TAVISTOCK is to host the first ever Dartmoor Literary Festival next year. The event will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Dartmoor Society and will run over the weekend of May 9 to 11 2008. Planning for the festival is still in its early stages, but it is hoped it will feature a mixture of talks, readings, and workshops, and will cover fiction of all genres — including novels, poems, and plays — written about and on Dartmoor. It is also expected that local reading and writing groups, as well as schools in the area, will have the chance to become involved. Chairman of the Dartmoor Society Tom Greeves said Tavistock had been chosen as the venue for the festival because of its central role in Dartmoor's literary history. 'The town can really be called the birthplace of Dartmoor literature,' he said. The earliest Dartmoor poetry was written in the early 17th century by the Tavistock-born William Browne, whose work later influenced both Milton and Keats. And the first novels set on Dartmoor were written in the early 19th century by Anna Eliza Bray — the wife of Tavistock's vicar at that time. Dr Greeves said that he hoped to offer a 'full and varied programme' at the 2008 event, with a particular emphasis on contemporary Dartmoor writing. The 'master of the medieval mystery' Michael Jecks and the historian, literary critic, and biographer of the Union Jack Nick Groom are both already on board for the festival, and the organisers are currently recruiting other speakers. Those interested in receiving further information, or in becoming involved in the event, should send an SAE to The Dartmoor Society, PO Box 38, Tavistock, PL19 0XJ, or telephone Tom Greeves on 01822 617004.
