Fishguard is LIT festival to take place this weekend

Fishguard is LIT is the first literature-focused festival to take place at the West Wales Arts Centre, bringing together a book launch, readings, writers' workshops, and local food.

The festival, on November 22 and 23, will kick off with a free reading by the Flow Collective.

This group of writers will present material from their new publication 'Listen', which is inspired by the Pembrokeshire landscape, sea, and community.

At 7pm, a Literary Supper will delve into themes of land, language, and cultural identity in Wales and Ireland.

Special guests include Carwyn Graves, an apple expert and author, Professor Diarmait Mac Giolla Chríost, an Irish academic specialising in linguistic minorities and language planning, and Luke Waterson, an award-winning novelist, travel writer, copywriter, and scriptwriter.

These guests will discuss how arts and culture help anchor us in a rapidly changing world.

For the young readers, pupils in Year 5 and 6 from The Holy Name Primary School will meet Nicola Davies at Fishguard Library.

She will be sharing her book 'Skrimsli' with the pupils.

Ms Davies, who initially trained as a zoologist, has authored more than 50 books for children, including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Her work has been published in at least 10 languages and has won major awards in the UK, US, France, Italy, and Germany.

For aspiring writers, acclaimed author Cynan Jones will be offering a masterclass on Saturday at 2pm.

The workshop, focusing on 'Inhabiting your Fiction', costs £15 and must be booked in advance.

Mr Jones, from near Aberaeron, has had his fiction, which includes five novels and numerous short stories, appear in over 20 countries.

His latest piece, 'Pulse', was published in The New Yorker in early May.

Mr Jones will also be reading and inviting conversation at the Literary Supper from 7pm.

This will be followed by 'Seven Poems of Stillness', R.S. Thomas music composed by Hilary Tann, performed by cellist Daniel Davies.

Mr Davies studied cello with Leonid Gorokhov at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

He was also a scholar to Yale University’s prestigious Summer School of Chamber Music and was a Britten Pears Young Artist.

Tickets for this event are £35, and advance booking is essential.

Fishguard is LIT aims to provide an intimate festival experience, with warm and welcoming events including readings, conversation, and music over supper each evening.

The festival takes pride in offering attendees the chance to engage with literary culture without having to travel to the city.

Organisers promise a 'bijou festival' at a 'special venue', offering a sense of community and belonging.