One of the best things about a LitFest is the gathering of the little gems; by that, I mean the gleaning of info about/from celebrities, either stuff they pass on during their events, or possibly stuff you hear from a friend or glimpse over the net before you meet them.
It's the kind of stuff, the sort of information that enlivens, introduces you properly to talented and creative people.
Here then are some little gems about Rabbi Lionel Blue ( last Wednesday Oct 17 at the Town Hall) and best-selling writer Kate Long ( who ran a fabulous creative writing workshop on Oct 20 at Chester Theatre Club's Little Theatre).
Lionel Blue, it seems, counts his blessings because of his Grandma...
And his mother, who he clearly adored, called him Lionel after Lionel Barrymore. Seeing Barrymore in a film at the cinema, she said, was the ONLY Good Thing that happened in the Depression of 1929; her son hit the world in 1930.
And Lionel Blue says he was a smug young man but one day, God spoke to him ( harshly!):" Look, Lionel, if you go on like this, I'll break your bloody neck!"
Lionel says he aims to give people courage to get out of bed in the mornings, but ( hmm) this doesn't work for me; I'm too busy listening to " Thought for the Day" to even THINK about putting my slippers on. And his cure for insomnia? Eating baked beans out of the tin.
Lionel reckons the world is like the departure lounge of an airport; we make ourselves comfy, get to know each other and then suddenly, we're called, our number's up, so off we go...
Altogether an interesting and thought-provoking evening with a fascinating guy...
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