…2014 is truly exciting! As this new year begins, I find myself truly in the thick of it. Having taken up a new post as a Graduate Teaching Assitant for Middlesex I find myself support the new commitee who are fantastically organising this year’s Literary Festival.

Already we have so many exciting pearls to display this April. Innovative panels are shaping up, great speakers are confirming their attendance and we are all nervously ecstatic and can’t wait for the 2nd and 3rd days of April to begin!

My personal giddy giddy knee-quivering excitement stems from David Nichols, writer of the hit novel ‘One day’ and it’s screenplay turned into a film starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, visiting our Hendon campus as the keynote speaker. Apart from the greatly emotional love story, I personally think Nichols should also be praised for his screenwriting work on ‘Starter for Ten’ (also a novel written by him), ‘And when did you last see your Father?’ and ‘Great Expectation’ (2012) starring Helena Bonham-Carter and Ralph Fiennes. Also recently he wrote the new BBC drama ‘The 7.39’ starring Sheridan Smith and Olivia Colman, this was by far my most favourite work to day, reminding me of a modern Brief Encounter and starring two amazing female actors with such depth in character, not forgetting David Morrisey’s turn in it, who knew he would be so chiselled?

Gushing over…  I am also pleased to inform you that there will also be a return of firm favourites from last year. For budding writers, the Speed-pitching event will see young and old alike vying to share their great ideas to the LBA Literary Agency. Also for the very first time ever the festival will be tackling the question of media convergence through addressing the use and feature of narrative in other mediums, starting with the computer gaming where top speakers from indie gaming will address the use of storyline in an interactive framework.

On the the literary side of thinngs, Middlesex University will be welcoming highly successful writers. Bestselling historian, broadcaster and former editor of the ‘History Today’ magazine Juliet Gardener will be appearing to share her extensive experience, as will Lesley Pearce, the best-selling novellist who has sold over 7 million copies of her book to date and has fans across the world.

The Festival is still in it’s programming stages but everythign seems to be shaping up, though I expect a lot more news to come out in the next few weeks. More up-to-date information can be found at the dedicated North London Literary Festival website .

Until then write it in your diaries now, 2nd and 3rd of April 2014 is going to be fantabulous!