The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival for 2021 has begun.
The festival, held at various venues around the city started today (8th October) and continues until 17th October 2021.
Participants and attendees are there to celebrate everything about books and writing. Those taking part include Writers, Poets, Actors, Politicians, Comedians and Musicians.
There are many things going on including workshops, interviews, panels and family events; some are free, others cost a fee but there is something for everyone.
People taking part include Elif Shafak, Maggie O’ Farrell, Ann Morgan, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sebastian Faulks, Ben Miller, Caroline O’ Donoghue, Clare Balding, Hayley Mills, Jonathan Franzen, Cressida Cowell, Mark Billingham, Josh Widdicombe, Richard Osman, Lisa Jewell, Jed Mercurio, Suzie Dent, Paula Hawkins, Lionel Shriver, Marian Keyes, Dawn French, Bernardine Evaristo, Robert Webb and Will Young.
Workshops over the festival include ‘Writing Scary Stories’ with Jennifer Killick, Young Journalists with the Week Junior, How To Make Awesome Comics with Neill Cameron and Surviving and Thriving as a Young Writer.
byThe UK’s leading British South Asian Literary Festival, organised by DESIblitz.com is due to begin on Saturday.
Running from 18th September until 1st October 2021, the Desiblitz Literature Festival aims to champion the work of the UK’s South Asian literary stars as well as raise awareness of the lack of diversity in the UK publishing industry.
Although the festival is designed to encourage young and aspiring British Asian writers, it’s open to all.
Based in Birmingham, the festival will be running a mix of in-person and digital events across the next couple of weeks. Live events will be taking place at The Rep Centre and B Music (formally Symphony Hall,) in the city centre.
As well as workshops, panel events and poetry readings, the festival will showcase 18 leading writers and thinkers of South Asian decent.
People appearing at the event include Imtiaz Dharker, Saima Mir, Serena Patel and Sarfraz Manzoor amongst others.
byThe largest and most prestigious celebration of crime fiction starts tomorrow.
Theakston Old Peculier Crime Festival 2021 is starting tomorrow (22nd July) and running until 25th July.
The Festival Programme Chair, Ian Rankin OBE will be in attendance. He, along with some of the other biggest authors in crime fiction will be discussing topics including the future of crime writing from the rise of cutting edge science to the demise of the Police Procedural.
Special guests include Richard Osman, Elly Griffiths, Mark Billingham and CL Taylor.
Events include The Pleasures and Pitfalls of the Short Story, Planners Vs Pantsters and a Late Night Quiz with Val McDermid and Mark Billingham.
byPortsmouth BookFest is celebrating 10 years this year and, despite the current restrictions, is running online until 7th March.
Portsmouth has a strong literary heritage including Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle and the BookFest is continuing that tradition.
There are many online events happening over the next few weeks including author talks and writing workshops.
Events being held include ‘Stories from Lore’ with Dawn Nelson, an interview with Mark Billingham, ‘Helping you finish your book and know what to do with it,’ ‘Writing Crime Fiction’ with Carol Westron, ‘Poetry for Wellbeing,’ with Kathryn Bevis and ‘Writing for Competitions,’ with Jackie Green and Christine Lawrence.
byThe Puffin Festival of Big Dreams begins today. It’s a wonderful chance for your children to get creative.
The children’s publisher, Puffin is celebrating its 80th birthday this year and today, along with Waterstones, they launch their online book festival, the Puffin Festival of Big Dreams.
It will be running for seven days (between 8th -14th June) and it will include exclusive activities for families and children.
The sessions will be at 10.30am and 3.30pm on weekdays and will run from 11am on the weekend. It will be streamed on both Puffin’s You Tube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/puffinbooks1 and Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/PuffinBooks/
The festival will be hosted by Blue Peter presenter, Radzi Chinyanganya and he will be joined by guests including Jacqueline Wilson, Jeff Kinney and Carrie Hope Fletcher. There will also be a chance to see the Coquet Island Puffins with the RSPB.
