EXPERIENCE THE WORLD AS IT SHOULD BE Festival Programme 2021 30 July – 1 August the Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk 1 CONTENTS INTRODUCING Introduction 3 For Writers 4 PRIMADONNA & THE PRIMADONNAS For the Curious 7 For Fun! 12 The Festival The Founders For Kids 16 Welcome to Primadonna, the UK’s most Primadonna was founded and is run by 17 empowering new festival, set up to spotlight the women from across the worlds of publishing, artistry of women and non-binary people, as well entertainment and the arts. Us ‘Primadonnas’ Event Programme as creatives of all genders, ethnicities and economic wanted to create a festival of brilliant writing, borne status whose voices are not often enough heard. out of a desire to give prominence to work by Friday 18 We focus on writing and reading but we also women and spotlight authors from the margins. showcase the best of the arts, from music to fi lm, We also want you to have a lot of fun: the festival Saturday 20 theatre to comedy. has always been designed to be a thoroughly We call it ‘the world as it should be, for one joyous as well as inclusive and accessible experience. Sunday weekend’. 22 But you know all that: you’re here. And we hope We programme a mix of big names and emerging you’ll agree we’ve put on a programme of amazing talent, as one of the things we’re trying to do is Speakers’ Info 24 speakers, brilliant events and unique experiences. open up the publishing industry and arts/culture more generally to new voices, and new ideas. You’ve all earned a weekend of wonders, and happiness, and inspiration: here it is. All ideas, and all kinds of people, are welcome Marketplace 36 here: most especially those that might not think a literary festival is ‘for them’. Map 38 We hope you’ll think this one is for you. Enjoy your weekend. Let us know what you like. And come Thank You 39 back next year as we continue to create ‘the world as it should be, for one weekend’. Primadonna Festival is proud to have a team of BSL interpreters at this year’s event, providing a free service for Deaf attendees. Look out for this symbol in the programme. An additional limited interpreting service may be available upon request. If you would like to be in contact with the interpreters Amie Corry Athena Stevens Catherine Catherine Riley Cathryn Jane Dyball during the event, please contact Mayer Summerhayes [email protected]. Speakers will be signing books at our on-site Waterstones bookshop 15 minutes after their sessions. Head to Home Close to see them there and get your signed copies. Joanna Baker Jude Kelly Kit de Waal Lisa Milton Monisha Rajesh Sabeena Akhtar Sandi Toksvig Shola Mos- Shona Sioned William Sonia Purnell Shogbamimu Abhyankar 3 2 Better Suffolk for the last eight years and will be bringing Together that community vibe to Primadonna. Try out your FOR ideas or work on new material in this inclusive Saturday space for poets of all kinds — Justine will even read 11am–12pm • your work for you if you’d prefer. You can also put Main Stage yourself forward to perform on the main stage as In a world part of Sunday’s Rhyme and Shine event. where we are often Big Ambition encouraged 4 BROWN GIRLS WHO WRITE Saturday 6pm • Main Stage WRITERS to progress Here in a no-holds-barred confessional as individuals conversation covering the highs and lows of their and compete against each other, we discuss careers, Helen Lederer — a familiar face through how a shared experience and collaboration can roles in Naked Video and Absolutely Fabulous, create a more open society, and help to break and Lisa Milton, Executive Publisher for HQ and down structural inequality and the challenges Mills & Boon, and co-founder of the Primadonna faced as an individual. Join our panel featuring Hopeless Romantics? festival — look back at where their ambition has author and activist Sophie Williams, whose most taken them, what has held them back, and the Friday 4pm • Marquee recent publication Millennial Black includes Romantic fi ction reaches parts of the population Magma examines the concept of a opportunities they’ve been able to give others in advice on building your own lady gang, along their respective industries. These two indomitable other books simply don’t. From being swept off reliable narrator in the context of a with two members of the performance and your feet with Mills and Boon to the restorative love story, Pragya Agarwal, author women have overseen the establishment of poetry collective 4 BROWN GIRLS WHO WRITE writing prizes — the Comedy Women in Print prize power of a historical romance, there’s nothing of (M)otherhood: On the choices of — Sunnah Khan and