Simon Savidge is our Literary Curator.
Photo: Louise RobertsAt this year’s Good Life Experience Simon Savidge will curate a full programme of literature -a first for us- titled Savidge Reads Presents Literature Live. Simon will pop up across multiple stages, with a number of well-known and up-and-coming authors at his side.
And, on the main stage, Simon will be interviewing our festival co-founder Cerys Matthews MBE about her life in books. This promises to be a real highlight.
Elsewhere, we are at the planning stages for an intimate series of Reader’s Retreats, in Hawarden or at Glen Dye. All hosted by Simon, our Literary Curator, and Team TGLE. More on that below…
ABOUT SIMON.
Simon Savidge is the man behind Savidge Reads. He is -simply- infatuated with books.
Coming from a long line of Northern book lovers, Simon has loved books since he first encountered Elmer, who he has recently realised is his subconscious style icon. Simon fell out of love with reading in his late teens and early twenties, until a friend gave him Du Maurier’s Rebecca and he hasn’t really been seen without a book since.
Simon started the book blog Savidge Reads in 2007, he then moved into podcasts with The Readers, before heading to YouTube in 2016 which has become his main focus. Simon has judged The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, Fiction Uncovered, the HWA Debut Crown, the Costa Book Awards and was chair of the Portico Prize 2019, often described as the Booker of the North. He currently project manages The BBC Novels That Shaped Our World Libraries Events Programme UK wide, as well as hosting literary events at festivals and bookshops.
Most known for his YouTube channel, Savidge Reads, Simon has also appeared on the Booker Prize, BBC News 24/BBC One live show, has hosted a books section on Radio 5 Live and was a presenter on Sky Arts Live from Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2019. He returns to Sky Arts this autumn as one of the presenters on Sky Art’s new forthcoming Book Club Live. Simon also hosts a book club with Melanie Sykes.
Photo: Department TwoREADER’S RETREATS IN 2021…
2020 hasn’t been the best year, so here is something we are getting very excited about in 2021. Beyond The Good Life Experience we’re looking forward to working with Simon on a number of Reader’s Retreats, based here in Hawarden or at our base in Scotland at Glen Dye.
Whilst the plans aren’t fully formed, we are very excited of the new opportunities ahead. If this sounds like your kind of thing, let us and Simon know!
We hope to reveal more soon…
Photo: Sight SeersREGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN THE RETREAT.
If an autumnal reading retreat in 2021 with Simon and our Team sounds like fun, we’d appreciate it if you could let us know by filling in the simple form below.
We’re still shaping this idea, but you know you can count on us to make this something very special!
