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Events

Tag: huddersfield literature festival

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

The Tiger Who Came to Tea is coming to Huddersfield! Bring the family to meet the much-loved character from the classic picture book by Judith Kerr, with character walkabouts at 12.15pm-12.45pm & 1.30pm-2pm. 

Plus make a tiger mask with the Children’s Art School from 11.30am, or make tiger bodies at MakerWorld, Piazza (11am-3pm).  

The Tiger Who Came to Tea is a timeless classic, which has been enjoyed by generations of children since it was first published in 1968. 

The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big furry, stripy tiger! A warm and funny picture book story, perfect for reading aloud, or for small children to read to themselves time and again.   

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request. 

 

Date: Saturday 20 April 

Time: 11.30am-2pm 

Venue: Courtyard, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street HD1 2SP 

Tickets: Free Drop-in event, no booking required

Age guidance: All ages (U16s should be accompanied by an adult)  

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/lawrence-batley-theatre  

 

When there is always Love – 2pm Thursday 25 April

A Dark Horse Theatre street theatre production commissioned special for this year’s Festival.  

Love is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shaken. 

Dark Horse are Huddersfield-based company of nine actors with learning disabilities, creating bold, progressive, and visually impactful work.  

The company has a reputation for creating poignant and entertaining street theatre rooted in physical storytelling. 

After the success of their hard-hitting film trilogy #OutBreakOut (commissioned and released online as part of HuddLitFest2021 during a Covid Lockdown), and the 2023 street theatre performance Making Room at HuddLitFest2023, the company are thrilled to be back at the Festival with When there is always Love. 

Inspired by poems about love and our millennial obsession with romantic films of the Noughties, the Dark Horse company present a love letter to love and all its complications, heartbreak, and wonder. Ever been in love? Never been in love? This show is for you.   

Please note: This is a pop up event and you do not need a ticket to attend. Just turn up and enjoy the performance!

Date: Thursday 25 April  

Start Time: 2pm  

Venue: Courtyard, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street HD1 2SP 

Free (no booking required) 

Age guidance: All ages 

When there is always Love – 12pm Wednesday 24 April

A Dark Horse Theatre street theatre production commissioned special for this year’s Festival.  

Love is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shaken. 

Dark Horse are Huddersfield-based company of nine actors with learning disabilities, creating bold, progressive, and visually impactful work.  

The company has a reputation for creating poignant and entertaining street theatre rooted in physical storytelling. 

After the success of their hard-hitting film trilogy #OutBreakOut (commissioned and released online as part of HuddLitFest2021 during a Covid Lockdown), and the 2023 street theatre performance Making Room at HuddLitFest2023, the company are thrilled to be back at the Festival with When there is always Love. 

Inspired by poems about love and our millennial obsession with romantic films of the Noughties, the Dark Horse company present a love letter to love and all its complications, heartbreak, and wonder. Ever been in love? Never been in love? This show is for you.   

Please note: This is a pop up event and you do not need a ticket to attend. Just turn up and enjoy the performance!

Date: Wednesday 24 April  

Start Time: 12pm  

Venue: Courtyard, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street HD1 2SP 

Free (no booking required) 

Age guidance: All ages 

Workshop: Silk Painted Butterflies

Learn how to make silk painted butterfly cards with art tutor Louise Grassby. 

All materials and equipment will be provided. No artistic experience required. 

For further information, contact [email protected] 

This workshop is limited to 15 participants, therefore advance booking is essential and bookings can only be made for up to two tickets per booking.  

Suitable for age 4+ (U16s must be accompanied by an adult). 

For further information, contact Louise at [email protected] 

 

Louise Grassby has a BA Hons Art, Art History and Printmaking from the University of Derby and a 1st class B.Ed degree from Bradford University. She had a long career in education, during which time she gained a Foundation Degree in Art Therapy. She is a strong believer in the therapeutic benefits of art and being creative and now works as a freelance artist and an Artist in Residence in schools, and also runs art workshops for all ages. 

 

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.  

Date: Friday 26 April 

Time: 3pm-4pm 

Venue: Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street HD1 2SP 

Tickets: £3 (booking essential, limited places) 

Age guidance: 4+ 

Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

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lisa luxx

Festival Patron lisa luxx delivers a magical performance from her poetry and short story collections, with musical accompaniment from Kareem Samara on the oud. 

lisa luxx is a queer poet, playwright, essayist and political activist of British and Syrian heritage.  Raised in Huddersfield, lisa has strong connections with the local area and is a Patron of Huddersfield Literature Festival. Her debut poetry collection Fetch Your Mother’s Heart was published in 2021, and her debut short story collection Sun Son will be released by Comma Press this year. 