Puffin are also launching an accompanying activity kit which will include word searches, colouring sheets, an inspiration page, a reading list and a ‘draw your dream’ page. This can be downloaded here.
byIt’s almost time for the Balham Literary Festival 2019.
Starting on 13th June and continuing until 25th June, there are many wonderful speakers and events lined up during the festival.
On 13th June, Yara Rodrigues Fowler will be at Balham Oxfam talking about her debut novel, Stubborn Archivist.
On 14th June, Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison will be at the Ballroom at the Balham Bowls Club where they will be chatting about Today South London, Tomorrow South London.
Alex Wheatle, Rachel Reeves and Rachel Ama will all be at the Balham Bowls Club at various times on 15th June whilst over at the Balham Library, Lily Murray will be joined by illustrator Richard Merritt as they lead a fun dinosaur filled interactive storytime session inspired by their book, The Dinosaur Department Store.
byThe Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival for 2018 is here.
The festival is now underway between now and Sunday 14th October.
The festival welcomes Writers, Politicians, Poets and Actors. Everyone is there to celebrate the written word. If you want my opinion, it seems like a brilliant way to spend a weekend.
Happening at various locations throughout Cheltenham, there are interviews, panels and talks as well as family events and it’s all happening over the next three days. There are some free events as well as ones that require ticket purchases.
Today (Friday,) events include a short introduction to autobiography, how to make the most of your garden, social media: find your tribe and Cheltenham Writes which celebrates local authors.
byThe Balham Literary Festival is in its third year.
The festival for 2018 is well underway and has been since the beginning of May. There’s some great events happening throughout June so there is still time to buy tickets to attend.
On 7th June, at 19.00, Oxfam Balham is playing host to Diana Evans and Guy Gunaratne. Guy is the author of In Our Mad and Furious City and he will be joined by Diana Evans, who is the author of Ordinary People.
Entry for this is £5 or if you’d like to have a copy if In Our Mad and Furious City and Ordinary People to take away with you, tickets are £25.
On 9th June, Natasha Pulley, author of The Bedlam Stacks will be in conversation with the author of The Story Keeper, Anna Mazzola.
byWriters & Artists are partnering with Book Aid International for the fourth year to bring a small series of evening masterclasses.
On 15th, 22nd and 24th May between 6.30pm and 8.30pm, each masterclass brings something slightly different.
On 15th May, Debut author, Stuart Turton will be in discussion with Joe Haddow on the creative process of writing his first murder-mystery.
On 22nd May, award-winning author, Abi Elphinstone will be in conversation with Writers & Artists editor, Alysaun Owen about the essential elements of writing children’s fiction.
Finally, on 24th May, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Tony Parsons will be talking about his writing career and sharing top writing tips.
byHave you ever wanted to immerse yourself in the world of magic, witches and wizards?
The British Library is currently offering a very magical opportunity to explore divination, potions and discover enchanting creatures.
Harry Potter: The History of Magic exhibition is a unique experience which includes rare books, manuscripts and magical objects from the Library’s own collection that captures traditions of folklore and magic all of which are at the heart of the Harry Potter stories.
Open until 28th February 2018 and in partnership with Bloomsbury, this exhibition also includes original drafts and drawings (on display for the first time,) by J.K Rowling and Illustrator Jim Kay who is responsible for the recent beautiful illustrated editions of the Harry Potter novels.
The Ripley scroll explains how to create a Philosopher’s stone, you can gaze at Sirius in the night sky and there are hand-coloured pictures of dragons, unicorns and a phoenix.
byThe Literary Kitchen is the only festival in London devoted to Writers and Writing.
It kicked off on Monday and is going on until 18th October 2015. It’s a riot of writers, artists, musicians, publishers, agents and pets. Over 150 writers are taking part in the events over the week in twenty venues across South London.
The festival is featuring some of the UK’s best young authors alongside cabaret, parties, pub crawls, walks, talks and more. There is also a two-day publishers’ fair with a chance to meet agents too. It sounds absolutely fantastic.
