An array of international writing talent comes to the Bristol and Bath area during June in a unique festival to celebrate literature from around the world.
A dozen of the best writers and performance poets from across the African Diaspora will be taking part in the Yardstick Festival in Bristol and Bath libraries from June 27th to 30th.
Prestigious authors at the festival include Lorna Goodison, Tanya Shirley, Geoffrey Philp (all Jamaican), Lemn Sissay (British Ethiopian), Warsan Shire (Somali), Mukoma Wa Ngugi (Kenyan), Nick Makoha (Ugandan), Leeto Thale (South African), Jamal Safari (Congolese), Emman Egya Sule (Nigerian), Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Ghana) Dean Atta (British Jamaican) and Chioma Okereke (Nigerian).
Lorna Goodison, Jamaica 50 Cultural Medal of Honour recipient and festival patron, headlines the opening event at Bath central Library on Thursday, June 27th, followed on Saturday with Yardstick’s Griot Globetrotters group performance in Bristol on Friday, June 28th and Bath on Saturday, June 29th. Lemn Sissay at Bristol Central Library will headline the final day on Sunday June 30th. The closing event is a VIP After-show late evening party with poet Dean Atta.
The festival will also include a series of thought provoking panel discussions. These include Rural v Urban, chaired by Chino Odimba (Bristol, June 28th), Lost in Translation chaired by Dee Jarrett-Macauley (Bath, June 29) and Black Publishing chaired by Richard Jones (Bristol, June 30th).
There will also be two schools writing workshops on Friday, June 28th. Warsan Shire and Chioma Okereke will be at City Academy, Redfield. Geoffrey Philp and Jamala Safari will teach with students at North Bristol Post-16 Centre, Cotham. The Centre is providing up to 16 volunteers for the festival.
Councillor David Dixon, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “For the second year running, Bath & North East Somerset Council is proud to welcome inspirational writers and enthusiastic audiences to Bath Central Library for the Yardstick Festival. We’re also presenting a ‘sound portrait’ by Karen Wallis, on Sunday 30 June at 2pm – a free event at the library which offers a fascinating insight into Fairfield House; the place where Haile Selassie lived during his exile from Ethiopia, and which is now used by Bath minority and ethnic groups.”
Councillor Gus Hoyt, Assistant Mayor with responsibility for Neighbourhoods, Environment and Council Housing, said: “This is a thrilling line-up of talent and I’m very pleased that Bristol will be co-hosting this event with Bath. It’s also a brilliant opportunity to celebrate and explore the work of authors, poets and performers from across the African diaspora.”
Richard Dowden, Director of The Royal African Society said: “We are thrilled to be working with Yardstick Festival this year to bring some of the best African authors and literature to Bristol and London, and we look forward to an enduring partnership.”
Emma D’Costa (Commonwealth Writers) said: ”Commonwealth Writers is delighted to partner with Yardstick to celebrate the writers E.E. Sule from Nigeria and Jamala Safari from South Africa. The festival is a great opportunity for them to engage with other writers across the African Diaspora in an inspiring programme of events. This year, both writers were recognised by the Commonwealth Book Prize and Yardstick is an important platform for them to reach out to a wider audience.”
