Dinah Jefferies was suddenly taken ill on Wednesday January 4th evening. In her keen desire to attend the Festival, she held off cancelling in the hopes her doctors would still permit her to travel because she really wanted to attend the Festival and also visit Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, by Thursday night, her doctors, after careful consultation and examination of Ms. Jefferies, advised her not to fly for the next two weeks. She sends her deep regrets about having to cancel.

In light of this, the Festival announces that her In Conversation session scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Thursday January 12th will be cancelled, as well as her Private Affair on Saturday January 14th at 12:30 p.m. 

However, the dinner she was to co-host with the brilliant poet Kate Tempest on Friday January 13th at 8 p.m. at Tamarind Hill will go ahead. Tempest’s album was recently nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize and was winner of the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. She is a rising star on the music and spoken word scene. It promises to be a dazzling evening that attendees will long remember. 

Anyone wanting to exchange tickets should email [email protected]