Other events include Unwriters’ Anonymous where you can share procrastination stories and leave with tips and techniques on how to resist it, Lit Live where there will be Prose and Poetry and Masterclasses.
For more information and to book sessions, visit http://www.literarykitchen.co.uk/festival/
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The Cheltenham Literature Festival 2015 kicked off on Friday 2nd October and is running through until 11th October.
The festival is themed around defining moments. There are 500+ events/panels/interviews happening over the 10 days and there are some fantastic speakers appearing too.
Speakers appearing include Bill Bryson, Nigella Lawson, JoJo Moyes and Carrie Hope Fletcher. Paula Hawkins will also be talking about her book, The Girl on the Train.
Terry Wogan, Mark Billingham, Merra Syal, Bill Oddie, Marian Keyes and SJ Watson will also be attending.
For more information and to book tickets for this fantastic event, visit their website: http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature
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British writing will be celebrated later today when the winners of the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize will be announced in London at the Jerwood Space.
Fifteen books in total have been long listed (this is the first year the list has been released prior to the winners being announced.) The prize, established in 2010 is now in its fifth year. The prize is unique and it aims to showcase great British fiction.
“With writers from Swansea, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bath, Brighton, Lancaster, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Glasgow and London, and publishers from Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland and Norfolk, this year’s longlist presents an exciting snapshot of contemporary British fiction writing and publishing,” said Founder and Director Sophie Rochester.
Later today, eight winners will each be awarded £5,000. WH Smith Travel will be running an eight-week summer promotion featuring all eight winning Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize titles. Titles will feature in stores across the UK from 25 June 2015.
The fifteen books in contention for the prize money are:
byGraeme Simsion plans second UK bookshop tour.
Graeme’s novel, The Rosie Effect is due to be released by Penguin on 26th February 2015.
The Rosie Project tells the story of socially challenged Genetics professor Don Tillman and his unique challenge to find a wife and how his life is upheaved when he meets a girl called Rosie. It’s sequel, The Rosie Effect carries on and focuses on his life as he settles into a big city.
‘The Rosie Project has touched the hearts of millions worldwide with its irresistible blend of comedy, romance and poignancy. But it’s Don Tillman – a truly memorable creation who can proudly sit alongside Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones – who steals the show and we are thrilled to be reuniting him with thousands of readers and booksellers this Spring,’ says Maxine Hitchcock, the Publishing Director of Michael Joseph
byI was very excited to hear that David Nichols was returning to his home town to host ‘An audience with.’ I was very fortunate to be able to attend this recent event at The Point in Eastleigh, Hampshire (In association with Eastleigh Library 25th Anniversary events.)
When we arrived, we promptly found our seats in the main auditorium. I have to admit, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I had never been to The Point before despite having lived near Eastleigh for nearly two years. I have quickly become a fan of the venue. It’s big enough to not feel cramped and small enough that I didn’t feel a million miles from the stage area where two chairs and a table had been placed in the middle.
To begin with, David talked about how Libraries play a huge part for him and how he will often find himself writing in the British Library as well as the London Library. He then chatted about his time in theatre and how through working there he found his love of words.
byIf you’re a fan of One Day and Us, there are still tickets available for An Audience with David Nicholls.
In association with Eastleigh Library 25th Anniversary events, David Nicholls will be at The Point on Saturday 24th January 2015.
He will be talking about screenwriting and his novels, including One Day and his latest bestseller and Booker shortlisted novel, Us. David will also be available for a book signing after his talk which will then be followed by a screening of One Day (12A.)
The event starts at 3pm and tickets are still available for £8. One Day will be shown at 4.30pm.
For more information or to book tickets, visit The Point’s website: http://thepointeastleigh.co.uk
byFind out how the people of Jane Austen’s time celebrated Christmas at Chawton House Library this December.
Explore the ‘great house,’ she loved as well as seeing it fully dressed for Christmas.
This event is happening on 13th December 2014 at Chawton House Library near Alton in Hampshire.
