Litfest is a dynamic literature festival that mixes established writers with emerging fresh voices - an invigorating range of contemporary novelists and short fiction writers, as well as top poets.
"Lancaster litfest is, and has been for many years now, one of the best-run, warmest and exciting festivals in England." - Carol Ann Duffy
The headline guest is Linton Kwesi Johnson, one of the most influential black poets in Britain, widely known and admired for his dub poetry. He appears on Sunday November 18 at 7.30pm.
This year there is a really strong showing from the North of England and Scotland - a real alternative to the London-centric view of literature you might get from the national press.
From Scotland, for example, there are three of the country’s finest writers: Janice Galloway, A L Kennedy and Robin Robertson.
Sarah Hall, whose previous Booker-shortlisted novel The Electric Michelangelo was based mainly in Morecambe, is back with a new novel The Carhullan Army, this time based in Cumbria and narrated from a cell in Lancaster Castle.
There are more northern voices in poets Ian Duhig, Elizabeth Burns and Graham Mort; and local writers from our own Flax Books imprint.
There’s also an independent theme to the festival, as writers are invited from some of the country’s small presses whose work deserves a wider audience. There’s Carys Davies, an award-winning writer whose first collection of short stories is available from Salt Publishing, and Zoe Lambert and Jane Rogers, whose short stories have been published by Comma.
The popular 3 events for the price of 2 discount is back, and there are discounts at local restaurants if you want to get something to eat before or after the reading.
Please go to the bottom of the Festivals and Events page of this site in order to download a .pdf file of the full programme.