[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-isle-of-wight-story-festival-2022":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Huge thanks to everyone who came along to our events at the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.iwstoryfestival.com\">Isle of Wight Story Festival\u003C/a>. Philip Reeve and I had a fabulous time, and I hope you did, too! Here's \u003Ca href=\"https://onthewight.com/sell-out-sessions-and-long-snaking-queues-isle-of-wight-story-festival-hailed-a-great-success/\">a write-up by Peta Rainford for \u003Ci>On the Wight\u003C/i>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1145153_original-97fd246300.jpg\" alt=\"OnTheWight_lj.jpg\" title=\"OnTheWight_lj.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1145661_original-24234f84a2.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nI hadn't been to many festivals since lockdown, so it was great to get out and meet up face-to-face with real live readers and book lovers. I made some brand-new headgear for the occasion: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1142868_original-d56326e26d.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\nIt was great fun with everyone drawing Grumpycorn (turned astronaut this time)! (Instagram photo by \u003Ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Cab_LHHtQ6g/\">sassgirl77\u003C/a>):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1146021_original-d1ca48ffaf.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\"> \\r\n\\r\nYou can find \u003Ca href=\"https://jabberworks.co.uk/books/\">lots more drawing activities on my website\u003C/a>. Here are a few of the drawings we did together: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1143961_original-bc61eb00d5.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1144259_original-02581d3089.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1144516_original-8c00cd5edb.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nMy co-author Philip Reeve and I presented our new book, \u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"https://jabberworks.co.uk/kevin-vs-the-unicorns/\">Kevin vs the Unicorns\u003C/a>\u003C/i>! Here's a joint flipchart drawing we made, showing Kevin over the Needles, a great landmark on the west of the island (which we got to visit this time!). \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1144828_original-2dbb8bb76e.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nIt's always wonderful catchign up with other writers and illustrators! We had dinner with festival patron \u003Ca href=\"https://www.nicholasallan.co.uk/\">Nicholas Allan\u003C/a> (author of \u003Ci>The Queen's Knickers\u003C/i> and lots of other books) and Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler. Axel seems to have a \u003Ca href=\"https://axelscheffler.com/\">lovely new website\u003C/a> with all his books - check it out! Here I am with two fabulous writer-illustrators: local Isle of Wight resident \u003Ca href=\"http://www.neallayton.co.uk/\">Neal Layton\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://lauraellenanderson.co.uk/\">Laura Ellen Anderson\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1143216_original-b946cde73f.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nLaura Ellen Anderson is the author-illustrator of the Amelia Fang and Rainbow Grey books, and she drew our picture!! (Thanks so much, Lil!) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1143405_original-c816ad09a0.jpg\" alt=\"IoW22_NealLaytonLilAnderson.jpg\" title=\"IoW22_NealLaytonLilAnderson.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLaura drew Kevin with us, too! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1146120_original-72300a96e1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nSeveral young reporters did interviews and it was great talking with them: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1143558_original-f108441842.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Philip signing copies of \u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"https://philipreeve.com/\">Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep\u003C/a>\u003C/i> after his event. It's a perfect book for the island, being set on an island itself, full of mystery, magic and quite a few excellent sea shells. \u003Ci>(Ffion Wood's photo \u003Ca href=\"https://onthewight.com/sell-out-sessions-and-long-snaking-queues-isle-of-wight-story-festival-hailed-a-great-success/\">from the On the Wight article\u003C/a>)\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1148955_original-a19fdfd00d.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nOur booksellers were this fabulous team from \u003Ca href=\"https://medinabookshop.com/\">Medina Bookshop\u003C/a>, based in Cowes:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1142330_original-180283a158.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nWe were able to visit the lovely shop the very next day:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1142724_original-e6b28647eb.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nHuge thanks to the whole festival team, including \u003Cb>Elspeth Giddens\u003C/b>, author-illustrator \u003Ca href=\"https://www.dogpigeon.co.uk/\">Peta Rainford\u003C/a> (who introduced our events), author-illustrator \u003Ca href=\"https://www.julesmarrinerbooks.com/\">Jules Marriner\u003C/a>, author \u003Ca href=\"https://isleofwightliteraryfestival.com/speaker/debbie-webb/\">Debbie Webb\u003C/a>, storyteller \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thatsanotherstory.co.uk/\">Susan Bailey\u003C/a> and lots more staff, patrons and volunteers who made it all happen.\\r\n\\r\nAnd thanks to Philip's wife, \u003Ca href=\"https://instagram.com/moorland\">Sarah Reeve\u003C/a>, who drove us! A few more highlights from the trip... Riding over from Southampton with Sarah, Philip and Stuart on the ferry: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1146490_original-664c68d903.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nA couple visits to \u003Ca href=\"https://quarrabbey.org/\">Quarr Abbey\u003C/a>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1146854_original-13ad55b6c7.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nThe working buildings built in the early 1900s:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1146945_original-9bee7b5025.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the medieval abbey which got completely destroyed by Henry VIII's men in the Dissolution of the Monasteries: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1147263_original-556bd18b81.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd Stuart and I took the Reeves back to \u003Ca href=\"https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne/\">Osborne House\u003C/a>, which we \u003Ca href=\"https://jabberworks.livejournal.com/847476.html\">so enjoyed visiting last time we took part in the festival, in 2020\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1147784_original-12c8cc0d81.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nLike Quarr, Osborne has beautiful grounds - including a beach - and makes for a lovely day out. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1148143_original-b38b6e987a.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nVentnor had terrific waves:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1148191_original-c4efdfbacf.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nRyde had a great seafront with an excellent cafe called the Chocolate Apothecary. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1148619_original-f8082bb090.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks, too, to Karen and the team who ran the boutique B&B in Newport where we stayed, \u003Ca href=\"https://www.oneholyrood.co.uk/\">One Holyrood \u003C/a>- highly recommended! (You can see our Scrabble scores in the notebook in the lounge.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/1148865_original-4954d576a2.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"\">","2022-03-05T15:00:00.000Z","isle-of-wight-story-festival-2022",[],"Isle of Wight Story Festival 2022",1776628731388]