After a brief foray online during the lockdowns, we at Margate Bookie returned to the seaside, setting up shop once again in the Turner Contemporary. It was great to be back on home sands, and with a brilliant line-up for the lit fest, we were keen to get going.

Kicking us off were IsleWrite with the launch of their anthology, twentythirty. The amazing readings of the creative pieces found within its pages were a treat to see and hear, and a great way to start the festival off. Next up was Chloe Timms, taking centre stage for the first time chatting with Susannah Wise about her new book, The Seawomen, and her life as a debut author. It’s been wonderful to see Chloe develop and grow as a writer over the years and we’re looking forward to seeing so much more from her.

The afternoon took us into Zoe Gilbert‘s sold out creative writing workshop, exploring seaside stories, salty tales and how they’ve inspired us to write our own. And we did just that, with Zoe’s expert help and inspiring anecdotes. Then easing us into the evening, Vanguard Readings chatted about and read from their latest anthology. It really wouldn’t be Bookie without Vanguard, and we’re so glad that year on year, they return to bring their incredible readings to our lit fest.

Our day didn’t stop there though, as our fabulous founder and CEO Andreas Loizou took us off to the Lifeboat to celebrate the release of his latest book, The Story is Everything, a masterclass of storytelling for business.  And after a busy day, we also cheered in the end of our first day back, excited for Day 2.