Prestonpans own 'Canterbury' Tales ... an Invitation to 'Journey to Cuthill Park for Gala Day'

ADVANCED NOTICE

The Arts Festival has already announced its Art Deco Poster Competition for the 2010/ 2011 £2,000 Burriss Bursary [LINKED HERE]. It will shortly be announcing a second competition for writers across the community, The Prestonpans Tales.

Writers from any walk of life who care to make their fictitious/ factitious way to Gala Day in Cuthill Park to celebrate the town's industrial and social history will be invited to submit up to 5000 words of 'their Tale', telling of their journey. A tapestry embroiderer perhaps, a returning Panner from foreign shores, a fisherman, a brick or soap maker, coal miner, salt panner, brewer, market-gardener, a Highlander or redcoat at the Battle in 1745 .... a former licensee at The Gothenburg or Lady Susan or Johnnie Cope ...

Their Tales will be 'publicly shared' in the Prestoungrange Gothenburg the night before Gala Day! Chaucer's legendary sanction applies: If no story is told, that traveller must pay for the hospitality!

There will be two categories: Under 16s [not less than 1500 words] and over 16s [4,000/ 5,000 words]! The 'best' travel tales will be published and the traveller deemed 'very best' in each category will receive £500 under 16 and £1000 over 16. All entrants will receive a copy of the book of course! And subsequently we expect several of the Tales to be adapted for theatre too.

WHY ADVANCED NOTICE?

Because starting this Wednesday on ITV 3 is a modern interpretation of Geoffrey Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales - from whom we have unashamedly borrowed the idea. No idea yet what this BAFTA award winning series contains, and no responsibility here [please], but who knows, it might well be a source of inspiration!

ITV 3 LINK IS HERE

FULL DETAILS OF THE TALES WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE COMING MONTHS ... but forewarned is ....