Festival In The Clouds

The Comedy of Hamlet – Prince of Denmark Street. A masterclass with Clevedon-based graphic artist Kev F Sutherland.

Adrian Webb tells of his family friendship with this Modernist artist, feminist
 and forward thinker, plus a South West Arts video from an acclaimed 2019
 exhibition and reading of Doris Hatt’s script for a 1953 Woman’s Hour
 programme.

Barry Cunningham, OBE, reveals how he gave J.K.Rowling her big break at Bloomsbury after Harry Potter had been rejected by Penguin and many other publishers.

Chief executive Susannah Shaw unveils the fascinating history of one of the oldest continuously-running purpose-built cinemas in the world, with a contribution from Aardman’s Gromit.

Pupils perform their charity songs created in spite of lockdown with an introduction by Sam Thomas, Head of Valley House.

Julia Hallam Elton of Clevedon Court introduces excerpts from Tennyson’s immortal poem In Memoriam A.H.H., which he dedicated to his friend, Arthur Hallam, buried in the town’s St Andrew’s Church.

The Sunday Times best-selling author talks about her prolific writing career, with well over 100 novels and children’s books published. She is also one of the authors behind the internationally best-selling Rainbow Magic series, as Daisy Meadows.

Poets from Clevedon and further afield read a varied selection of their writings.

Discover the fascinating story of the beautiful flower that won the heart of Queen Victoria and watch an episode of the BBC’s Victorian Flower Garden featuring the woman who helped save it from oblivion.

Julian Hight talks about his forest book accompanied by specially-written forest music.

Local historian Jane Lilly unveils the town’s links with many literary figures, including poets Coleridge and Thackeray and authors J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Mollie M Kaye, Jean Saunders and Susan Sallis.

A unique take on the Bard of Avon performed by members of St Andrew’s Church, Clevedon.

Writer, musician, radio producer and teacher Paul Dodgson’s revealing memoir here illustrated with songs and readings.

Authors Chrissey Harrison & Joel Cornah join Clevedon independent bookseller Alistair Sims to discuss producing books for this overlooked category and Chrissey previews her debut novel, Mime, out in June.

Author Katharine Orton tells about the creation of her book, Nevertell, a gorgeous, snowy adventure, set in the wilds of Siberia and full of magic and wonder for junior readers.

Susie Parr, author of the Story of Swimming, unveils the history of this healthy pastime from the Romans to the present day enthusiasts, who enjoy the waters of Clevedon’s Marine Lake and the Bristol Channel throughout the year.

Jane Duffus talks about the inspiring women who fought to shape not only Bristol, but also surrounding towns, including Clevedon.

Children’s author Sue C. Medcalf reads extracts from her popular books for younger readers and tells how her much-loved character was created after a conversation with her sister about badgers digging up her back garden.