For the people...with a Chocolat topping

4:48pm Wednesday 27th February 2008

Literature festivals are notorious for attracting writers who can't read well and audiences who can't write well.

The vanity implicit among the former leads to a certain amount of malice aforethought among the latter, although mainstream English festival audiences are usually too polite to sound off at pretentious authors.

Perhaps with this in mind, the organisers of this year's Huddersfield Literary Festival are focusing on the spoken and sung word as well as how words are used to create character, plot and dialogue.

Among the guest readers will be Joanne Harris, author of the best-selling Chocolat.

Michael Stewart, Bradford-based writer and artist, is co-organiser of the two-week event along with poet Rommi Smith.

He said: "When I was asked to programme the festival I was very cautious about booking big names. We had Andrew Motion (the Poet Laureate) opening last year and he was a waste of money (he asked for £3,000 but settled for £1,500). He read out three poems and waffled on about his childhood. I was bored to tears.

"I don't, as a rule, enjoy literary festivals. This used to puzzle me, because I love literature. But in my experience literary festivals are populated by self-important, puffed-up writers and wannabe self-important puffed-up writers.

"The audiences look like they've been taken from the local morgue and propped up.

"The emphasis therefore this year, is to make this a people' festival, to celebrate the human spirit, to come together as a community and share our experiences, and to make the festival animated with a whole range of spoken, sung, read and performed words.

"The effect, I hope, will be to broaden the appeal and bring in a more lively and diverse audience."

Here is a sample of what's on offer.

On March 7, former Archers scriptwriter and playwright Louise Page will be talking about the creation of credible characters in both stories and drama.

Two days later Bradford novelist Yunis Alam will be talking to Michael Stewart about Made in Bradford, his collection of interviews with Pakistani men in Bradford.

This particular event begins with a performance of The Young Revolutionaries by a group of writers.

Then on March 10, a friendly and informal workshop by Generation T&T looks at how to utter sharply-spoken poetry and lyrics.

The following day, writer Lisa Ward will be exploring the idea that words have the power to heal. On the same day Michael will be conducting a workshop on how to write dialogue that is appropriate to character.

The actor Patrick Stewart had expressed doing something for the festival along the lines of the spoken word, but rehearsals for the Broadway version of Macbeth will be keeping him busy in New York.

However, his absence will be more than compensated for by the presence of Joanne Harris. On March 15 she will be at The Media Centre, Northumberland Street, to read from her new novel The Lollipop Shoes.

Bradford writer Nick Toczek, will be presenting his The Million Miles A Minute Show on March 15, and then on the final day, at the Media Centre, he will be taking part in a rhyme, reggae and roots fusion with rapper D'bo and Dan Man.

There are open mic spots, competitions, workshops, master classes, talks and performances.

And if all that wasn't enough, I'll be doing a poetry reading at 7pm on March 12 and a poetry tutorial at midday two days later.

• Huddersfield Literary Festival takes place at various venues in Huddersfield from next Friday to March 16. Some events are free. The online brochure is available at litfest.org.uk; the box office number is (01484) 430528; and the online ticket address is lawrencebatleytheatre.co.uk

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