Spread the word: Words on the Mount is coming

Friday, 17 June 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Celebrating 210 years of history and colonial heritage, Mount Lavinia Hotel has created an original and unique literary event ‘Words on the Mount’.

The main focus of the event will centre on Saturday 9 July, where there will be live literary performances from four British visiting authors who will take to the stage and celebrate their particular genre of writing; Louis de Bernières; from war and romance, Peter Grimsdale; to suspense and thrillers, Stephanie Calman; to writing about life; revealing hilarious personal experiences and with Rohan Candappa, a tongue in cheek look at what it means to be British. The event will conclude with a grand finale which promises to be a visual fiesta of colour and sound.

On Sunday 10 July a very special day of activities has been organised with children’s author and illustrator, Nicholas Allan, who will be running three enjoyable and fun workshops for children of different age ranges (from toddlers to 17+ year olds!) assisted by Angela Seneviratne. These workshops are designed to motivate and encourage young and older children to colourfully illustrate unusual templates and to create their own picture story books. The main focus will be on a visual context to accommodate children of differing language abilities and needs, (signers for deaf children will be available).

To start the morning there will be a special screening of the British film ‘Paddington’, based on the well-loved books written by Michael Bond, full of exciting and lively animation. The film follows the adventure of a young bear ‘from darkest Peru’ who travels to London in search of a home. Running parallel to these workshops will be 4 Masterclasses facilitated by the authors on their specialist subjects. This will be an extraordinary opportunity for older teenagers and adults to participate, learn and acquire the key skills needed to write with greater confidence and fluency.

The subjects covered will be on how to write a successful novel and a question and answer session will examine Louis de Bernières’ international best seller ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’. With Peter Grimsdale on how to maintain a sense of suspense in writing a thriller, with Rohan Candappa on ‘How to write funny’ and with Stephanie Calman on ‘Discovering your writing voice’.

There will also be a session on Sri Lankan writing with Lal Medawattegedara, Shehan Kurunatilaka, and Ashok Ferrey in conversation with Rohan Candappa, which will explore the different perspectives of writing inside and outside the country.

These events are all free and form part of Mount Lavinia Hotel’s 210 year history and will celebrate its literary heritage. The event will conclude with a spectacular and colourful closing ceremony where the children’s designs will be judged and prizes awarded. The emphasis for this unique occasion is on learning, being creative, and having fun! A definitely unmissable event! Register now and reserve your place early.