Find an Event: Harrogate
Taking place over four-days each July, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival presents an accessible, challenging and entertaining long-weekend of live literature events, engaging 13,000 people each year in lively thought-provoking debates about the written word, the changing roles of writers and readers, and literature’s response to, and effect upon, wider society.
In 2014 authors taking part include Belinda Bauer, Ann Cleeves, John Harvey, S J Watson, Denise Mina, Val McDermid, Laura Lipmann, Robert Galbraith and Sophie Hannah.
The CRA top picks (and tickets are still available at the time of writing are)
Friday 18th July
The Good Old Days?
Getting published used to be straightforward in the old days – or did it? Recent developments in self-publishing have opened up new avenues for today’s budding writers to reach their public and mean that, for some, SAEs and rejection slips are a thing of the past. We speak to Mark Edwards, Mari Hannah, James Oswald and Mel Sherratt, four hugely successful authors who have all forged their own separate paths through the shifting publishing landscape. Chair Martyn Waites will be acting as gatekeeper.
Saturday 19th July
New Blood
Always a highlight of the Festival, the New Blood panel provides a showcase for some of the year’s most outstanding debut crime novels, and Queen of Crime Val McDermid has once again personally selected four brilliant new writers. Ray Celestin, Eva Dolan, Helen Giltrow and Nicola White will be joining Val to discuss their inspirations, aspirations and – of course – their extraordinary first novels. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to discover the stars of tomorrow.
Sunday 20th July
John Harvey interviewed by Mark Billingham
They say that everyone has a book in them, but John Harvey has had more than a hundred. Born in 1938, this highly-acclaimed writer has been publishing for nearly forty years, including novelisations, poetry, westerns and crime, picking up several major awards along the way, including the CWA Diamond Dagger for a Lifetime’s Contribution to the crime genre. His most famous creation, DI Charlie Resnick, first appeared in 1989’s Lonely Hearts, which was named by The Times as one of the hundred greatest crime novels of the century. This year will see Resnick’s swan song in the highly-anticipated Darkness, Darkness. Join us to see an undeniable elder statesman of the crime genre talking to Mark Billingham about his distinguished career and how it feels to bid a final farewell to such a beloved character.
The full programme is here
For more events from CWA members please visit our Find an Event section.
