Bloxham School was delighted to host the 2016 Bloxham Festival of Faith and Literature on the theme of the works of William Shakespeare
This year’s Bloxham Festival of Faith and Literature, on the theme of William Shakespeare’s works, was a huge success and we would like to thank all those who organised and supported what was a fascinating few days.
More than 500 visitors attended the 2016 Bloxham Faith and Literature Festival, which took place between 19th and 21st February. The festival comprised over 40 talks and events, including an Elizabethan cookery lesson, a play, a choir performance and talks from the likes of’Reverend Richard Coles, Salley Vickers and David Wilkinson. There was also a Gala Dinner with keynote speaker actor, author and producer Ben Crystal, and the shortlist for the Michael Ramsey Prize 2016 was announced.
The Michael Ramsay Prize sees the winner receive ‘10,000. This year’s shortlist comprises:
- Faith and Struggle on Smokey Mountain: Hope for a planet in peril (Benigno P. Beltran);’
- Healing Agony: Re-imagining forgiveness (Stephen Cherry);’
- Children in the Bible (Anne Richards);’
- Unapologetic: Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense‘(Francis Spufford);’
- Dementia: Living in the memories of God‘(John Swinton);’
- God’s Presence: A contemporary recapitulation of early Christianity (Frances Young).
The BBC also came along to the festival and recorded an episode of “Beyond Belief”, which is due to be aired on BBC Radio 4 soon. Presenter William Crawley and guest speakers Canon Dr Edmund Newell, The Revd Canon Professor Richard Burridge, Dr Irving Finkel, and Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou discussed the origins and significance of some of the most familiar stories of our time, and the challenges they pose.
The Church Times has covered the festival in its latest issue and a digital copy of the publication can be seen here.
You can view an album of photos taken during the event here.