York Festival Of Ideas Online

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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York Festival of Ideas Online

2-14 June 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Poet Vahni Capildeo.
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Taking place 2 to 14 June, this year’s York Festival Of Ideas heads online, with plenty to see and do – the full calendar of activities can be explored here. “Featuring world-class speakers, exhibitions, theatre, music, films, guided walks, family-friendly activities and much more”, events usually take place at venues throughout the city, but for 2020 the festival is “taking a smaller offering into the virtual world” – which is great, because it means we can go too!

Top of the list live literature wise for us is the event Words and Swords, featuring poets Vahni Capildeo and Mary Jean Chan on Sunday 7 June (7-8pm). We’ve seen Vahni read IRL here in Manchester in days of yore, and they are definitely worth checking out again. The Trinidadian poet won the Forward Prize for best poetry collection in 2016 with Measures of Expatriation, which came out on Manchester-based publisher Carcanet, who also published Venus as a Bear, shortlisted for the 2018 Forward Prize for Best Collection. Vahni’s latest book is Odyssey Calling (Sad Press, 2020), and, as Writer in Residence at the University of York’s Department of English and Related Literature, they will be introducing and talking to Mary Jean Chan about her work, exploring the unexpected connections between wordplay and swordplay. The event features live and pre-recorded segments – including fencing demonstrations! – and is a talk followed by a Q&A. (Admission is free, but advance booking is required. The event will be recorded and will be available on YouTube for anyone who might miss the live event on the day. You can now watch this event here.)

Top of the list live literature wise for us is the event Words and Swords, featuring poets Vahni Capildeo and Mary Jean Chan on Sunday 7 June

Originally from Hong Kong, London-based Mary Jean – a poet, lecturer and editor – will read from last year’s Costa Book Award-winning debut poetry collection Flèche (Faber & Faber), currently shortlisted for both the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize and the 2020 Jhalak Prize. Mary Jean has twice been shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, and is the recipient of an Eric Gregory Award. Mary Jean was recently guest co-editor at The Poetry Review, and was due to read at our very own Poets & Players before the event was cancelled as a result of the pandemic.

Scooting around the York Festival Of Ideas website, we’ve also spotted some interesting interactive creative writing workshops – including both cutout poetry and blackout poetry sessions from Found Fiction.

Where to go near York Festival Of Ideas Online

Interior of George St Chapel
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This beautifully restored former Independent Methodist Chapel in the heart of Oldham is as much a creative hub as a heritage landmark.

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Pho Cue

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

Come to Swithens Farm for a great family day out in Leeds. Our farm has plenty to offer whatever age you are!Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around. We now have a farm shop, café, playbarn and petting farm. When we first opened we only had the usual farm animals – cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and it was free entry. We now have llamas, alpacas, meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs, donkeys and a pony.On the working farm, we breed our own cows, pigs and sheep and we sell the meat through the farm shop and the café. If you buy a sausage sandwich from the café the sausage will be from the butcher who has made the sausage by hand using our own pork. We also produce our own free-range eggs.
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Swithens Farm

Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around.

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The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn is a 16th century, family-run, traditional country inn with an impressive dining space. The Peak District at its best.

Testbed Main Space
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TESTBED

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Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
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Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

The Warehouse In Holbeck
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The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

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