It’s an open house between 10am and 3pm. As well as cooking up gourmet christmas treats from the Knight family cookbook, there will also be talks from the food historian, Dr Anne Gray (who featured on the Great British Bake Off,) who will be giving talks on the traditional Georgian christmas dinner – ‘Plumb, Porridge and Pickle for Brawn.’
Tickets are £8 for adults and £4 for children (under fives go free.) Continue reading
byBeing held at the Cockenzie House and Gardens, the Write by the Shore Festival is taking place next weekend (1st and 2nd November 2014.)
Over the two days, there will be a variety of events including sessions like, Meeting the authors, historical authors and there is also a session for Crime fiction authors.
There will also be events looking at children’s books and there is also an open mic session for local authors so plenty going on for both writer and reader alike.
Authors appearing over the weekend include Sara Sheridan, Ed James and Michael Pederson.
Tickets are £35 for the weekend, £20 for a day ticket or £10 per session.
For more information on the programme and tickets, click here.
We had a chat with Sara Sheridan, one of the authors attending Write by the Shore.
Hi Sara, thank you for joining us. How important are events like Write By The Shore? Are they both for writers and readers?
I think one of the wonderful things about the growth of book festivals all over the UK is that it lets readers meet writers and vice versa. I find that fascinating – you never can tell what the audience are going to ask, come question time… It’s also great that books are made more accessible by virtue of these kinds of festivals. I’m a big supporter.
byPeter F Hamilton will be at Foyles on 8th October to celebrate the upcoming release of his new book, The Abyss Beyond Dreams (which is a prequel to his popular Void trilogy.)
The event is taking place on Wednesday 8th October 2014.
It starts at 7pm and is being held at Foyles on Charing Cross Road in London (it’s being held in the auditorium on Level Six.)
Since the publication of his first novel, Mindstar Rising, Hamilton’s grand space opera visions have enthralled readers worldwide, with over two million copies of his books now sold.
Tickets are £5, and this includes a glass of wine.
To find out more or to book tickets, visit Foyles website: http://www.foyles.co.uk
Waterstones Piccadilly are holding an evening with David Mitchell.
The author of ‘Cloud Atlas’ will be in conversation with Sam Leith. They will be discussing David’s book, The Bone Clocks which has been longlisted for the Booker Prize.
The event is being held on Monday, 10 November 2014 at the Waterstones in Piccadilly in London. The evening begins at 6:30PM.
Tickets are £8 and it’s £6 for Waterstones Loyalty Cardholders
Tickets are available in store or you can get them online at Waterstones.com/tickets
For further details, call 0207 8512400.
For more information on David Mitchell, visit his website: www.davidmitchellbooks.com/
byWe all love to read a good book. If you’re a writer just starting out or have thought about writing a novel – seeing your name on the cover, then this event could be just what you’re looking for to give you encouragement and inspiration.
Red Magazine are holding an author network event, How To Write Your Own Bestseller, on Thursday 7th August 2014. It starts at 6.30pm and ends at 8.30pm. It’s being held at British Museum in London.
The panel have 36 best-selling novels between them. Join Lisa Jewell, Freya North and JoJo Moyes for an in-depth discussion on their novels, how they plot, write and get published.
Tickets are £40 which includes a drinks reception and a fabulous goody bag. I’ve been to previous Red author events and in my opinion, they are very helpful and worthwhile if you’re writing a novel.
For more information and to book your ticket, visit www.redonline.co.uk
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This weekend, HarperImpulse will be running their first ever digital Romance Festival.
The festival is running on 7th and 8th June 2014.
It’s in conjunction with some of the world’s best loved publishers of romance. It’s two days of discussions, tips and giveaways for writers and fans of romance. Writers involved include Jill Mansell, Lindsey Kelk and Mhairi Mcfarlane.
The full line-up is available on the festival blog. For full timings and schedules of discussions, you’ll need to register for free by clicking this link.
You can also mention the festival on Twitter by using the hashtag, #Romance14
For more information, click here.
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