Her work has been published in a variety of anthologies and literary journals, and broadcast on radio and TV. Much in demand for her live performances, she is the winner of the Out-Spoken Prize for Performance Poetry. She also wrote the script for three theatre shows: Eating the Copple Apple, what the dog said to the harvest and The Moon is Listening from Dawn til Dusk. Between writing, lisa luxx guest lectures on revolutionary poetics and queer theory, and works as a lyricist with LA-based Maison Arts. She splits her time between Beirut and London. 

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.  

Date: Friday 26 April  

Time: 7.30pm-8.30pm 

Venue: Attic, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

Ticket: £10 (£8 conc), free for essential carers 

Age guidance: 16+ 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/lawrence-batley-theatre

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Gaia Holmes: He Used to Do Dangerous Things – Preview

Hear from award-winning local writer Gaia Holmes at thepreview of her debut short story collection: He Used to Do Dangerous Things.  

This collection deals with themes of environmental campaigning, homelessness and the cost-of-living crisis, told through brittle and precarious relationships and threaded together with magic realism and the haunting power of landscapes.  

 The event will be chaired by editor and publisher Ra Page, and it will begin with a reading followed by a discussion and Q&A with the author. 

 Gaia Holmes is an award-winning freelance writer and creative writing tutor who works with schools, universities, libraries and other community groups throughout the West Yorkshire region. She runs ‘Igniting The Spark’, a weekly writing workshop at Dean Clough, Halifax, and is the co-host of ‘MUSE-LI’, an online writing group. She has had three full length poetry collections published by Comma Press: Dr James Graham’s Celestial Bed (2006), Lifting the Piano with One Hand (2013) and Where The Road Runs Out (2018), along with Tales from the Tachograph, a collaborative work with Winston Plowes (Calder Valley Poetry, 2017). In February 2023, she was awarded the Arts Foundation Futures Award for Place Writing.  

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.  

Date: Friday 26 April  

Time: 5.30pm-6.30pm 

Location: Attic, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

Tickets: £5, free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & essential carers  

Age guidance: 16+ 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/lawrence-batley-theatre  

Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

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Online Workshop: Vision Boarding

Create your Vision Board for 2024 with ICF-trained coach Juliet Thomas. 

 

During this hour-long workshop, Juliet will give you an overview into what a Vision Board is, the neuroscience behind how it works and some tasks to prepare you for creating your own Vision Board. 

Being intentional about your future is a lot of fun, and allows you to dream big and create the life you really want – what if anything was possible?  

She will also share tips on how to put your board together and how to use it going forwards, together with your action, to have the maximum impact on your life in 2024. 

Please have a notebook and pens to hand for this session. 

 

Note: this event will take place online on Zoom. A link to access the event will be sent to you the day before it takes place. 

 

We are also running a longer version of this workshop in person on 28 April; see our What’s On calendar for full details. 

 

Juliet Thomas is an ICF-trained coach and the founder of The Curious Creative Club, a multi-passionate creative business that enables people to unlock their creative potential through coaching, mentorship, creative workshops, retreat events, blog content and motivating resources. 

As a passionate creative practitioner herself, she is endlessly curious to explore her ideas as a writer, artist and is a keen nature photographer; loving nothing more than capturing nature’s treasures whilst out on walks with her dog, Barley. 

She understands first-hand how living creatively delivers powerful benefits to wellbeing, bringing more joy and calm into people’s lives.  

Juliet’s mission is to help people to discover their own passion and purpose, so that they can live a more enriched and fulfilling life too. 

 

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.  

Date: Thursday 18 April 

Time: 7pm-8pm 

Online 

Tickets: £5 

Age guidance: 16+ 

For access information, please contact the venue on 01484 817 199

Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

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Film Premiere: River Wharfe

A chance to attend the premiere of a stunning new documentary film, River Wharfe: A Living Artery, followed by a Q&A with film-maker Mark Barrow. 

An underwater photographer and clean rivers campaigner, Mark spent five years documenting the entire 65-mile length of the Wharfe. Using scuba gear, a pole-mounted camera and a drone, he shoot footage below and above the river’s surface.  

The resulting documentary is a visual and emotional journey that celebrates the timeless beauty of the River Wharfe, while inspiring a deeper connection to the natural world and a commitment to its conservation.  

