Automotive writing a highlight of the Runnymede International Literary Festival

Guild of Motoring Writers Press Release

Guild member Simon Taylor is to play a key role in the second Runnymede International Literary Festival this month.

Simon, Editor-at-Large of Classic & Sports Car and Motor Sport magazines, is among the celebrated names appearing at a three-day festival of national and international writers at Royal Holloway (University of London) in Egham, Surrey.

Simon was editor of Autosport at only 25 before going on to be creator of What Car? and chairman of Haymarket. He has been BBC Radio’s F1 correspondent and ITV’s International Motor Racing series commentator; in addition, he is a highly respected author and winner of the GoMW Timo Makinen Award for the best motor sports writing of 2005. He is an outstanding choice to deliver a lecture on the topic of Writing and Broadcasting about Cars and Motorsport.

What’s more, every year the Festival holds a writing competition for schools, and for 2007, the subject is Motoring. Simon will be among the judges for this prestigious award, the others being poet laureate Andrew Motion, the local English Consultant to schools and Royal Holloway’s head of English. Ferrari GB is sponsoring the contest and will bring along a car for the day.

The second Runnymede International Literary Festival takes place from 19 February to 3 March. Simon’s talk is to be given at Royal Holloway’s Windsor Building (101/102) from 12.30-1.30pm on Saturday, 3 March.

Royal Holloway, Runnymede Borough Council and The South literature agency are the principal festival partners of the event, working together to bring a programme of literary activities to Runnymede. To find out more about Simon’s free lecture and other festival activities, phone 01784 477304, log on to www.rfest.co.uk and enjoy the English language at its best.