A WRITER who has travelled the world will unveil new poetry about Lancaster and Morecambe Bay at this year's LitFest.

Milner Place's extraordinary life has taken him from digging in South African copper mines and timber felling to being a professional skipper and mapping the Mexican coastline. Born in North Yorkshire in 1930, he only began writing a few years ago, originally in Spanish!

His work in English has been highly acclaimed and he brings his seasoned eye to our own city and its surroundings with a specially commissioned piece of writing about the area and its characters to be premiered at LitFest.

Appearing alongside Milner will be locally based musician Jon Moore (guitarist and songwriter for festival band Edward II), providing a musical counterpoint to the performance. And that's not all. The event also includes a set by another world-travelled performer, the amazing Jean 'Binta' Breeze. Jamaican-born Jean's dub poetry performance has been a hit with audiences in many countries, and her Gregson show is sure to be no exception. The event takes place at 8.30 pm at the Gregson Centre, Moorgate, on October 22. LitFest 99 also includes an appearance by the writer of the nation's

favourite modern poem. Jenny Joseph, writer of "Warning", which put a new twist on the ageing process with its opening line "When I am an old woman I

will wear purple" is at the Gregson on Thursday 21st October. Sharing the bill will be Suniti Namjoshi, an Indian born writer whose witty and intriguing fables and stories weave a spell all of their own.

Saturday evening (Oct 23) sees another triple bill of top writers at the Gregson. The premiere of a new short story by E A Markham will be followed by streetwise performance writer Peter Plate, with the lowdown on life in his native San Francisco. International storyteller Helen East provides the finishing touch to an evening of insight and entertainment.

These are just a few of the many events happening at LitFest. For tickets or further information, telephone LitFest on 01524 62166.

The festival closes on October 24 with poet Roger McGough at the Dukes. Tickets should be booked with the Dukes' box office on 66645.

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