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Ally Aldridge
Roxy Eloise
April Grace
Ally Aldridge - Open Heart
Roxy Eloise - The Guidal
April Grace - Steel Princess

Lit Fest at Great Linford Manor Park:

Great Linford Heritage Celebration

Saturday 16 September, Great Linford Manor Park,
Marsh Drive, Milton Keynes MK14 5AS

11am - 5pm. Tickets: £Free

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As part of Heritage Open Days 2023, MK Lit Fest will be taking part in The Parks Trust's Great Linford Heritage Celebration.

 

Amongst live music, heritage games, re-enactments, fresh food, and an incredible textiles exhibition in St Andrew's medieval parish church, you'll find Lit Fest in The Talks Tent, where you can  enjoy:
 

  • 12:00-12.30: History of C17th Great Linford physician Richard Napier with Dr Philippa Carter 

  • 13:00-13:45: MK Lit Fest YA Fantasy Fiction panel - Building New Worlds (see below)

  • 14:00-14:15: Storytime with Philippa Tipper 

  • 14:30-15:10: readings from our Green Spaces in the City MinK anthology (see below)

  • 15:15-15.30: Storytime with Philippa Tipper 

  • 16:00-16:15: Storytime with Philippa Tipper 

  • 16:15: Talk about Electra MK's community boat

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Copies of all of our MinK anthologies will also be available for purchase, and details of our forthcoming in-person and online events and our writing competitions will be available.

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This is a free event but there will be food and drink vendors on site. Parking is available at the Marsh Drive car park.

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Building New Worlds: Fantasy YA Fiction with Ally Aldridge, Roxy Eloise and April Grace

Discover new worlds of magic, power and rebellion with fantasy writers April Grace, Ally Aldridge, and Roxy Eloise as they discuss their enthralling novels. From a lost steel princess and a mermaid with secrets to a girl struggling with magic in a land where it’s been banned, they’ve each created a realm of wonder.

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Ally Aldridge was born in London, but grew up in Suffolk, which is where most of her YA Fantasy novels are based. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart, and together they are raising their son, daughter and two cats. When Ally is not writing (or at her day job), she loves spending time with her family at the local beach, in the forest, or watching way too much Netflix. Ally loves a cup of tea and has been known to order one on a night out. Ocean Heart is the first book in her Soul Heart series.

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Roxy Eloise is a successful participant of Twitter/X’s Pitch Wars event. Her pitch cut through the noise, capturing the attention that ultimately led to a traditional publishing contract. Embarking on a path to authorship that was etched in childhood dreams, Roxy encountered the formidable obstacle of self-doubt. Yet, a pivotal moment arrived when motivational speakers breathed life into her aspirations, igniting the courage she needed to put pen to paper. Through the act of writing, Roxy discovered not just an art form, but a lifeline – a place where she could both express herself and find solace. Her debut novel was The Guidal: Discovering Puracordis and the second book in the series, The Guidal: Unearthing Secrets is out now.

 

April Grace has always lived in Milton Keynes, and now lives with her boyfriend and, a few nights a week, his two cheeky sons. She has been writing YA novels for twelve years now, ever since she decided to write stories on Wattpad while she was supposed to be working hard on modules for her A Levels. (But she did go onto study Creative Writing at university the following year, so it all worked out in the end.) She has worked for a popular UK bookstore, has temporarily worked for IngramSpark’s Milton Keynes warehouse, was formerly the Head of Literature for a London-based charity providing creative opportunities for young people, and now owns her freelance editing company, Hooked On Words Editorial. She loves both reading and writing anything inspired by fairytales and mythology. Steel Princess is the first book in her World of Magic, World of Steel series, and her next novel, The Girl Behind the Glass is out in October.

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Green Spaces in Words

To complement the beautiful location of the Heritage Celebration, MK Lit Fest is thrilled to present readings from our latest anthology of poetry and flash fiction, MinK2023: Green Spaces in the City. Join us to hear from fantastic local writers – and discover their powerful and unique interpretations of the theme, running from wit and warmth to warnings of where green spaces could take us…

 

Featuring Mike Geaney, Felicity Williams, Toby Shrimpton, Hannah Hopkins Jones, Rae Leaver Rahman, Guy Russell, Susan Reid, Beth Norris, Sam JT Butterworth, Stella Girvin and Rob Lowe.

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