Medway’s literary festival aims big
Plus Bill Lewis maybe announces retirement, we review Kaya Meze Bar, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more
It had been 25 years since our towns had a Medway-wide literary festival, which Medway River Lit organisers Barry Fentiman-Hall and Sam Hall set out to put right. Following last year's inaugural event, the festival is even bigger this year as it delivers an ambitious lineup of events. Further down, legendary Medway poet and artist has maybe announced his retirement, we review Kaya Meze Bar in Rochester, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more.
Medway’s literature festival aims big
The Medway River Lit festival is back for its second year of literary events across our towns, but not without some changes. Following last year’s intense ten days of events, this year sees the event spread across the weekends of November. The hope is that this will enable more people to attend more events this year.
For this year’s festival, Fridays have been set for poetry. “They will be taking place at the Coffee Republic”, says organiser Barry Fentiman-Hall, “each Friday evening, of which there are five in November, handily.” The first event will feature the Four Poets, which includes Barry performing with Maggie Harris, Bill Lewis and Sarah Hehir. Poets in future weeks include Helen Ivory and Martin Figura. On the 15th, local poetry night Big Trouble is taking over and doing their usual feature with an open mic because “we don't have many open mics during the festival”, says Barry. At the end of the festival, on the last Friday, there is festival patron Caroline Bird. Barry is very excited about this, describing Caroline as someone “who is to my mind one of the finest people writing poetry in English in the world at the current time, and we're very lucky to have her.”
As well as spreading across weekends, the festival has also moved from the summer to November, hoping there would be fewer clashes. “Hopefully, you won’t have to go to three things in one day from different organisations”, says fellow organiser Sam Hall. “Medway used to have a lot of that if you liked free wine and cheese.” Previously known as ‘Welcome to Cloisterham’, the festival used to be part of the Dickens package of events, but that is no longer the case. “It marks our own identity separate”, adds Barry, “although we do lead into the Dickensian Christmas.”
This is the first of their festivals where there isn’t a Dickensian element, Barry starts to explain. “Oh yes there is”, interjects Sam. “He is the perennial ghost in Medway”, concedes Barry. This is the first festival that hasn’t been branded or officially connected with anything Dickens-related though. “I think it's best for all round really”, says Barry. “Hashtag other Victorians are available”, adds Sam.
Has it been difficult getting people to come to Medway for the festival? “I trot this out as an answer a lot", answers Barry, “because I think it's one of the best quotes about asking people I've ever heard: ‘Shy bairns get nought’. Barry and Sam are certainly not shy. Authors often have representation, whose job it is to get work for the authors. It doesn’t matter how famous the author is, if they are interested in doing it and they get paid, the agent wants to hear from you.
The first Saturday headliner is Ben Okri, a Booker Prize winner and somebody Barry didn’t expect to get for the festival. The event has evolved the way that Barry and Sam wanted it to. Over time, they have been able to build up a reputation. They often find themselves speaking to the same agents whose other clients have previously had a good time. “If they've had a good experience with you”, says Barry, “and they feel that you've been professional, they talk, and if they like being here, they'll tell other people.”
Alice Oseman has always been on their list, but the stars have not yet aligned for somebody in high demand who limits their appearances. Funding, as is always the way, is an issue if they want to bring higher profile authors to future festivals. Sam cites Margaret Atwood as an example of “the level of people that we want to be inviting to Medway in the future.” Some authors are surprisingly affordable, whilst others are prohibitively expensive. “If it's the second one, we just have to walk away”, concedes Barry.
They currently have a sponsor and a match funding agreement with Medway Council and are working on attaining further sponsors and grants from organisations like Arts Council England. They know that within a few years if it is to survive, the festival will have to provide for itself a bit more. However, there will always be a sense of partnership with Medway Council. “We couldn't do it without them”, says Barry, with the festival supported by libraries, various departments, and the culture team.
Medway River Lit 2025 is definitely going to happen. “We are in the position now where we know what we are doing”, Says Barry. “I’m not saying it’s easy. The Brook Theatre has been closed for the entirety of the time, but we have laid the foundations.”
Medway River Lit begins on 1 November and runs until 30 November, with events all across Medway. You can browse the full schedule on their website.
In brief
🛒 Tesco are set to open one of their Express stores next door to Rochester rail station. The town is famously a desert for grocery provision, but the new outlet within the Pullman House development on Corporation Street should do okay for itself.
⚽ Gillingham Football Club has condemned alleged racist abuse from one of its supporters toward a visiting player. It comes a year after a similar incident at the club.
🌳 Medway Council has agreed to perform maintenance work to protect an ancient monument in Halling. The one remaining wall from Bishop’s Place is over 900 years old and was facing damage from foliage growing on and through it.
