The FIRST FREE Oxford Independent Book Fair hopes to revive the early days of the Oxford Literary Festival when local as well as international authors could be heard .(See below about who is coming) .On Nov 6, exhibitors include local writers groups and small publishers as well as single authors some published by well-known companies ,others by Indies and some self published . Entry and the programme of talks are FREE to make it an inclusive and welcoming event. It’s in the friendly newly refurbished Wesley Memorial Halls ,
Joint organiser Ray Foulk is one of the speakers. Ray is best known for stealing Dylan from Woodstock in 1969. His friend Gary Browning has just edited DYLAN@80 Stealing Dylan OLE MAY
The ever popular Korky Paul will run a family workshop and Novel Entertainment have agreed to sponsor us.
Our youngest exhibitor is Alex White (17) Get Your Books On endorsed by Chris Packham.
There will be a Sci Fi café, poets, local historians and children’s writers and much more.(see programme below)
In the ever popular crime genre, Peter Tickler’s novels are set in Oxford and Marissa da Luna’s in Goa where she was born. John Mair will launch MORSE, LEWIS, ENDEAVOUR AND OXFORD. CELEBRATING 35 YEARS ON SCREEN
I’ll flag up the film Beijing Spring featuring the untold story I wrote about in Brushstrokes in Time – that of the Stars Art Movement. This group of frustrated artists wanted to be free to express themselves and they marched under a banner to Tiananmen Square which said, ‘in politics we want democracy and in art freedom.’ This was 1979 not 1989. Few people anywhere had heard of them so I was determined to tell their story. The sculptor Wang Keping told me that before they marched, ‘I burned all my diaries, all my letters, anything with a name on it because I didn’t think I’d be coming back.’
If the fair is a success we hope it will be a model that can spread the joy of reading. Oxib just published its 5th online magazine. It includes inspirational stories especially Sarah Gray who has Motor Neuron Disease but courageously continues to write (Her stories are admired by Tracy Chevalier and Clare Balding.) Claret Press will have her books on sale on Nov 6. Read her story in
https://www.oxfordindiebookfair.co.uk/oxford-indie-book-fair-magazine/oibf-magazine-issue-5/
15 min book launches.
10.30: Heather Rosser: (Chairman of OWG) Coming of Age in Botswana .
11.00: Steve Sheppard’s comedy spy thriller Bored to Death in the Baltics
11 .30: John Mair: What price Channel 4 NOW?’
12.00: ffiona Perigrinor Reluctant Pilgrim
12.30: Susie Stead: Stephen from the Inside Out – A personal story of Mental Health, Autism and a remarkable friendship.
1.00: Kamal Lather: How to Find Your Inner Demons, Destroy Them and Set Yourself Free
1.30: Weimin He: The Tower of the Winds
2.00: Sylvia Vetta: Not so Black and White; (with a message from co -author Nancy Mudenyo Hunt from Kenya)
All sales of Not so Black and White will go to help build the FIRST community library in west Kenya.
2.30: Caroline Foulk/Bonnie Hundley ‘Grr..ub! poems about food by dogs.’
3.00: Richard O.Smith: Oxford Z-A: 1000 Years of History in 26 Letters
3.30: Martin Stott (Chairman of WiO) Wear a mask! Oxford Pandemic Portraits.
4.00: John Mair: Morse, Lewis, Endeavour and Oxford: A guide celebrating 35 years on screen.
Meet the Organisers
The organisers (from left)
Ray Foulk : stole Dylan from Woodstock in 1969 and wrote about it in Stealing Dylan from Woodstock followed by The Last Great Event and, with his daughter Caroline, has written his first novel Picasso’s Revenge.
James Harrison: Oxfordfolio. James has spent a lifetime’s career in publishing and his expertise is at your service if you wish for help in self-publishing your fiction or nonfiction book.
Sylvia Vetta: wrote the popular 10 year Oxford Castaway series in The Oxford Times. Her three novels explore love, race, identity and freedom. Sculpting the Elephant is set in Oxford and India, Brushstrokes in Time in China and the USA and Not so Black and White in London and Kenya.
Andy Severn: Oxford eBooks – Specialists in eBook design and digital print publishing since 2010. Publishing over 70 of their own books and producing literally thousands of titles for independent authors and publishers both locally and world-wide. Speak with Andy at the fair about getting your project
Here’s the PDF of the free brochure: OXIBF Programme – reordered pages
I look forward to seeing you on November 6