A new festival celebrating the written and spoken word is coming to Flintshire this November.

The Big Word Weekend, at Mynydd Isa’s community and arts centre, Caffi Isa, will be a diverse celebration of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, song and comedy, featuring some impressive headliners, including legendary Merseyside songwriter Ian Prowse, esteemed historian Dr Miranda Kaufmann, comedian Daniel Hippolyte and award-winning short story writer Gaynor Jones.

Curated by local writer Jess Doyle, the eclectic program of events will cater for every interest, with discussion panels on horror and comic books, a comedy workshop, a quiz night and children’s craft.

Ian Prowse is a Merseyside songwriting legend, known for his music in the bands Pele and Amsterdam, and under his own name. His session, How to Write Songs of Conviction, will explore the process behind some of his body of work.

Dr Miranda Kaufmann is a Wolfson History Prize and Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize shortlisted author. She will be discussing her book Black Tudors: The Untold Story. She read History at Christ Church, Oxford and is now an Honorary Fellow of the University of Liverpool, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London.

Gaynor Jones is a northern writer, currently based in Oldham. She has won the Bath Flash Fiction Award and the Mairtín Crawford Short Story Award and was named Northern Writer of the Year at the 2018 Northern Soul Awards. Gaynor will be hosting a flash fiction workshop, suitable for all levels of writer.

Daniel Hippolyte is an actor, writer and comedian based in the North West of England. Dan will be hosting a workshop on writing comedy for stage and screen.

Caffi Isa, located at the heart of the village just outside Mold, has gone from strength to strength since taking over the building in 2016.

The organisation provides more than a meeting place for locals, with a variety of diverse events including live music, stand up comedy, family fun days, dog shows and an annual pantomime. Having recently received National Lottery Funding, Caffi Isa is excited to expand its arts programme.

Festival organiser Jess Doyle said: “I’m delighted to be hosting the inaugural Big Word Weekend at Caffi Isa.

"It’s a fantastic opportunity for our community to learn, gain inspiration and be entertained by really talented writers.

"It’ll be a fascinating and fun weekend.”

Sara Parker, who has directed Caffi Isa from its humble beginnings in a single room at the community centre, added: “Caffi Isa has always aimed to deliver enriching arts and cultural experiences to the community. We’re very excited about our future and delighted to be able to expand our arts programme, beginning with The Big Word Weekend.”

The Big Word Weekend runs from November 12 to14. Tickets to see guest speakers start at £8 and are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/caffiisa

You can find out more about the festival on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/mynyddisacafe/

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