🗃️ KMTV has been to visit the Medway Archives. This year marks 25 years since the organisation made their files accessible online, making them the first in the country to do so.
🧑💻 A new coworking and events space has opened in Chatham. Platform 26 on Railway Street offers flexible workspace, podcast recording facilities, meeting rooms, and more.
Bill Lewis possibly announces retirement
Bill Lewis is an award-winning local poet and artist, a founding member of the Medway Poets and the Stuckist art movement. He recently contacted us to let us know he is “close to giving my writing and painting up.”
As part of this process, he has begun updating his YouTube channel. “I thought It would be good to gather as much historical footage as possible”. Most of the short films that illustrate Bill’s poems were made by his wife, Ann. There are also clips of him reading live at gigs, recorded by others. Some studio recordings made by Jim Riley at his old studio will be added at a future date, later with artwork to illustrate them.
“Next year, my Spanish/English book will be published”, said Bill, “and I'm committed to read in Spain and England, but after that, I intend to do my best to retire unless a miracle happens and I get published by a major press.”
Out to Lunch: Kaya Meze Bar
In which Steven Keevil assesses the lunch options available in our towns. This week, he’s been down to Kaya Maze Bar in Rochester…
Kaya Meze Bar is a potential contradiction: a contemporary restaurant in the centre of the historic high street of Rochester, offering traditional Turkish food in a listed building. While walking the high street looking for a place to lunch, they laid out a honey trap by having a table outside set with a pint of beer and a mixed platter. One moment, it’s ‘Mmm, that looks nice’, and the next, it’s ‘Can I get a table, please.’ You are then sitting in a stylishly designed restaurant, staring at the outside table, worrying somebody will get their lunch stolen.
I ordered some marinated olives whilst browsing the menu. They offer two courses for £15.99, and I ordered the garlic mushrooms and a mixed shish, and not paying attention to the fact it came served with rice, I asked for a side of chips. They also offered rice pudding for dessert, which I was also looking forward to.
The olives were nice, with a solid texture and good flavour. I was thankful for them as there was a little wait for the starters. The garlic mushrooms were tasty but unexpectedly served in a thick creamy sauce, which was, for want of a better word, stringy. Served with a teaspoon, there was no gentlemanly way to eat them. There was then a longer wait for the mains. The chips were quite bland, and I regretted ordering them because they took away from a great main packed with flavour. The chicken and lamb shish was tender, the rice had a surprising flavour, in a good way, and even the side salad was moreish. Sadly, I didn’t have time for the rice pudding by the time I had finished.
Kaya Meze Bar was a surprising delight flavour-wise, and if you don’t mind waiting a little, it’s worth finding the time to try lunch there.
Addendum: I stopped at the former Tony Lorenzo, now called Lenny’s, still wanting dessert. I ordered a custard tart. It was, without a doubt, the worst custard tart I have had from a bakery. The pastry was damp and fell apart, and the whole was unpleasant. I didn’t even finish it. Sad times.
Events this week
💡 24 - 27 Oct - Electric Medway // Four-day digital arts festival in locations across Medway featuring installations, panels, theatre, and more. Various locations. Free.
🎤 Fri 25 Oct - Al Murray: Guv Island // Stand-up comedy featuring new material from Murray’s Pub Landlord character on the state of the nation. Central Theatre, Chatham. Tickets from £26.25.
🖤 Sat 26 Oct - Broken Heart Bazaar // Alternative market selling art, curios and wonders, gothic gifts, spooky homewares, and preloved trinkets. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Free.
🛍️ Sat 26 Oct - Rochester City Vintage & Artisan Market // Stalls selling unique gifts and products. Rochester High Street. Free.
💀 Mon 28 Oct - A Nightmare on Elm Street // 40th-anniversary screening of Wes Craven horror, now a 15 certificate. Odeon, Chatham Tickets £5.
We’re also happy to share our new events page. We’ll continue to include the events for the current week in these Friday briefings, but we’re aware that it’s often last minute, or things might be sold out by the time you read about them here. Our events page aims to solve that by offering a view of everything interesting happening over the next few months across Medway.
The page is still a work in progress, and there’s a good chance we’ve missed something interesting. If you are holding or know of an event that will likely interest us, let us know via hello AT localauthority DOT news - thanks!
More Authority
Yesterday, we published our look at the state of the Spembley Building in Chatham and tried to understand how it’s been allowed to decline into such a state.
Remember that our Medwayish shop contains a wide range of Medway-related gifts and products designed by local creatives. We have books, mugs, t-shirts, prints, and other fun bits and pieces. Check it out!
Footnotes
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