Lit Fest

I spent the afternoon at Bradford Literature Festival, which continues for the next ten days.

I'd been drawn in by a couple of panel discussions about two of my favourite writers, probably the only two that I have read something every year since the age of fourteen or so: Ursula K. Le Guin and Philip K. Dick.

Of the two sessions the tribute to Le Guin, who died earlier this year, was the more engaging, perhaps reflecting a bigger and more diverse panel. The Dick talk was also rewarding though. It was observed that the gender split in the audiences mirrored each other, about 80:20 female: male for Le Guin and 20:80 for Dick. As Le Guin was a great populariser and translator of Taoist texts and ideas I perhaps think of them as my yin and yang, very different but complementary and together a whole.

Between sessions I browsed the stalls of Comico (main image) which was set up in the main university atrium. There were many talented illustrators and writers and I've brought back a good selection to enjoy.

And there was a bonus of a Back to the Future DeLorean to admire.