THE BIG BOOKIE
WEEKEND
FRIDAY
04/10
SUNDAY
06/10
The friendly litfest by the sea awaits you!
The Bookie takes place across Margate at Turner Contemporary, The Margate School, Marine Studios and Wildes from Saturday 28th September to Sunday 6th October.
We’ve grown the festival to nine days to showcase Margate’s thriving literary scene. Stars include Helen Lederer, Jeremy Deller, Lisa Jewell, Robin Ince, Pauline Black and Daisy Buchanan. Plus the Children’s Festival, Poetry Slam, literary walks and a full weekend of Creative Writing.
Get on the mailing list for ticket announcements.
Get your Early Bird Weekend passes!
Margate Bookie Full Weekend Pass / £48 (Early bird until Midnight 15.09.24) / £58
Margate Bookie Saturday Pass / £28 (Early bird until Midnight 15.09.24) / £32
Margate Bookie Sunday Pass / £24 (Early bird until Midnight 15.09.24) / £28
Saturday 5th October
11am - 12 noon | Turner Contemporary
Harry Baker - Wonderful!
After a sellout Edinburgh Fringe Run and subsequent 40-date UK Tour, World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker is back with a brand new show celebrating the wonder that is being alive.
Featuring brand new poems about wellies, postcodes and his favourite German wheat beer Schöfferhofer, the maths-loving, TED-talking, German-speaking, battle-rapping, happy-crying, self-bio-writing unashamed human brings his signature playfulness and poignancy that has made him a fan favourite and reached millions of people all over the world.
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World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker is a poet and a maths graduate. His work has been shared on TED.com and viewed by millions online but is even better in person. He’s excited to be bringing Wonderful back to his beloved hometown of Margate!
“Simply put... The greatest performer on earth” ***** (BBC Radio 1)
12.30pm - 1.30pm | Turner Contemporary
Lisa Jewell - None of This is True
The Queen of UK Crime in conversation wth Ayo Onatade
There is twist after twist after twist in Lisa Jewell’s latest masterpiece – with one of the most jaw-dropping “didn’t see it coming” moments at the end!
Join Lisa as she chats toxic relationships, manipulation, coercion and family secrets – and learn more about when and where you might see Lisa’s unforgettable stories on screen.
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Lisa’s first book , Ralph’s Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another eighteen novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone and The Family Upstairs (all of which were Richard & Judy Book Club picks). Lisa is a NewYork Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages.
This is Lisa’s second visit to the Bookie – be sure to buy your tickets early!
2pm - 3pm | Turner Contemporary
Too Much Pressure! The Two Tone Story with Pauline Black, Daniel Rachel and Cheri Amour
Lead singer and songwriter in The Selecter, Pauline Black, and musician-turned-author Daniel Rachel, talk about their pivotal roles within the two-tone movement.
In conversation with author and journalist Cheri Amour, Pauline and Daniel reflect on identity and belonging against a backdrop of racial tensions in 1970s England, and how they continue to share their stories through their work to the present day.
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2 Tone exploded into the national consciousness in 1979. Records by The Specials, The Selecter and Madness burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born – 2 Tone was black and white, a multi-racial force of British and Caribbean island musicians singing about social issues, racism, class and gender struggles.
Pauline Black, lead singer and songwriter in The Selecter, is an undisputed icon of British music and recipient of an OBE for her services to entertainment. Supporting and campaigning for racial equality throughout her work, Pauline is also the author of Black by Design, her story of music, race, family and roots.
Daniel Rachel is the author of Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters – a Guardian and NME Book of the Year. His latest book, Too Much Too Young (A Times / Sunday Times Book of the Year) maps out the journey of 2 Tone Records, one of the UK’s most influential record labels, which shook up the nation with its rebellious spirit.
Cheri Amouris a freelance writer, editor, and author championing underrepresented voices on air, online, and in print. Her 33 1/3 book, Come Away With ESG, is out now via Bloomsbury.
