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Lancaster Lit Fest
fights back from funding threat
The Lancashire organisation
has survived a funding crisis which threatened its work county wide,
to become involved in the Preston scheme to bring writers to the
town.
"A good public response
from local people" had stopped Lancaster City Council from
axing funding in its latest budget review, said Lit Fest Artistic
Director Andy Derby. The organisation had feared that any cut in
council funding would have a knock-on effect on other sources of
revenue, such as the North West Arts board. Last year their total
turnover was £105K, much of that coming from funding for specific
projects.
They are now focussing
on developing literary activities in Preston, having recently received
a report on the subject from HM Prison Preston's Writer in Residence
Iain MacDonald.
Despite what the name
Lancaster Lit Fest may suggest, the organisation have a desire and
a remit to develop literary activities across Lancashire. The recent
'New Page' project was based in the Wyre and Ribble Valley area.
A forthcoming county-wide project, 'Trade Off' involving writing
and music, will commission local artists Ron Baker and Sarah Fisk
to take their inspiration from the region's maritime history.
"Our long term aim
is to get audiences for all kinds of work" said Andy Derby,
but he admits that famous name writers like Carol Ann Duffy will
always attract an audience more easily. The aim is to "continue
the level of interest" raised by the flagship events.
"The project is
in it's early days: there's a will for literary activities but no
set vision. A lot will depend on the programming policy at the University".
With the University's
Daniel Lamont already hoping to attract the Poet Laureate Andrew
Motion, expectations are high. But it remains to be seen whether
the same audiences will be attracted to new work and local writers.
In
Venue: "Poetry partnership integral to Arts Centre's future"
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