Lancaster welcomes 44th annual literature festival to city

Running until March 26, there will be a packed programme of events, including opportunities to meet the authors, take part in discussions, find out more about nature and history, philosophy and politics, and be entertained by poems and stories.

Many of the events are booking up quickly, so if you want to go along in person then it would be advisable to book soon – but don’t worry, most events are also available to view online too.

And even better, all events this year are free, although donations would be gratefully received to help Litfest to continue to offer great literary and topical events.

This year’s highlights include Big Read events with Cynthia Murphy and Frank Cottrell-Boyce – go and meet Cynthia and Frank as they introduce their books and then sign up to the Big Read challenge for the chance to win three paperback books of your choice worth up to £30!

Luke Williams joins Lindsey Moore to talk about his novel Diego Garcia, a challenging, prize-winning work exploring the question of how writers can share the stories of others without making assumptions or coming to conclusions.

Lancaster University senior lecturer, poet and writer Eoghan Walls is in conversation with Zoe Lambert to talk about his debut novel The Gospel of Orla, a hilarious coming-of-age story, road novel, and a meditation on the mysteries of faith and grief.

Dr Walls is a Northern Irish poet, who has lived and worked in Ireland, Britain, Germany and Rwanda. He currently teaches creative writing at Lancaster University.

His poetry, including Pigeon Songs, has been shortlisted for numerous international awards.

Jill Liddington in conversation with Catherine Spooner, introduces us to Anne Lister: diarist, businesswoman, landowner and fascinating inspiration for TV’s ‘Gentleman Jack’.

And veteran BBC reporter, author and documentary film maker, Peter Taylor, in conversation with Tom Mills, launches his new and likely to be controversial book about the role of MI5 and MI6 in achieving the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago this Easter.

The Atlantic Slave Trail strand will explore the difficult issue of the reparations paid to slave owners, the ‘From Source to Sea’ project will showcase poems written about the north west’s rivers, and the ever-popular Poetry Day will offer readings of some amazing new works.

Whilst Reader in Residence Sophie Anderson has unfortunately had to cancel due to illness, Litfest will welcome Liz Flanagan, an award-winning writer of Young Adult fantasy fiction.

You can meet Liz at Lancaster Library at 10.30am, 11.30am and 12.30pm on Saturday March 18 as she discusses What To Read Next for different age groups.

For more information about all these events and more, how to book and how to donate, visit www.litfest.org

All Litfest events will be available online via Crowdcast and also on YouTube for 30 days after the festival ends.

All Litfest events are free to access, but you can support the festival and Litfest's future work by donating at https://litfest.org/support-us/