The inaugural Wild Words Festival took place over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend, the brainchild of the irrepressible science writer, NonFicPod co-host and Society of Authors stalwart, Emma Byrne.
It clashed with Hay, but as one observer pointed out, if Hay were the Fortnum & Mason of literary festivals, then Wild Words was your local farmers’ market – and all credit to it. It was a lovely event for all the family.
I was on on the Friday evening in the Main Tent. Daniel Smith interviewed me about Amherst Villiers. Who was he? How did The Man Who Supercharged Bond get its name? How come the Blower Bentley, famously supercharged by Amherst, come to be James Bond’s ‘only personal hobby’ in the first three 007 novels? What was the ambience of inter-war motor racing in Britain? How did a British engineer end up working in the US space programme? And much more besides – thanks Dan.
And then it was into the All Good Bookshop tent for a spot of book signing – which was nice.
