Books

Get ready for the London Word Festival

Jon Davis | Friday 18 March, 2011 16:21

For those of you who are after a true celebration of the humble word, events which find a fresh and exciting approach to those little sounds that spill out of our mouths, look no further than London Word Festival. Now in its fourth year, this East London literary festival is as far removed from those stale, celebrity ridden festivals as an aardvark from a zyxt (Kentish second singular indicative present form of the verb see) and boasts a host of exhilarating poets, writers, musicians and comedians.

Running from the 7th April to 5th May, it’s a month packed to its literary gills with cross-artform shenanigans in East London most interesting venues. Take a trip to the Richmix Café and listen to Cybraphon an autonomous emotional robotic indie band. Hear as comedians, writers and performers argue over Books vs. Cigarettes or find out why it’s so hard to say you’re sorry).
Libraries are at the forefront of this year’s festival, whether it’s an exploration of their futuristic possibilities, an examination of their silent spaces or simply a final farewell.

With the likes of Alan Moore, Tom Basden, Joe Dunthorne, FOUND, Josie Long, Jack Underwood, Christian Bok and many more taking part, and the opportunity to stretch your vocab muscles at the Scrabble Sunday Tournament this is surely the literary festival for those who hate the term ‘literary festival’.

Here’s a little trailer of (Snipe favourite) Ross Sutherland’s exploration of his longest running collaborating partner… his computer. Ross will be exploring this relationship and robot poetry at the lit-bot extravaganza Man/Machine.

London Word Festival runs from the 7th April to the 5th May at various venues in East London. To purchase tickets visit www.londonwordfestival.com

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