Litfest 2017 | Lancaster LITFEST

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Sunday 26th March 3pm East of the Sun, West of the Moon Our festival finale is a family-friendly storytelling event based upon the Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon. This session will bring together art, music and storytelling offering an unforgettable, immersive experience with storyteller Jacqueline Harris, cellist and composer Maja…

Poetry Day: Telling Tales by Patience Agbabi

Saturday 25th March 7pm Telling Tales: with Patience Agbabi Award-winning poet Agbabi retells Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales for the 21st century. From The Miller’s Tale to The Wife of Bath’s, she brings out the performance and wordplay of the work in an event involving the audience. Venue: The Storey Auditorium, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1…

Poetry Day: Kim Moore and Hannah Lowe

Saturday 25th March 4pm Kim Moore And Hannah Lowe Litfest welcomes back audience favourite Hannah Lowe alongside strong new voice Kim Moore for a reading with two poets known for exploring the importance of discrimination, family, history and music through their work. Venue: The Storey Auditorium, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1TH Tickets: £9.50 Full…

Poetry Day: Philip Burton and Gill Lambert

Saturday 25th March 2:30pm Philip Burton and Gill Lambert Litfest presents a reading with Indigo Dreams poets Philip Burton and Gill Lambert. Come along to hear two original northern voices seeking the poetry in everyday life. Venue: The Storey Auditorium, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster LA1 1TH Tickets: £9.50 Full /£7.50 Concession SPECIAL COMBO OFFER!— Three poetry…

Poetry Day: Basic Nest Architecture – the launch of Polly Atkin’s first collection

Saturday 25th March 1pm Basic Nest Architecture: The launch of Polly Atkin’s first collection Basic Nest Architecture, Polly Atkin’s first collection of poetry, marks a startling new talent, with intelligent, densely metaphorical lyrics, often inspired by the Lake District where she has made her home for a decade. The book is divided into three sections, themed…

Austen’s Secret Stories: Jo Baker in conversation with Clancy Mason

Friday 24th March 7:30pm Austen’s Secret Stories: Jo Baker in conversation with Clancy Mason Pride and Prejudice was only half of the story… In Jo Baker’s bestselling novel Longbourn she explores the privileged world of the Bennet family through the hidden lives of their servants. For housemaid Sarah, the predictable world of the servants’…

An evening with Sarah Howe

Thursday 23rd March 7pm An evening with Sarah Howe Litfest are delighted to bring you an evening with award-winning poet Sarah Howe, supported by the Creative Writing MA Programme at Lancaster University. Sarah Howe is a British poet, academic and editor. Her first book, Loop of Jade (Chatto & Windus, 2015), won the T.S. Eliot Prize…

Translated Fiction, Translated Worlds: An evening with the Man Booker International Prize

Wednesday 22nd March 7pm Translated Fiction, Translated Worlds: An evening with the Man Booker International Prize In association with the Department of Languages and Cultures, Litfest brings you a fantastic evening of reading and discussion exploring the interplay between translation and creativity. What does it take to become a literary translator? How can literary translations…

Jackie Kay supported by Natural Causes

Saturday 18th March 7:30pm Jackie Kay: Supported by Natural Causes Jackie Kay is an award-winning poet and writer from Scotland. She has published many collections of poetry, novels and stories for children, as well as writing extensively for stage and television. She became the Scots Makar, the National Poet for Scotland, in 2017. She is…

Alpha and the Spectacular Translation Machine

Saturday 18th March 11am – 5pm Alpha, a powerful graphic novel in French by Bessora and Barroux, tells the story of a West African migrant who leaves Ivory Coast to find his family in France. Thus unfolds a tragic, unforgettable tale about the hopes and perils of migration. Discover this story for yourself by joining…

Spotlight

Friday 17th March 7pm Spotlight For 21 years without break Lancaster Spotlight has provided a platform for local writers and musicians at its monthly cabaret of poetry, prose, comedy and original music along with an Open Mic for new performers. Kriss Foster will compere the Showcase event of our current ‘Listening To Youth’ project. Aimed at…

Beyond the Water’s Edge: Poetry from our world

Wednesday 15th March 7:30pm Beyond the Water’s Edge: Poetry from our world The Dukes and Lancaster Litfest present a Midland Creative Project in Association with Belgrade Theatre Coventry. Venue: The Dukes Theatre, Moor Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1QE Tickets: £12 Full/ £10 Concession/ £9 Friends Tickets can be purchased in a variety of ways: Online: www.dukes-lancaster.org…

The Litfest Homebake

Saturday 11th March 7pm The Litfest Homebake Litfest needs you! This year we are inviting local writers to our very first Litfest Homebake, bringing together a wonderful collection of new voices together for the very first time. Contributions are welcome from across all genres – poems, prose, storytelling, jokes, memories. Whether you are interested in…

April Poets Workshop and Evening Reading

Thursday 9th March Writing Workshop with David Tait: 4-6pm Tales from the World City What is it that drives us to the city? Do we get lost or are we reborn? What lures us to particular cities? In this workshop we will be ‘hitting the streets’ (as Queneau might have it), diving into dark alleyways,…

Life Lines and Voice and Vision: Forging a Place in New Media

Saturday 4th March Life-Lines 2pm Two of the most exciting debut Young Adult books from 2016, Louise Gornall’s Under Rose Tinted Skies and Liz Flannagan’s Eden Summer both drew on real life experiences. Organised as part of the wider offer around the Lancashire Book of the Year, this special event explores how reading and stories…

Bigger on the Inside: Writing for Doctor Who

Friday 3rd March 7:30pm Bigger on the Inside: Writing for Doctor Who Take a trip through time and join us in the prestigious Shire Hall at Lancaster Castle as Paul Magrs and Eddie Robson talk about character, continuity and challenges associated with writing across different media for Doctor Who. Cosplay and jellybabies are welcome at…

Welcome to the 38th Lancaster Literature Festival 3rd-26th March 2017!

Hello festival-goers and welcome to the Litfest 2017 programme! This year we bring you a fabulously varied programme of events throughout March as we wave good-bye to the Winter and welcome the Spring. This year Litfest has enjoyed the support of many friends and supporters and we welcome April Poets and Spotlight into this year’s…