3.30pm - 4.30pm | Turner Contemporary
Crime and Consequence – David Whitehouse and Dorothy Koomson in conversation with Ayo Onatade
Three writers with very different real life experience discuss the blurring boundaries between true crime and fiction.
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David Whitehouse is an award winning author and screenwriter who lives in Margate. About a Son tells the true story Colin Hehir’s search for the shocking truth of how his son Morgan’s murder came to be.
Dorothy Koomson is a contemporary British novelist of Ghanaian descent. She has been described as "Britain's biggest selling black author of adult fiction".
Ayo Onatade is a CWA Red Herring award winning freelance commentator on crime fiction. She also writes articles, gives papers and moderates panels.
Sunday 6th October
11am - 12 noon | Turner Contemporary
14 Anthology Launch
14 magazine is an annual poetry magazine devoted to poems of fourteen lines only and is published by Vanguard Editions.
An ethos for Vanguard Editions is to provide a platform for new, unpublished voices. Last year, the 14 Anthology launch was a sold out marvel. Book early this year to hear 14 magical writers!
Catherine Balaq Russell Cunningham Rachel Curzon Barnaby Harsent
David Harsent Jan Heritage Emilie Jelinek Evalyn Lee Fawzia Muradali Kane
12.30pm - 1.30pm | Turner Contemporary
You’re Booked! Live podcast recording with special guest star Helen Lederer and host Daisy Buchanan
Join us for a live recording of the You’re Booked podcast with the comedy suprema Helen Lederer.
Hosted by local novelist and journalist, Daisy Buchanan, the podcast is for literary nosy parkers who would like the chance to snoop around their favourite authors' bookshelves.
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Helen Lederer is a writer, actress, comedian, and presenter. Apart from TV, stage, and radio, she’s best known as Catriona, the dippy journalist in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous – although, her stay in the Big Brother house caused a different kind of notoriety.
Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster. Her books include the novels Insatiable (longlisted for the CWIP prize), Careering (as heard on BBC Sounds) and Limelight, and the non-fiction titles How to Be a Grown Up and The Sisterhood. Her newest novel Pity Party was published in July.
2pm - 3pm | Turner Contemporary
Jeremy Deller - Art is Magic
Art is Magic is artist Jeremy Deller's attempt to tie up the key works of his career alongside the art, pop music, film, politics and history that have inspired his work.
Much has been written about Deller over the decades but this is the first time he has pulled together all of his cultural touchstones.
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Jeremy Delleris a conceptual, video and installation artist. He won the Turner Prize in 2004 and represented Great Britain at the Venice Biennale.
3.30pm - 4.30pm | Turner Contemporary
Robin Ince - Bibliomaniac
Please welcome comedian Robin Ince to Margate!
This versatile comedy veteran will amaze you with his highly improvised set, which can cover a vast range of subjects and material. As seen on Mock The Week, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, The Now Show, The News Quiz and Loose Ends.
'Robin Ince is thoughtful, provocative and very funny' (The Times)
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Robin Ince is a comedian, actor and writer, known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox. His book Bibliomaniac is out now.
Dale Shaw is a television and radio writer, author, journalist, screenwriter, performer, podcast producer and musician.
5pm | Starting at the Turner Gallery
Farewell Walk with Will MacLachlan
Join our group as we take a guided walk from the Turner Gallery to The Shakespeare pub by Margate station - to conclude the week’s activities.
The guided tour takes in several chapters of funny local history, starting at the Romans, through rock stars, revolutionary scientists and suffragettes, comedians and playwrights…. and concluding with the true story of how sparkling champagne was discovered in the docks of East London… and is commemorated in Thanet today (before we conclude the event at The Shakespeare pub by the station).
Free to attend!
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Will MacLachlan is a local historian who works in marketing and loves comedy… so he likes to make history relevant and fun for the audience.