Sharan Hunjan — as they (CWIP) and the Primadonna Prize respectively quite like lying back with a good book and taking being a woman, a hybrid memoir share their stories and discuss the benefi ts of yourself somewhere… private. Why do we fall so — so we’ll also hear from two of the writers whose and scientifi c analysis of women’s collaboration and community for everyone. lives they’ve changed: Abigail Mann, whose hard for the romantic novel? Get straight to the fertility and author and publisher Chaired by publicist and Primadonna co- heart of the matter in this discussion on all things debut novel The Lonely Fajita was shortlisted for Lennie Goodings, Chair of Virago founder Shona Abhyankar. Stick around after the the 2019 CWIP and went on to be published by swoony. With author and ‘hopeful-but-realistic Press and author of A Bite Of the discussion for a performance by 4 BROWN GIRLS Lennie Goodings HarperCollins in 2021; and Sairish Hussain, whom romantic’ Sareeta Domingo, journalist and Author Apple: A Life with Writers, Books WHO WRITE. of The Wish List Sophia Money-Coutts, and actor Lisa met at the Bradford Literature Festival and and Virago. subsequently signed up for HQ, and whose debut and author Andi Osho, whose debut novel, Asking Sealing the Deal For A Friend, was published earlier this year and novel The Family Tree has been Costa shortlisted. is soon to be followed by her second piece of Storytelling Workshop Saturday 12pm • TWAISB Stage Expect some delicious anecdotes, and a warm From alternative entry points into publishing to romantic fi ction, Tough Crowd. Chairing this love- Friday 7pm • Farm Barn fuzzy feeling that they’re batting in your corner. in is Lisa Milton, Executive Publisher of HQ Stories A gentle introduction to the ever-evolving tradition getting a foot in the front door, our group of debut and Mills and Boon. of oral storytelling with professional storyteller authors of all ages and backgrounds share what Screen Test it takes to become a published author. Chaired Justine de Mierre. Everyone is a storyteller, even Saturday 6pm • TWAISB Stage by writer Louise Mumford who was ‘discovered’ Killing It! if they don’t yet know it, and in this workshop How to write sitcom for radio and TV, with the Justine will start you on the journey to discovering at the inaugural Primadonna festival and whose Female Pilot Club. Writer, producer and script Friday 5pm • Marquee what a great tale spinner you already are! There’ll debut was published by HQ last year, this must- coach Kay Stonham outlines what Female Pilot Join some of the UK’s leading crime thriller be games, exercises and practice opportunities — see session also features another Costa First Novel Club look for when they choose work to promote, authors for a deadly(!) discussion on writing crime, and, if you’re feeling brave, a chance to tell a short nominee Sairish Hussain; Kirsty Capes, who won and discusses how to go about developing a good creating suspense and keeping your audience tale at Justine’s Family Campfi re Storytelling on a scholarship to develop her writing under Curtis comedy premise into a great comedy script. hooked. If you’re a fan of a noir novel or are looking Saturday night. (Workshop suitable for adults and Brown Creative and whose debut Careless has for some top tips on creating a killer character, accompanied children age 11+.) been published this year; Jyoti Patel who won join Saima Mir, whose fi rst crime novel The Khan the second #Merky Books New Writers Prize The Literary Lottery was published at the start of this year, earlier this year; and Hafsa Zayyan, co-winner of Saturday 7pm • The Chapel Yoga for Writers with Stella Duffy More than just a glitzy night out on the literary Karline Smith, author of Moss Side the inaugural #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize, Saturday 8am • TWAISB Stage events calendar, prizes like the Booker, Massive and one of the UK’s fi rst female who wrote her debut novel in six months whilst Yoga is not about getting the poses Costa and Women’s Prize guarantee crime writers to deal with the subject working full time as a lawyer. crime writers to deal with the subject right, writing is not about getting huge uplifts in sales for longlisted and of drug gangs in inner-city Britain, and the words right, they’re both about Introduction to Improv shortlisted writers. And if you win, Kia Abdullah, whose thriller Take It giving it a go. We will connect yoga you hit the jackpot. But how Back was selected for an industry-fi rst poses to writing exercises, exploring Saturday 1pm • Farm Barn useful are literary prizes as audio serialisation by HarperCollins.