Don’t Miss: Words Change Things Festival
Ideas, activism and literature come together at this new free weekend festival. Don’t miss out.
A weekend of ideas, activism and action is coming to Margate at the start of May, as authors, artists and community organisers gather for Words Change Things, a free mini-festival exploring how creativity and writing can shift the world around us.
Running from Thursday 30 April to Sunday 4 May, the event is organised by Dan Thompson Studios with support from Marine Studios, Union Church, The Margate Bookshop and a wider constellation of collaborators including Craftivist Collective, Margate Pride and Vanishing Point.
It opens on Thursday night with two events running in parallel.
At Marine Studios, author John Grindrod (Iconicon, Concretopia) discusses his new book Tales of the Suburbs, a collection of LGBTQ+ stories set in suburban Britain, in conversation with place-making expert Dr Cara Courage. Doors open at 7pm.
Across town at the Fort Road Hotel Bar, comedian and broadcaster Robin Ince talks about his personal exploration of anxiety, ADHD and neurodiversity, in his book Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal, in conversation with author Ellen Jones.
Join Robin Ince talking about his book Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal
Fri 1 May
Friday brings Marine Studios alive as an activist hub, with a morning writing session from 9.30am to 1pm followed by a free shared lunch, an open invitation to bring food and meet the people making things happen.
The lunch runs again on Saturday and Sunday at the same time.
Friday evening is First Friday at Marine Studios, with:
The Ragged Optimist collecting 100 good ideas for the Isle of Thanet
Sarah P Corbett of Craftivist Collective leading stitch-based activism
And the launch of a new Vanishing Point project rooted in Arlington House
Marine Studios Secret Postcard Auction
Also launching that day: the Marine Studios Secret Postcard Auction, where A6 artworks by artists including Margo in Margate, Hermetic Sign Company and Cat Neil are available to bid on, signed on the reverse so you won't know what you've bought until it's yours. Bidding opens at 11am Friday and runs all weekend.
Sat 2 May
Saturday expands into Union Church on Union Crescent, with:
Ameditative labyrinth
Workshops with Sarah Corbett and poet Connor Sansby
A Queer God? Why God Talk Matters, at 3pm.
Back at Marine Studios, Travis Elborough reads from Letters To Change The World at 2pm ahead of a letter-writing workshop.
The evening closes with Activist Fiction, a conversation between Seth Insua (Human, Animal, BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick) and Emily Buchanan (Send Flowers) on fiction, activism and imagining a better future.
Everything is free, all weekend long.
For more go to Dan Thompson’s blog.
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