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As always, the festival theme is inspired by a phrase from the eponymous poet in the search beyond the current crisis for a brighter present and better future.
“The black cloud / is a happy portent / for dwellers in the drylands / waiting for the monsoon” (from For a Moment of Darkness Over the Nations)
This year’s collection of talks, recitals and discussions are free, running from Thursday 30 July to Saturday 1 August. If you register, you’ll receive a link to the online videoes. Some highlights from the programme schedule:
Friday 31 at 4pm // Writer and broadcaster Misha Glenny delivers a talk on The Four Horsemen of the Modern Apocalypse, addressing the most pressing issues facing the international order today, followed by a discussion with poet, musician and critic Cahal Dallat.
Friday 31 at 5.30pm // Irish novelist Eimear McBride (Girl is a Half-formed Thing and The Lesser Bohemians) in conversation with local author Jan Carson. McBride’s new novel Strange Hotel is described as “urgent and immersive … a novel of enduring emotional force”.
Saturday 1 August at 5.30pm // Out of My Time: John Hewitt on Brexit, COVID, Shifting Borders and Altered Identities – a panel discussion with poet and academic Gerry Dawe, novelist and lecturer, Heather Richardson, and chaired by Cahal Dallat. Hewitt’s words are much quoted, but what can or can’t they tell us about community, identity, and the importance of the arts in these fraught times?
While the talks are free, the organisers would appreciate donations to allow them to continue to provide entertaining and challenging content in these hard times for the arts. Or if you become a Friend of the Society: for a regular donation of £5 a month you’ll get a 10% discount on stock books from partner bookshop No Alibis.
Alan Meban. Tweets as @alaninbelfast. Blogs about cinema and theatre over at Alan in Belfast. A freelancer who writes about and reports from civic, academic and political events, reviews cultural performances, chairs discussions, and live-tweets, streams and records lectures and conferences. He delivers social media training, coaching and consultancy, produces podcasts, is a member of Ofcom’s Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland, FactCheckNI board member, and is a member of the Corrymeela Community.
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