Sunshine, butterflies, and a pensive woman in red

As Swindon’s Town Hall clock struck 12 at midday on Thursday 17th March in the Central Library’s Courtyard, the twenty-third Swindon Festival of Literature programme was unveiled!
Never was the sky so blue. We were blessed with sunshine, and the warmest day of the year so far, for our customary outdoor launch.

Festival followers mingled with dignitaries, dogs, and Swindon artists. Focaccia and Lower Shaw Farm apple juice was on one set of tables, while piles of programmes were on the others.

The painting, by Tim Carroll, of the Pensive Woman in Red, reproduced by designer Jane Stephens on programme cover, banner, and postcards, was everywhere, catching the eye and inviting us to read, think, and connect.

Swindon Open Studios spokeswoman Jane Milner-Barry spoke warmly about the happy collaboration between artists and the Festival; and concert guitarist Richard Durrant transported us with a musical trail for his Festival appearance on 9th May with a magical rendition of Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios by Paraguayan composer Agostin Barrios.
Proceedings concluded with a short walk into the heart of Swindon’s prize-winning Central Library for the unveiling of Gordon Dickinson’s beautiful Butterfly Wall.

Next step for us all is to mark diaries and get tickets, before they all go, for a succession of fascinating talks, discussions, competitions, and performances from 2nd to 14th May.

Look forward to seeing you then!

Matt
matt@lowershawfarm.co.uk

http://www.swindonviewpoint.com/video/swindon-literature-festival-2016

http://www.swindonviewpoint.com/video/swindon-loves-literature

Photographs by Jennifer Berry & Richard Wintle