Wantage Literary Festival Day 5
10 am, Adult £13. Student/Under 14 £8.
Mike Dilger – 1000 Shades of Green
At the Wantage Literary Festival, Mike Dilger shares his ambitious mission during the pandemic: encountering 1,000 wild plant species across the British Isles. From Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands, he celebrates resilient conservationists and the beauty of our native flora. One Thousand Shades of Green goes beyond a mere quest, highlighting treasures like the Ghost Orchid and Lundy Cabbage. Dilger’s passion for botanical wonders reminds us to cherish and conserve our rich botanical heritage for generations to come.
12 pm, Adult £13. Student/Under 14 £8.
Roger Crowley – Spice The 16th Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World
Join Roger Crowley as he presents ‘Spice,’ delving into the epic sixteenth-century contest for control of the spice trade. Spices, coveted commodities, fueled European maritime exploration and conquest across Asia and the Pacific. Crowley chronicles the fierce competition, revealing how it shaped our modern world. From the Moluccas to distant oceans and Arctic shores, Spice teems with vivid accounts of daring adventures and pivotal sieges, reshaping the global economy for centuries to come.
2 pm, Adult £13. Student/Under 14 £8.
Gary Sheffield – Erwin Rommel Infantry Attacks
Gary Sheffield, renowned military historian, discusses Erwin Rommel’s legacy with Dr. Tim Benbow. They delve into Rommel’s reputation as the Desert Fox, his military prowess, and his relationship with Hitler. Was Rommel truly a skilled commander, or was his reputation inflated by Nazi propaganda? Sheffield, President of the Western Front Association, brings scholarly insights, while Benbow, Reader in Strategic Studies at King’s College London, offers expertise on military history.
4 pm, Adult £13. Student/Under 14 £8.
Keggie Carew – Beastly
In Beastly, Keggie Carew offers a unique exploration of the intricate relationship between animals and humans over the past 40,000 years. With wit and insight, Carew delves into captivating encounters across the species divide, revealing astonishing true stories that redefine what it means to be human.
Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Conservation 2023 and hailed as a book of the year by the Financial Times, Waterstones, and BBC History Magazine, Beastly is a must-read that highlights the vital importance of preserving our animal counterparts for our own survival.
7 pm, Adult £13. Student/Under 14 £8.
Johnny Ball – “My Previous Life in Comedy”