THE organisers of a popular writing festival in Gwent are “more excited than ever” to be returning to a face-to-face event this year.
The Abergavenny Writing Festival, first held back in 2016, brings together people who are passionate about all forms of writing – regardless of their age or ability – and provides a series of workshops and sessions with recognised writers.
Now a well-established event on the Abergavenny calendar, it will return to the town on April 9 and is to be held across three days.
It follows the disappointment of being one of the first festivals to fall victim to the coronavirus pandemic back in 2020.
And despite running a successful virtual festival in November of that year, its founder Lucie Parkin said there was something irreplaceable about having people back together again under one roof.
“It’s magical really,” Ms Parkin told the Free Press. “It’s a great feeling to be back and I’d say I’m more excited than ever for this year’s festival, being the first one back since Covid.
“Although we were able to put on a really successful virtual event during Covid, having people back together face-to-face and thinking creatively is so important.
“I suppose the one silver lining to come out of holding the festival online is that we learned a lot from that – and we’ll still continue to record our sessions this year.”
This year’s festival focuses on the theme of transformation and will be held at its usual location in the Kings Arms pub, as well as some sessions in the Melville theatre.
Ms Parkin, who moved to Abergavenny from London in 2012, said the ethos of the festival had always been about encouraging anyone with an interest in writing to take part.
“It’s not a literary festival, it’s for everyone,” she said.
“We’re all about encouraging people to write for themselves and to just have a go.
“I think we’re all writers and that there’s no such thing as good or bad writers – everybody can express themselves through words, whether that’s song-writing or journalism.
“We’ve all been through a pretty tough time with Covid and the lockdowns – and we’ve all had to find things to do during that time, like writing.
“And there’s no pressure for anyone to share their work – it’s just about providing a community hub and a welcoming space for writers.
“We’ve got some sessions this year targeting specific groups – so we’re running a men’s-only session this year and there are plenty of great things going on for kids to get involved in.”
What’s more, the festival is also hosting a youth writing competition – with the winners receiving mentoring sessions from local writers.
“We’ve been reaching out to schools across Monmouthshire and further afield,” Ms Parkin added.
“It’s open for kids from Year 3 to Year 13, and we’re asking them to write something along the theme of what they would transform in 2022.
“The deadline is Monday, February 28 and we’d love to get as many submissions as possible.
“The winners will receive mentoring sessions from local writers Jonathan Edwards, Connor Allen and Rufus Mufasa.”
And for Ms Parkin, there’s nothing quite like getting a bunch of people who love writing together in a place like Abergavenny.
“There’s a lot of creativity in the town,” she added.
“Everybody here has been so welcoming since a moved and there’s always been huge support for the writing festival – it’s the buzz of new things starting here that you just don’t get anywhere else.”
Abergavenny Writing Festival will run April 9-11.
You can submit your entry for the youth writing competition by emailing entries@abergavennywritingfestival.com.
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