Folio Prize Fiction Festival

2016 TBC - Still searching for a new sponsor as of September, 2015

The Folio Prize Fiction Festival, hosted by the British Library and sponsored by The Folio Society, is back for a second year in 2015.

The three-day festival (Friday 20 March to Sunday 22 March 2015) will open with a new initiative, The Folio Society Lecture, which will be delivered by the internationally acclaimed author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The winner of The Folio Prize will be announced on Monday 23 March at a ceremony at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in central London.

The festival programme will again feature authors and critics from The Folio Prize Academy alongside the Prize judges and shortlisted authors. Leading the billing are judges Rachel Cooke, William Fiennes (Chair - pictured), Mohsin Hamid, A.M. Homes and Deborah Levy, who will appear alongside the writers confirmed so far: Alex Clark, Joe Dunthorne, Suzy Feay, A.L. Kennedy, Mark Lawson, Sam Leith, Eimear McBride, Val McDermid, Jon McGregor, Neel Mukherjee, Erica Wagner and Jeanette Winterson.

The festival is structured around a series of panel discussions, which this year will explore the emotional themes that propel and punctuate a story, amongst them Betrayal, Desire and Conflict. These discussions are designed to give writers an opportunity to investigate a set of linked subjects in real depth. Throughout the weekend, the shortlisted authors will be giving readings from their work.

Also new this year, Harper’s Bazaar is announced as the exclusive media partner for the 2015 Folio Prize Fiction Festival, with the magazine’s Editor-in-chief and author Justine Picardie to feature in the festival programme.

Writer and participant in the 2014 festival, Sam Leith, comments: “Being involved in the first Folio Prize Fiction Festival was extraordinary. I never imagined I'd find myself chairing a discussion on something as abstract and potentially technical as “Structure”, and doing so with such wattage of talent on the panel and such a large and engaged audience. It shows that if you have the courage not to dumb down there's a fierce appetite for sparky, serious consideration of literature at a high level.”

Announcing the festival programme and the inaugural Folio Society Lecture, Andrew Kidd, founder of The Folio Prize, says:

“The 2014 festival brought together great writers and engaged audiences, and gave them substantial subjects to get stuck into. The result was both unexpected and thrilling, and the amazing line-up for the festival in 2015 should yield equally exciting results. In addition, we are particularly honoured and delighted that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will be opening the weekend by delivering the inaugural Folio Society Lecture.”

Jean Marc Rathé, Marketing Director of The Folio Society, comments: “The 2015 festival line-up builds on the huge success we saw in the inaugural year. We’re delighted to be sponsoring such a stellar literary event, right in the heart of London.” Roger Walshe, Head of Public Engagement at the British Library says:

“As the public appetite for quality literary discussion and debate continues to grow, we look forward to exploring new themes with some of the most exciting writers – opening up new spaces in the British Library to vital and exhilarating voices from across the world. The festival, with its profusion of eminent and emerging authors, is set to be the major literary occasion in the British Library’s 2015 calendar.”

When? 20-22 March, 2015

Where? The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB

Who? Rachel Cooke, William Fiennes (Chair), Mohsin Hamid, A.M. Homes and Deborah Levy, who will appear alongside the writers confirmed so far: Alex Clark, Joe Dunthorne, Suzy Feay, A.L. Kennedy, Mark Lawson, Sam Leith, Eimear McBride, Val McDermid, Jon McGregor, Neel Mukherjee, Erica Wagner and Jeanette Winterson.

Website? British Library

Twitter? @TheFolioPrize

Facebook? Folio Prize

Past Festivals? Founded in 2014