the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, whose third Book of Dust, The Rose Field, will be published on October 23, who will be in conversation with Nell Frizzell talking about his life and work.
A top crime writing panel made up of Mick Herron, Simon Mason, Cara Hunter, JP Delaney and Olivia Kiernan, will interview each other in turn and discuss the story-telling in their globally renowned books, which is expected to be another huge draw.
Barbara Trapido author of seven novels including Brother of the More Famous Jack and Frankie & Stankie, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, will be in conversation with fellow writer Nell Frizzell, who has written non-fiction including Holding the Baby and novel Cuckoo.
Children will enjoy cartoonist and writer Neill Cameron, creator of the award-winning Mega Robo Bros series and How to Make Awesome Comics, Freddy vs School, Freddy and the New Kid and Freddy the Superstar. His latest book is Donut Squad: Take Over the World which he will discuss with bookseller Ulric van den Bogaerde.
Or discover the magical woodland world of the Finders with Rachel Chivers Khoo, author of The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice and The Magician Next Door, at this magical storytelling event based around her brand-new series Finders of Silverthorn Forest.Â
Back by popular demand, Andrew Murton will be performing The Master Blackmailer by Arthur Conan Doyle in the bookshop, based on the Sherlock Holmes short story, with direction by award winning film director Leon Chambers. The performance will be followed by a short conversation between Andrew and Nell Frizzell.
And Sunday Times bestselling author Eve Chase of suspense mysteries The Glass House, The Birdcage, The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde and Black Rabbit Hall is in conversation with Scottish-Palestinian author Anbara Salam about her latest novel The Midnight Hour when a mother walks out of her house one evening and doesn’t return.
So all-in-all an incredible day and evening of literary events to be had on Saturday June 15 at Daunt Books. Book individual tickets to the events here https://dauntbooks.co.uk/events/?venue=summertown
But as the Philip Pullman event has already sold out you’d better get your skates on!
Daunt Books is at 247-249 Banbury Road, Summertown. OX2 7H
