Once a year Oxford is transformed. It's a beautiful city but for one week only it becomes a butterfly. The week you all know I'm talking about is the Oxford Literary Festival. For 9 days the city of dreaming spires becomes a book lovers hub, where thousands of book addicts from all over the world step foot in Oxford to be part of something so amazing and special that I am jumping for joy that this year, for the first year in the last 2 years I've worked for the company (this is the 3rd literary festival however) that I will be working it. Not only will I be working, I will be involved in the set up, the events Monday-Friday and the take down and you, lucky readers are going to be updated on my journey. Learn how one bookshop, a festival and an over eager bookseller works to make the Oxford Literary Festival the big successful event it is!
9am- The start of the transformation.
So today was day one of the set up. Imagine lifting a whole floor of the bookshop and putting it in an amazing big marquee in the middle of Christ Church and you can understand the massive task we had in front of us. Deliveries of books came in and as a team we unboxed them, allocated them to the right events and areas of the marquee and checked stock levels. It was a great feeling to see the day through, from a big empty space, ending with a room of books on shelves and tables starting to look like pyramids of the best books that genuinely are out there at the moment.
Incase any of you haven't bought your tickets yet or had a look at the programme- http://www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com/ check this out! The names attending are huge in all aspects of literature. From the Children's Laureate event, to Kazuo Ishiguro, there really is something there for everyone to get excited about. Personally I love Children's books and am really excited with the line up of children's authors this year, including Eoin Colfer, Louise Rennison, Jacqueline Wilson, Anthony Browne, Michael Rosen, Lauren St John and of course Philip Pullman. So buy you're tickets quick, time is running out and they are selling like hot cakes.
Today is just the beginning and it has me itching for the festival to start. I promise to tell you of all author spottings and if I'm lucky I will snap a few for you to see.
For the time being I'm going to sleep, because tomorrow the fun starts again.
