The idea
About the festival
Help us bring back Medway River Lit festival for its third outing in November. The festival is produced by Wordsmithery, an award-winning Medway based literary producer, with seed funding from Medway Council. We have collected feedback to ensure our festival is co-created by the community – including activities such as a poetry slam and a Local Author Bookfair. All these activities are offered on a Pay What You Can basis to attendees.
Throughout November, we will run an amazing festival programme with writing and literary workshops, talks and panels for adults and young people. We will host talks from renowned writers and showcase Kent and Medway’s very own writers, but we need help to increase what we can offer.
The festival continues to grow in reputation and stature with audiences of over 1,750 in person last year. In an area of low literacy and low arts engagement, Medway River Lit is an essential ingredient for wellbeing, increased aspiration, and literacy.
What we'll deliver
- • A festival programme with a month-long roster of international writers supported by a programme of local writers
- • Local Writer Development Programme including workshops and one-to-ones
- • Youth Poet Laureate Scheme including work experience, publishing and performance opportunities
- • Book talks, panels, discussions and Q+As with writers of all genres
- • Local Author Fair
- • Regular poetry night, with opportunities for open mics and a slam
- • Carbon Literacy training event
- • Festival podcasts and blogs
- • Launch event with goody bags including environmentally friendly contents
- • Festival infrastructure – including staff and volunteers, marketing and promotional materials, podcasts
Why it's a great idea
Medway River Lit is good for writers, readers, the local community and the local economy.
Medway River Lit festival offers multiple opportunities for people of all ages to engage with the arts in new ways, including the merging of participatory crafts and literature. Our Youth Laureate Programme provides opportunities for young people and their families to engage, as well as gain crucial experience of working in the arts. Our Local Writer Development Workshops focus on helping Medway-based writers improve their craft.
The world-famous writers that Medway River Lit brings to perform in Medway increase footfall to local businesses and increase arts engagement in the region.
Medway River Lit aims to improve both literacy and wellbeing through getting people involved in reading and writing, at all ages. Combatting loneliness is key to wellbeing and our project is building a community of supportive like-minded people of all ages.
Steps to get it done
- Organise Medway River Lit 2025 including planning, funding applications and sponsorship drive.
- Admin of individual projects (Youth Laureate, Writer Development Programme etc) /Design/Publicity
- Confirm talk and workshop schedules with venues, writers, artists and tutors.
- Announce programme of talks and workshops / Commence marketing: devise podcast schedule and guests.
- Admin including risk assessments and venue visits and confirmations + Final artist confirmations
- Devise new content - eg CLAD 25 training event
- Run Medway River Lit Festival
- During - award Medway Youth Laureate prizes
- During - advertise for Writer Development Scheme members
- Wrap up meetings and feedback collated and reported back
