Stratford Upon Avon Literary Festival

Celebrating its 9th year in 2016, The Stratford Upon Avon Literary Festival is a mixture of debate, ideas, celebrity author events, workshops and humour.

Alongside this is a programme of education events in Stratford and local schools involving favourite authors, poets and illustrators, entertaining and inspiring children from 2 to 18.

The Stratford Literary Festival is the highlight of the regional calendar and one of the most significant literary festivals in the UK, attracting thousands of people who share one passion: a love of books, writing and reading.

Festival Director, Annie Ashworth, has built the event into a formidable affair ensuring that Stratford is right up there with the very best regional Litfests throughout the nation.

When? 24th April - 1st May, 2016

Where? Stratford Upon Avon

Who? 2016 Julia Donaldson, John Torode, Alice Robert,s John McCarthy, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Howard Jacobson, Mary Portas, Paul Gambaccin,i Martin Jarvis, Michael Rosen, Janet Ellis Hunter Davies, Korky Paul, Austentatious

2016 Stratford Literary Festival Programme

How much? Check official site

Festival Website: www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk

Twitter? @StratLitFest 

Box Office: 01789 207100 or online www.stratfordartshouse.co.uk

e-mail: [email protected]

Previous Festivals? Started in 2008.

2015

Highlights Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival 2015 05-Feb-2015

Celebrating its 8th year in 2015, The Stratford-upon-Avon Literary Festival will be held be..

2014 -

• The highly respected peer Baroness Shirley Williams
• BBC correspondents Frank Gardner on the Middle East
• Gavin Esler on great world leaders and Hugh Pym on the banking crisis
• Queen of crime, Val McDermid on her latest novel and the challenges of re-working Jane Austen
• Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen on our alphabet.
• MP Alan Johnson on his extraordinary childhood
• Linguist David Crystal on English accents
• Comedy writer Jon Canter on his glittering career
• Gardening guru Chris Beardshaw
  Design guru Emma Bridgewater
  Best-selling author Rachel Joyce
  Thriller writer and veteran journalist Gerald Seymour
  Human Rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith delivering our Big Issue Lecture
  Poetry from Simon Armitage and Jean Binta Breeze
  Chocolat creator Joanne Harris on The Gospel of Loki 
  Writers from Denmark talking about the appetite for Scandinavian storytelling
  Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark with her debut novel
  2013 Orwell Prize Winner Andrew Williams
  Children's illustrators Nick Sharratt and Axel Scheffler
  Authors Tracy Corduroy, Julia Golding and Philip Ardagh
  2014 Carnegie Prize nominated author Helen Watts
  Winnie the Witch illustrator Korky Paul
  Lauren Child, creator of Clarice Bean, and Eileen Browne, creator of Handa
  Authors Giles Paley Philips, Tony Bradman and Geraldine McCaughrean

2013- Artemis Cooper, Gavin Hewitt, Jay Rayner, John Connolly, Kate Humble, Mark Billingham, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Palin, Monty Don, Salley Vickers, Sebastain Faulks, Tony Benn, Tony Hawks, William Nicholson

Download thE 2013 programme here

Past Festivals? Patricia Routledge, Celia Imrie, Larry Lamb, John Humphrys, Mark Radcliffe, Baroness Shirley Williams, Colin Dexter, Arthur Smith, Sophie Hanna, jack Dee, Jeremy Hardy, John Simpson, Roger McGough, Wendy Cope, John O'sFarrell, Mike Gayle, Mick Jackson, AL Berridge, Angela Huth, Annie Sanders, Sophie King, Me Rosoff, Cathy Cassidy, Johnathon Miller, Salley Vickers, Charlie Dance, and illustrators Korky Paul and Sarah McIntyre Pam Ayres, Melvyn Bragg, Julian Clary, Gloria Hunniford, Roy Hattersley, Philip Reeve, Libby Purves, MG Harris, Diana Quick, Felix Dennis, Jasvinder Sanghera, Stuart Maconie, Professor Jonathan Bate, Ben Crystal, Philip Ardagh, , Dan Freedman, Christopher Rush, Julia Golding, John Fardell and many others