One of the most ecologically diverse rivers in England, the Wharfe is home to countless animals, birds and fish. but a shocking increase in the levels of pollution now threatens the local wildlife. As a campaigner, Mark is hoping this film will help to raise awareness of the damage done by pollution, climate change and the destruction of habitats. 

A ‘Beneath British Waters’ documentary. Run time: 40 minutes + Q&A. 

Note: this film will have subtitles to make it more accessible. 

The film has no official classification but we suggest it’s suitable for ages 12+ 

 

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request.  

Date: Saturday 20 April 

Time: 4pm-5pm 

Venue: Heritage Quay, Schwann Building, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH 

Tickets: £3  

Age guidance: 12+ (U16s should be accompanied by an adult) 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/heritage-quay  

Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

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Podcast Project 2024

Posted on by Michelle Hodgson

Free podcast course

How would you like to learn how to present and make podcasts?

We’re offering 12 Kirklees residents aged 18-35 the chance to take part in our FREE podcast training programme with Kirklees Local TV.

You will then help to create one of six 15-minute podcasts, which will be released and promoted at the next award-winning HuddLitFest (11-28 April).

Why take part?

Podcasting has become a powerful platform to connect with audiences, share knowledge, and build communities around our passions. It allows you to express your unique voice, reach a global audience, and make a lasting impact. Whether you’re a budding storyteller, an expert in your field, or someone who loves to share their thoughts and ideas, our course is designed to help you navigate the exciting world of podcasting.

What will you learn?

You will learn the essential aspects of podcasting in manageable steps, with practical tips, expert advice, and real-life examples to help you complete a 15-minute podcast, including:

  • Exploring different podcast formats, writing a podcast brief
  • Brainstorming ideas, crafting compelling content
  • Conducting podcast interviews, learning how to engage listeners
  • Learning about equipment and software options, and how to record and edit a podcast

As well as practical skills, the course will help you develop teamwork and communication skills, help you to feel part of your community and the local arts scene, and allow you to see your work presented as part of an award-winning Festival.

You will need to attend two training sessions at the KLTV studios, Media Centre, Huddersfield*:

Session 1: 10am-12.30pm – choose from either Saturday 17 February or Saturday 24 February.

Session 2: 10am-12.30pm – choose from either Saturday 2 March or Saturday 9 March.

What should I do next?

If you would like to find out more, fill out an application form and we will contact you before the end of January: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HLF-KLTV-PodcastProject

 

*If you aren’t available for training on Saturdays but would like to take part, contact [email protected]

Everyday Shakespeare – Hybrid Event

In this lively and hugely entertaining show, Ben and David Crystal bring to life some of Shakespeare’s many phrases still in everyday use.  

Drawing on the finest lines from the lesser-known corners of Shakespeare’s plays and poems, as found in their latest book Everyday Shakespeare, actor Ben and language expert David will show how these 400-year-old phrases still have immediate and easy resonance with modern everyday life. 

The father-son team have co-authored several books on Shakespeare and their website www.ShakespearesWords.com is used by actors, students, teachers and Shakespeare lovers all over the globe.  

Ben Crystal is an actor, author, producer, and explorer of original practices in Shakespeare rehearsal and production. He is an Associate Artist with the Shakespeare North Playhouse, a Patron of Shakespeare Week, the founder of the international collective www.theShakespeareEnsemble.com and a consultant creative producer for Shakespeare companies around the world. Ben played Hamlet in the first Original Pronunciation production for 400 years. He is the author of several books on Shakespeare and is in great demand to give talks on Shakespeare’s language and craft. 

David Crystal OBE is known worldwide as a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster on language. He has written or edited over 100 books, mostly in the field of language, and published numerous articles for scholarly, professional and general readerships on the history and development of English. 

Access and Covid safety measures: if you have specific access needs or queries and/or prefer to be seated away from other audience members as a Covid safety measure, please contact our Admin at: [email protected] with your request. 

HYBRID EVENT – this is a Hybrid event, which can be attended in person at the venue or accessed online. Simply select the Live or Online ticket link for your preferred event viewing. For online access a link will be sent to you the day before the event takes place. 

ACCESSIBILITY – This event will have live subtitling by Stagetext to make it more accessible to those who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. If you are attending with a carer, please book an additional free ticket for them.  

 

Date: Sunday 28 April 

Time: 3pm-4pm 

Venue: Cellar, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

Tickets: In person £8 (£5 conc) free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & essential carers, Online £3

Age guidance: 14+ (U16s should be accompanied by an adult) 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/syngenta-cellar 

Please note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

Book In person tickets

Book Online tickets