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X-WR-CALNAME:Dorchester Literary Festival
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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Dorchester Literary Festival
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T113000
DTSTAMP:20260608T191729
CREATED:20260605T104145Z
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SUMMARY:John Wright – Grasslands
DESCRIPTION:A sparkling green field. A dull and scrubby patch of grass. One is the sanitised evidenceof monoculture\, the other a world teeming with more life than you could ever imagine.Join John Wright\, one of our best-known naturalists\, as he uncovers the beauty andrich diversity of Britain’s grasslands. Bursting with mushrooms\, lichen and wildflowers\,home to butterflies\, bees and beetles\, and vital to foxes and birds alike\, these grasslandsare part of our natural heritage. \n\n\n\nFrom meadows to mires to heathlands\, John Wright introduces them in all their variety:the history of how grasslands came to be\, what can be found there\, what we risk withtheir loss and what can be done to save what is left. Most of all\, he shows why weshould care. Because grasslands are never just patches of grass. \n\n\n\nJohn Wright is one of Great Britain’s best-known naturalists and leading experts onfungi. His books include A Spotter’s Guide to the Countryside\, A Natural History ofthe Hedgerow and the bestselling The Forager’s Calendar. He lives in Dorset\, near theglorious grassland of Hog Cliff. \n\n\n\nTickets £14.00 (£10.00 Students)
URL:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/event/john-wright-grasslands/
LOCATION:The Dorford Centre\, 2 Bridport Road\, Dorchester\, Dorset\, DT1 1RR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adult
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/grasslands-john-wright-jacket-scaled.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T123000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T133000
DTSTAMP:20260608T191729
CREATED:20260605T104145Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T104145Z
UID:10000173-1792585800-1792589400@dorchesterliteraryfestival.com
SUMMARY:Samira Ahmed – A Hard Day’s Night
DESCRIPTION:How did a film made to capture a pop phenomenon in real time become a genuine cinematic classic?Journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed explores how this beloved film captures both the band’s coveted charisma and the shifting cultural landscape of 1960s Britain. \n\n\n\nA life-long fan\, Samira first discovered the film at the age of 11 and then in 2023 she uncovered the earliest known complete concert recording of the Beatles\, taken at Stowe School in 1963 which made headlines around the world. Blending documentary-style realism with a subversion of classnorms\, the film not only reflects the Beatles’ role in reshaping celebrity and social identity\, but also shaped Samira’s understanding of fame and the media as she embarked on a career in journalism. Samira examines its lasting legacy\, showing how its portrayal of Beatlemania influenced generations and continues to serve as a powerful metaphor for modern celebrity culture. \n\n\n\nSamira Ahmed is a journalist\, writer\, and BBC broadcaster. She presents Front Row on BBC Radio 4\, Newswatch on BBC One\, and has made acclaimed documentaries including Art of Persia (BBC Four)\, Disgusted\, Mary Whitehouse\, and I Dressed Ziggy Stardust (BBC Radio 4). In 2020\, she was named Audio Presenter of the Year by the Broadcasting Press Guild. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian\, The Observer\, and New Humanist\, where she also writes a regular column. She is President of the Twentieth Century Society\, which campaigns to preserve modern architecture and design. A Hard Day’s Night is her first book. \n\n\n\nTickets £14.00 (£10.00 Students)
URL:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/event/samira-ahmed-a-hard-days-night/
LOCATION:The Dorford Centre\, 2 Bridport Road\, Dorchester\, Dorset\, DT1 1RR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adult
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/hard-days-night-cover.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T150000
DTSTAMP:20260608T191729
CREATED:20260605T104144Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T104144Z
UID:10000187-1792591200-1792594800@dorchesterliteraryfestival.com
SUMMARY:Simon Parker - The Wild Ride Home
DESCRIPTION:Outdoor enthusiast\, cyclist and acclaimed travel writer Simon Parker was restless for a new adventure\, but with a small baby his explorations needed to begin at home. He decided to cycle through all 15 of the UK’s national parks in the anniversary year of the first one’s founding\, the Peak District. While each of the national parks offered beauty and surprises\, all of them revealed the challenges of making space for nature on an overpopulated island. His days within the parks\, from Dartmoor to Cairngorms\, via the Yorkshire Dales and The Broads\, could be idyllic or enraging. He explored wild and remote moors and mountain tops but also got stuck in plenty of holiday traffic. He developed an injury\, walked where the bike wouldn’t go\, accepted pints and campsite pitches\, and talked to everyone he met. From campers\, conservationists\, walkers\, landowners\, farmers\, small business owners\, commoners\, pony lovers\, newcomers\, tourists\, birders and artists – everyone is seeking something different from the hills\, dales and waters of the UK. Yet all share the urge for space\, fresh air\, beauty and the humbled humanity it brings. This is a page-turning\, revealing perspective of the British and the wild-ish landscapes they love. \n\n\n\nSimon Parker is a multi-award-winning travel writer and filmmaker who has reported from more than half of the world’s countries. He has cycled across the USA\, produced films about endangered species in Zambia\, Mozambique and Zimbabwe\, and writes for the Telegraph\, Times and National Geographic. When he’s not writing books or newspaper articles he manages his own production company\, Simon Parker Creative. \n\n\n\nTickets £14.00 (£10.00 Students)
URL:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/event/simon-parker-the-wild-ride-home/
LOCATION:The Dorford Centre\, 2 Bridport Road\, Dorchester\, Dorset\, DT1 1RR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adult
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/the-wild-road-home-jkt.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261021T170000
DTSTAMP:20260608T191729
CREATED:20260605T104143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260605T104143Z
UID:10000174-1792598400-1792602000@dorchesterliteraryfestival.com
SUMMARY:Anthony Seldon – Sunak at 10
DESCRIPTION:After almost a decade and a half of Tory rule\, the 2024 General Election saw the Conservatives suffer their worst-ever defeat: they received 7.14 million fewer votes than in 2019; 23.7 per cent is their lowest ever vote share; and their current 121 MP contingent is their smallest since 1832. Meanwhile\, the rise of Reform threatens the party’s very existence. \n\n\n\nHow did it all go wrong so quickly\, following Boris Johnson’s record-setting win in 2019? \n\n\n\nFrom taking office amidst the cost of living and energy supply crises and the panic caused by Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget\, through the agenda-dominating Ukraine and Gaza wars and the Rwanda Asylum Plan\, to the stunning 2023 local election results\, Sunak at 10 is the definitive and jaw-dropping window into Rishi Sunak’s premiership. \n\n\n\nAnthony Seldon’s is an educator\,  historian\, writer and commentator. He is autor or editor of over fifty books on contemporary history\, politics and education\, including The Sunday Times bestsellers Johnson at 10 \, Truss at 10\, and The Path of Light. \n\n\n\nTickets £14.00 (£10.00 Students)
URL:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/event/anthony-seldon-sunak-at-10/
LOCATION:The Dorford Centre\, 2 Bridport Road\, Dorchester\, Dorset\, DT1 1RR\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Adult
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://dorchesterliteraryfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sunak-at-10-scaled.webp
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