Gala celebration of Belfast literature
The biggest ever gathering of Belfasts writers has been held in the city centre, to mark the official launch of a series of new initiatives to highlight the citys rich literary heritage and vibrant contemporary scene.
Belfast City Council and its various partners officially launched Literary Belfast with a gala evening at the Ulster Hall, featuring 12 top local writers reading from their works.
For the first time ever, some of the city`s most internationally renowned novelists, playwrights and poets - Colin Bateman, Ciaran Carson, Patricia Craig, Leontia Flynn, Michael Longley, Bernard MacLaverty, Owen McCafferty, Sinead Morrissey, Paul Muldoon, Frank Ormsby, David Park and Glenn Patterson –shared a stage together in this unique celebration.
“The United Kingdom currently features as number one in a list, compiled by TripAdvisor, of the top ten literary destinations in the world, and literary tourism contributes up to £2.6 billion a year to the British economy,” explained Alderman Christopher Stalford, Chairman of the council`s Development Committee.
“To help us capitalise upon this massive market, our Literary Tourism Plan has been significantly enhanced by a successful application to the NITBs Tourism Innovation Fund, and new partnerships which have been established with Queens University, the BBC and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland,” he continued.
“Belfasts literary heritage has an important role to play inplace-makingand is an important dimension in marketing Belfast as an international destination. We have developed a range of literary tourism products, based on leading case studies from the UKs Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change and Dublin`s literary tourism initiatives.”
Among the products which have been developed to help people explore Belfast`s literary landscape, and which are being officially launched at the 6 September gala, are:
• a new Literary Belfast iPhone app; • the Belfast Poets and Writers Exhibition and the opening of the BBC Literary Archive, at the City Hall; • new and enhanced literary tours and trails; • a revamped C S Lewis exhibition, which will take place at both the Belmont Tower and the Linenhall Library; and • a new website, www.LiteraryBelfast.org
All of these are complemented by the annual Belfast Book Festival, supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, as well as other events.
“These products present a unique, individual and compelling experience for visitors and promote our modern culture, characters and writers, poets and playwrights on the world stage,” explained Alderman Stalford.
“Literary Belfast is very much alive, with a multitude of events, festivals and venues which will take you to places old and new, through history and the changing modern city alike. There are few better ways to get to know a city than through its writers, whether they are locals who appreciate every nuance of the complex city, or visiting scribes, writing of how Belfast assaults the senses of those who meet it for the first time. Our Literary Belfast products are the map for the journey through our literary city,” he concluded.
The new initiatives have been funded by Belfast City Council and part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland and administered by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.
Siobhan McCauley, NITB`s Director of Product Development, said:
“The Tourism Innovation Fund seeks out fresh, cutting edge ideas which will put Northern Ireland firmly on the visitors map. Literature has a huge appeal to everyone and Northern Ireland has a very strong literary heritage that forms a key part of our unique culture. The new app and website, as well as the exhibitions, will not only showcase our existing literary talent but will also ensure visitors have up to date information on local events and festivals.”
The new Literary Belfast iPhone app has been developed in partnership with Film Trip. Entitled Belfast Through Writers Eyes`, it features video guides to the city, and their work, from Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, Paul Muldoon, Marie Jones, Patricia Craig, Glenn Patterson, Martin Lynch, David Park, Frank Ormsby, Sinead Morrissey, Leontia Flynn, Owen McCafferty, Bernard MacLaverty and Ciaran Carson.
The Belfast Poets and Writers Exhibition and BBC Literary Archive, at the City Hall, will give local people and visitors alike an insight into the influences of both native and visiting writers, from CS Lewis and Brian Moore to John Keats and Anthony Trollope.
The new website, www.LiteraryBelfast.org, developed in partnership with Culture Northern Ireland, features searchable events listings for all Belfast literature, as well as a showcase for literary venues, writing workshops and retreats, festivals, a Hall Of Fame, a number of comprehensive interactive exhibitions and exclusive audio and video material: users of the site will be able to interact by signing up for regular free e-bulletins, posting comments, entering competitions to win signed editions of the latest releases, and joining in through Facebook and Twitter.
The guided tours and walking trails include the Belfast Literary Walking Tours by literature enthusiast Robbie Meredith and Hugh Odling-Smee, co-ordinator of the Belfast Book Festival, the always popular CS Lewis Tour by Sandy Smyth, and the Nearly True Tales Tour for children over the age of seven by Young at Art. Details of all of these tours, and the other products, can be obtained from the Belfast Welcome Centre in Donegall Place.
