SWINDON LITERARY FESTIVAL: SINGING trapeze artistes and miniature puppet horses were today due to kick off Giffords Circus' four-day run at Lawn Woods, Old Town as part of the Swindon Festival of Literature.

The first performance was due to start at 6pm tonight, with tickets from £7.50. Performance times vary thereafter. Call (01242) 572573.

Giffords co-founder, Nell Stroud, will launch her book Philip Astley Inventor of the Circus, on Sunday in the Big Top. Tickets cost £3 for an 11am start.

Poet Laureate Andrew Motion was tonight appearing at the Arts Centre, Devizes Road, to talk about the role of poetry in modern life and read extracts from his anthology, Public Property.

Tickets cost £7 for a 7.30pm start. Call Swindon 614837.

Ossian Shine, international tennis editor for Reuters, will discuss the origins of the sport, its name and the Wimbledon Championships when he appears at the Delta Tennis Centre in West Swindon tomorrow.

The talk starts at 12pm until 3pm. Tickets cost from £4. Call Swindon 445555.