Maisie Bisson is our youngest blogger and we're delighted to read about her experience of the LitFest.

I was really looking forward to the Fact and Fable night at the castle on Friday. The weather was great and it was looking to be a fantastic event. I started off with The Wimpy Kid Show. This was hilarious and brilliant as the balance of competitions and interviews was perfect. We got taught how to do impersonations, drawings and we laughed a lot.

Once that was over I took a stroll through the castle. There was so much on! I listened to the acoustic stage for a bit and found the harpist brilliantly talented and entertaining. I just had time to have a bit of a picnic before heading to Michael Jones for the talk on Richard the Third. I knew a bit about Richard the Third from reading up on it and had followed the discovery of his remains in the press. Michael Jones needed to get into his stride at first, but once there his talk was interesting and knowledgeable. I even got to ask my question at the end! I am certain to find out more about Richard the Third now, as he seems an interesting character in the English History.

Once out in the sunlight again, I just caught the end of the Tol Galen Live Action Play, which I thoroughly enjoyed with all the action swords and all. Climbing down into the bottom of Gunners Tower, I listened to the story of local wavelets, brilliantly acted out on the shadow screen. I wished I could have seen and done more with everything that was on offer but it was time to head home and get ready for Saturday’s events.

Saturday at the Caves 

Cathy Cassidy: Not quite knowing what to expect at the Caves, I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxed atmosphere in the youth cafe. We arrived a bit before the event and got ourselves some drinks before being called to go upstairs to meet Cathy Cassidy.

Cathy’s talk was inspirational, interesting and it made me really want to know more about her books (I think that’s why I bought one). Talking about the inspirations for her books and her way into the writing community, she included her efforts to get into the Jackie mag as a teenager and her later career as the magazine’s fiction editor. Throughout the talk Cathy was really nice and approachable, a great lady to meet.

Project 450: After a short break in town I made my way back up Mill Street and to the Caves to experience Project 450’s take on Shakespeare. The performance started off in the cafe with a very loud fighting sequence before making its way into Market Square for the grand finale.

The actors and actresses gave their all in both scenes and made the hour very entertaining.

Lene Kaberbøl: I was really intrigued by this event as I am hoping to become an author myself. So meeting Lene and listening to her advice and experiences was great. I found Lene very nice and funny. She was also very encouraging to young writers and her story is an inspiration.

My two days at the Lit Fest were thoroughly enjoyable and I have been inspired to read new books and write more. This is, in my opinion, exactly what a Literary Festival should achieve.