Contents of page: Literary Weekends and transcripts, National events such as annual camps, Association of Literary Societies.
Next Lit W/e 2024
The 17 th TARS Literary Weekend: 19 th – 21 st April 2024
The Crown Hotel – Harrogate
｜ Info ｜ Speakers ｜ Booking Form ｜
Reserve the date in your diaries now, as next year’s literary weekend promises to be
something special. Harrogate, the home of the Great Aunt is an exceptionally beautiful,
Victorian Spa town with many historic buildings, parks and visitor attractions. You will be spoilt for choice on the free Saturday afternoon – a culinary treat at the famous Betty’s Tea Room, a visit to the Turkish Baths, the Royal Pump Room Museum, a walk through the Valley Gardens, on the Stray or visit the Royal Horticultural Society’s Harlow Carr Garden, a 5-star shopping experience or even a trip into the Yorkshire dales are just some of the options.
Our accommodation is in the three-star historic Crown Hotel in the centre of the town a 5- minute walk from the rail station (trains from York and Leeds). All rooms will be ensuite with singles, twins or doubles available. Our talks and stalls will be housed in the beautifully appointed chandeliered Bronte Suite. This is a significant step up from our usual university accommodation, but the even better news is that it will cost no more than £20 more than we paid for the 2022 weekend – a less than inflation increase!
The sub-committee is putting together the usual attractive programme of Ransome related talks with speakers from within and outwith TARS, but if you would like to speak (either a cameo or a full talk) you’d be very welcome.
Further details, the full programme and booking form will be available in the December edition of Signals.
The 16th Literary Weekend was held 1-3rd April 2022 in Oxford, at St Edmund Hall, otherwise known as Teddy Hall. Speakers: We welcome and invite talks from TARS members; if you would like to speak at the Weekend, either a short cameo or a longer presentation, please contact Peter Wright as soon as possible, either by email: peterwright180@btinternet.com, or by phoning him on 0121 443 2910.
New members or first-time attendees will be particularly welcome.
The 2022 TARS Literary Weekend will have been well worth the wait, as we have assembled an impressive line-up of speakers with a prestigious venue to match. St. Edmund Hall is one of the oldest educational establishments in the world dating from 1236, but with all the modern comforts and features we need. It is situated in the heart of Oxford, which with its accessible location and with excellent public transport links, makes it reachable for all.
On Friday evening three much loved and well-known Tars will give cameo talks. Margaret Ratcliffe will tell us about Cyril Ransome’s time in Oxford, Andrew Jones has been researching money and finance in the “12” whilst Mary Pritchard askes the question, “Did Gibber go to Oxford?” It’s surely worth coming to the weekend to hear the answer to that question alone!
On Saturday, Dr. Mike Bender, author of the Amazon publication Sunlight and Shadows, will expand upon his re-interpretation of Ransome and the hidden themes in his novels. Following this, Dr Penny Bradshaw from the University of Cumbria will talk on children’s literature inspired by the Lake District; which will lead nicely into Danny Rurlander, author of Spylark, (chosen as the first TARS book club read) which is set on Lake Windermere. In part inspired by Swallow and Amazons, Danny will talk about the book and his love for Ransome.
Saturday afternoon is, as usual, left for you to explore the many and varied delights of Oxford. Detailed options will be forwarded to you in advance. There will be the usual Saturday evening Gala Dinner, followed by an after-dinner speaker (speaker invited but still awaiting confirmation).
On Sunday we have an equally Ransome-inspired programme. We start with Professor Sally Bushell, from Lancaster University. Her recent book Reading and Mapping Fiction explores spatialising literary texts and includes references to Ransome’s work and the iconic Stephen Spurrier map, which she will expand upon. David Wood OBE – is an actor, author, director and producer best known to TARS as the script writer of the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film. He will talk about this and several further scripts he wrote for other Ransome books along with his experience meeting Ransome’s wife, Evgenia! We conclude with Ivan Cutting – the Artistic Director of the East Angles Theatre Company whose recent play Red Skies imagines a meeting between the Ransome’s, Arthur and Evgenia, and an inquisitive George Orwell. He will talk about this and his experience of staging and touring East Anglia with, We Didn’t Men to go to Sea.
Accommodation is in comfortable single and twin rooms. They are not en-suite but have shared bathrooms immediately opposite the bedrooms (about 3 rooms per bathroom). The talks will be held in a modern large flat lecture room with an interlocking ancillary room in which the Stalls, Library and exhibition material can be housed. Coffee will be taken just outside these. There is a large dining hall and a separate bar. Everything is very accessible and close together on this small, characterful campus. The weekend represents incredible value for money as remarkably all this is offered to you at a lower price than the last literary weekend!
Please note that, as the college is very central in Oxford, there is no parking on site, but full details of the excellent park and ride schemes and other long stay parking options will be sent to you well before the event. There are excellent public transport links, which we would encourage. The main coach service from London (called The Tube – 3 per hour) drops visitors off only 40 yards from the college’s front door, whilst the railway station is a walking distance or short taxi ride away. Finally, we will be fully adhering to whatever Covid regulations are in place either in the College or nationally at the time and we will give you advice beforehand. Don’t delay, book now as places will be in high demand!
Last, 15th Lit W/E, 2019, report in Signals December 2019.
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The Literary Weekend transcripts for the 15 Weekends held between 1991 and 2019 have been indexed. Below is a link to an explanatory page, plus links to separate Volumes, Speaker & Subject indexes.
Literary Weekend Volumes Index from 1991
Literary Weekend Speakers from 1991
Literary Weekend Subjects from 1991
Future Literary weekend – 2024 – No details yet.
National Events
- An Eastern camp is taking place for the 2nd May half term 2022, similar to the Hoathwaite camp but in the northern Broads, near Stalham. Contact Marc Grimston marcgrimston@gmail.com to register interest.
- No plans yet for the next Hoathwaite camp, Coniston Water. 2023? Let webmaster@arthur-ransome.org know if you would like to organise it.
For information only: (to keep you abreast of something you might otherwise not be aware that TARS are doing)
Association of Literary Societies
TARS have offered to host the ALS AGM in 2024 at a location in either the east or the Lake District; we have obtained the ALS guidelines on AGM organisation and have sent them to the existing planning group. The venue should accommodate 100 to 120 people and should probably be an hotel. It is not too early to start the search for a venue! Participants would arrange their own accommodation.