The 12th edition of the Penzance Literary Festival has started. From July 5-8, Penzance plays host to a wonderful array of talented authors, performers, and poets. In exciting news for lovers of the South West Coast Path, there are several talks and events featuring the Trail and some new books which are likely to appeal.
Mythwalker: Stories from the South West Coast Path with Adam Skerrett
Adam Skerrett is a wandering storyteller, recently returned from a bardic quest to walk the South West Coast Path, trailing the story lines that run through the great myths of this land. You are invited to hear the wonder tale of his walk, woven into the stories of the coast. Expect poetry, myth-telling and adventure; for magic is afoot upon the path!
“Adam is exploring the terrain where myth and landscape collide.” – Dr Martin Shaw, author & myth-teller.
“Adam’s takes the audience on a spellbinding adventure of magic, mystery and fun! He brings forth the qualities of inspiration and mysticism like the Bards of the ancient traditions.” – Jackie Juno, Grand Bard of Exeter 2012 – 2019
Penlee Coach House, Fri 7th, 1pm to 2.30pm £6
TICKETS
In addition to his talk, Adam will be running a series of ‘Myth Walks’ (Sat 8th-Wed 12th). More than just guided walks, these experiences are part pilgrimage, part storytelling event. Walk with wonder along the fabled Cornish coast, and experience the stories brought to life, in the places where they say they happened! Tickets and info: www.mythwalker.co.uk
Landlines: A Journey of Hope, Raynor Winn
SWCPA Ambassador, Raynor Winn, is a long-distance walker who writes about nature, homelessness and our relationship to the land. In her latest book, Landlines, she recounts her most ambitious journey yet, as she and her husband Moth walk 1,000 miles from the north-west corner of Scotland to the south coast of Cornwall. Will nature once again work its magic on Moth’s declining health? Raynor recalls the strangers and friends, the wilderness and the wildlife that they encountered on this journey of hope. Raynor’s first book, The Salt Path, became an international bestseller.
The Acorn, Wed 5th, 5.30pm to 7pm, £6.00
TICKETS
The Granite Kingdom, A Cornish Journey, with Tim Hannigan
The Granite Kingdom is a fascinating, lyrical account of an east-west walk across Cornwall: a distant and exotic Celtic land, domain of tin miners, pirates, smugglers and saints, where mythologies abound. Travel writer Tim Hannigan talks about his zigzagging journey on foot to discover how the real Cornwall – its landscapes, histories, communities and sense of identity – intersects with the many projections and tropes that writers, artists and others have placed upon it.
The Acorn, Thu 6th, 5.30pm to 7pm £6.00
TICKETS
The Draw of the Sea, Wyl Menmuir
Award-winning author Wyl Menmuir’s first venture into full-length, non-fiction, The Draw of the Sea, won the Roger Deakin Award. The ocean fires our imagination, provides joy, solace and play but also wields immense destructive power. The book explores communities whose lives revolve around the coasts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Wyl captures the universal human connection to the sea and interweaves the story of how the sea has beckoned, consoled and restored him.
The Acorn, Thu 6th, 1pm to 2.30pm £6.00
TICKETS
Cornwall beyond the Coast Path, with Des Hannigan
A cheerful gallop up and down the Cornish cliffs in the company of Victorian botanists, early miners, writers, photographers and random eccentrics, who have (mostly) come back alive, many to write fascinating books. Seating is secure…but fasten your safety belts.
St John’s Hall, Thu 6th, 11am to 12.30pm £6.00
TICKETS
The Restorative Power of the Natural World, Sophie Pierce and Freya Bromley with Cathy Rentzanbrink
Freya is the author of The Tidal Year which is a true story about the healing power of wild swimming and the space it creates for reflection, rewilding, and hope. She spent a year swimming in Britain’s tidal pools. The adventure took her from a pool hidden in the cliffs of fishing-village Polperro to the quarry lagoon of Abereiddi via Trinkie Wick where locals meet each year to give the pool wall a fresh lick of paint. An exploration of grief in the modern age, it’s also a tale of loss, love, female rage and sisterhood. Plus, it includes writing about the stunning South West Coast Path!
“In Cornwall, Miri and I had hiked the South West Coast Path, swam in secret coves, filled our pockets with sea glass and drove for miles across clifftop roads to find tidal pools. I’d tried to find Tom in each one. I looked hard for him. One of the many strange things about someone you love dying is that they’re both everywhere and nowhere. Was Tom in the sunset? Probably not. I hadn’t found him in the water at Trevone Bay or in the sky at Mousehole or the wind that whistled through the grass at Priest’s Cove. But in each place I’d thought about him. I would keep looking. For the moment, he was in the search and the search was taking me to tidal pools.”
The Acorn Theatre, Fri 7 July, 3pm £6.00
TICKETS
For more details about the Penzance Literary Festival go to: https://www.pzlitfest.co.uk
Penzance Literary Festival is a registered charity no 1168422. Its mission is to entertain audiences and nurture a love of reading and books in the local community.
The South West Coast Path 