Preview: Aspects Irish Literature Festival – Bangor

In its 24th year, Aspects Irish Literature Festival in Bangor is bigger and better than ever. Running from 23 – 27 September, this is a festival which celebrates the written word in all its forms and is a must for literary lovers young and old alike.

At this year’s fest, guest curators Rachel Brown and Brighdín Farren have taken a novel approach to the act of storytelling:

For the Festival programme, we considered storytelling from all angles; to be performed aloud, played and sung, conjured from memory, adapted from foreign tongues, listened to communally, invented on the spot, reinvented by others, navigated by dead reckoning across disciplines and dialects. We are believers in the power of narrative to transform the local and everyday into fantastical other spaces.

There are loads of free and paid events across a variety of venues throughout Bangor, so to help make it easy you can click here for a map to all the venues.

Since there are so many great literary events we’ve had a look at the programme and presented you with our top five picks for the festival, or you can have a look at and download the full programme of events here.

1. Dis-ease Exhibition
   2 – 27 September
   Sync Space (free)
   Poet, Moyra Donaldson and photographic artist, Victoria J. Dean met in 2010. Interested in expanding and challenging their individual practices they collaborated across the disciplines of poetry and visual arts.

   The theme, spans concepts of disease, unease or discomfort. The exhibition consists of a series of images combined with poems or extracts from poems.

   Moyra Donaldson is one of the country’s most distinctive and accomplished writers. Victoria J. Dean has exhibited locally and internationally and her work is held in the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Collection and a number of private collections in the UK and Ireland.

2. Screen Writing Workshop

   with Colin Bateman
   19th September
   Bangor Carnegie Library (£20)
   Colin Bateman, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading writers for film and TV, conducts a masterclass for anyone who has ever dreamed of writing for the screen. This will be a hands-on experience for new writers interested in finding out how the movie and TV businesses work and how to set about creating their screenplay. All you need to bring is an open mind and something to write on.

   Colin Bateman wrote the screenplay for his first movie Divorcing Jack in 1997 and since then has gone on to work regularly on the large and small screens. He created the long-running BBC show Murphy’s Law for James Nesbitt and most recently wrote two series of the Irish language newspaper drama Scoop (Scup) for TG4/BBC. Shooting is about to begin on his new feature film, The Journey, starring Timothy Spall.

   This masterclass is strictly limited to a maximum of 20 writers and the over 18s. No previous screenwriting experience is necessary.

3. Crime Panel
   Wednesday 23 September
   North Down Museum (£8)
   A panel discussion including crime writers Jason Johnson and Kelly Creighton. They will discuss the state of Irish crime fiction, where it has come from and where it’s going to, as well as talking about their recent releases and what they are currently working on.Jason Johnson is a Northern Ireland-based journalist and author. His debut novel, Woundlicker (2005), was a ferociously raw story set in fraught Belfast times. His second book, Alina (2006), won him a reputation for his distinctively gritty style of writing. His third book, Sinker (2014) built on that reputation, with the Irish Independent hailed it, “a jolt to the senses”. Aloysius Tempo, 2015 is his fourth novel.Newtownards author Kelly Creighton, whose 2015 debut novel, The Bones of It, is set in County Down post-Troubles. Described by fellow crime writer Brian McGilloway as ‘a brilliant crime debut, chilling, compulsive and beautifully written’, The Bones of It should also appeal to fans of Patrick McCabe’s The Butcher Boy.
4. Polarbear
   Saturday 26 September
   Festival Marquee (£5)
   Born and raised in the city of Birmingham Steven Camden aka Polarbear is one of the most respected spoken word artists in the UK. After the accidental fall into spoken work, he developed into a fully- fledged spoken work artist known for delivering stories that make complete sense. In his unique performances, language and rhyme patterns from his Hip-Hop roots combined with the day-to- day sentiment of a man trying to figure things out.Funny and compelling, Polarbear is a 21st century wordsmith with his roots in the rhythms of hip hop and his feet firmly on the ground. A sharp line in storytelling and poems. His work has featured on BBC Radio 1, 3, 4 and 6, and he has performed around the world from Kuala Lumpur to California. He leads writing and performance projects nationally and internationally and can usually be found in the kitchen at house parties. Polarbear will headline this spoken word event which will also feature local performance poets.
5. The Supper Room
   Sunday 27th September
   An orchestrated dining experience North Down Museum (£25 per person)Taking our cue from infamous literary dinners where public dining provided both opportunity and guise for deals to be struck, ruses to be hatched, and lovers to meet, we will host a banquet, of sorts, for 50 guests.

   We are inviting you to join us for an evening of dining punctuated with impromptu readings and rhythm by some surprise attendees. This Aspects Finale will have toasts and readings from Aspects writers and audience members are encouraged to give a short toast if and when the moment takes them.

   For information about booking and tickets click here.