Coleford Festival of Words
This event was organised by The Forest Bookshop,
in The Forest of Dean
2nd - 7th July 2012
Report by Roger Drury
Tuesday 3rd July saw the launch of the fifth year of the Coleford Festival of Words. Forestbookshop was pretty much standing room only for a session on the Dennis Potter Archive. Jason Griffiths put the project into context talking about the continued profile and interest in the Berry Hill authors work.
The archive was an unknown quantity of material in sealed boxes at one point destined to be bought and transported to an American university but, thanks to the award of a lottery grant, it is now resident in Dean Heritage Centre.
The material includes notes and many scripts never produced so gives a broader perspective of his work and his thinking, it also includes tape recordings of the Potter family. Jason shared his discovery of a recording of Dennis's mother and her sister singing 'Painting the Clouds with Sunshine' a song later featured in Pennies from Heaven.
Another aspect of the Archive project has involved young people at Lakers school working on a film based on bringing up to date the classic childhood recollections of 'Blue Remembered Hills' this will be premiered later this year.
The festival looks forward to hosting a chance to promote and extend the work of a writer who placed the influences and spirit of the Forest of Dean firmly within much of his work.
Pictures from launch of Coleford festival of Words 5th year.
Comic poet John Hegley in performance
and a workshop expressinga mood in a local school
