Dear Festival Friends,

Excitement is building for the seventh Stroud Book Festival, which gets under way in a week’s time on Wednesday 2^nd November.

Thanks to all the comforts and consolations that books provide, we hope that many of our events will be a brilliant distraction from the news agenda. But it wouldn’t be Stroud Book Festival if we didn’t also engage with turbulent times.

So here are two events that have become even more topical since we first programmed them.

“Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval” with Gaia Vince, on Thursday 3^rd November at Lansdown Hall, 8.00-9.00pm, and chaired by Stroud Book Festival Programme Director, Caroline Sanderson. In her book of the same name, Gaia draws on a wealth of scientific research and her own travels to argue that migration is not only necessary in the face of the floods, wildfires, temperature rises and droughts which accompany the climate crisis, but has historically enabled humans to survive and prosper… and can do so again.

You can read Caroline’s interview with Gaia Vince here.

“The Power of Protest” on Guy Fawkes’ Night (see what we did there?), Saturday 5^th November at the Sub Rooms, 8.00-9.00pm brings together three expert speakers – Sabrina Pace-Humphreys, Howard Caygill, and Gail Bradbook of Extinction Rebellion, chaired by Sarah Dunant – in a debate about the legitimacy and effectiveness of acts of resistance – from Black Lives Matter to throwing soup over Sunflowers (link to event).

Finally, a reminder that we’re launching this year’s Stroud Book Festival with a free event on our first night – Wednesday 2^nd November – at which we’ll be announcing the winners of the first ever Laurie Lee Prize for Writing.  Join us at the Sub Rooms, 6.00-7.00pm to hear from our prize judges, meet our winners, and listen to readings of the winning entries (link to vent)

You can browse all our events online via the Stroud Book Festival website, and via this handy flipbook.

Or if you prefer to peruse one of our printed brochures, these are available free from Stroud Sub Rooms, Stroud Bookshop, Stroud Library, Oxfam and many other venues across the Five Valleys.

You can book tickets for these, and all our other events via the box office at Stroud Sub Rooms – www.subrooms.co.uk. You can also book by phone – 01453 796880 – or in-person (Tuesday-Saturday).

Please do keep an eye on our website for the latest news at stroudbookfestival.org.uk. And a reminder that if you are on social media, you can also follow us for updates.

Twitter: @bookstroud

Facebook: facebook.com/stroudbookfestival

Instagram: instagram.com/stroudbookfestival

We look forward to seeing you very soon.

With love from

The Stroud Book Festival team x