Join us on Sat 31 January as political columnist and man-who saw-it-all Steve Richards casts new light on Blair’s time in office, showing that many of the challenges facing him were the ones that still face Labour today and discussing the lessons today’s government can learn from the Blair years.

Such an interesting and enjoyable time interviewing and presenting an eclectic mix of authors and their fascinating books @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social. And a magnificent effort by the team @thewordupnorth.bsky.social to produce the festival back-to-back with #ContainsStrongLanguage

Last weekend had an amazing time speaking about Rare Tongues @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social Wonderful theatre! Sold out! And only one book left at the end. Relaxed afterwards with Hockney and cello music before the long, reluctant drive home. What a brilliant part of our country!

Puppy love with Mark Radcliffe and Arlo at the King's Hall on Sunday 😍 🐶

Waiting in the green room of the Ilkley Playhouse, matching my snacks with the topic of discussion for @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social

There's a special buzz when you spot your book in a #bookshop window! 🤩 I spy #NaturesMemory in @grovebookshop.bsky.social (ahead of my talk at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social later)

It's the final weekend (du-du-duuu-du)! But we're certainly not winding down early. Check out what we have on this weekend! There's still time to get your tickets at ilkleylitfest.org.uk or by calling 01943 816714. You can also purchase tickets at our venues.

Excellent afternoon ay @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social - lovely audience, good questions, nice chats afterwards. Thanks to everyone involved and for the great communication throughout.

Join us on Saturday at ­­Ilkley Literature Festival! The Poems: 40 Years in the North, with Ian Harker Saturday 18 October, 3.30pm More details and tickets: www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/62-th... @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social

Thanks to the 90+ people who came to the launch event for Malachi Whitaker's 1939 memoir, And So Did I @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social reprinted after 38 years by @bhousepress.bsky.social Thanks for the great questions & for buying so many copies of our Malachi's marvellous book!

Had a lovely afternoon at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social listening to Sadiah Qureshi in discussion with Greg Radick on her latest book, Vanished. Very excited to get stuck into it!

Brilliant, fascinating couple of Maybe I'm Amazed events this weekend in Durham & Ilkley. Big thanks to Paul Smith & @frankjf.bsky.social for such perceptive interviews, the organisers of two superb festivals & everyone who came Order the book here linktr.ee/maybeimamazed

I’ll be at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social on October 18th talking about Alan Bennett’s brilliant memoir Untold Stories on a live recording of @beelitmag.bsky.social’s brilliant Working Class Library podcast. There are still a few tickets left and are priced at pay what you feel. Link in bio.

Signing copies of my Afterword in Malachi Whitaker's 1939 memoir 'And So Did I' yesterday @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social with Malachi's daughter Val Tordoff. Reprinted for the first time in 38 years by Recovered Books, Boiler House Press, University of East Anglia @bhousepress.bsky.social (Valerie)

The queue for the post-event book signing is generally a reliable indicator of how well an author has been received, and it was through the door for @johnharris1969.bsky.social yesterday @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social

Wonderful talk by author @lamornaash.bsky.social on Sat @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social about her new book - courageous, honest & uplifting. Thanks not just for signing copy for my son but also for unpacking what ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ is all about - after reading your book I finally get it! (at last!)

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM FANS (and skeptics), if you're around #Yorkshire this weekend, I'll be speaking at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social about #NaturesMemory: Behind the Scenes at the World's Natural History #Museums. Book here: ilkleyliteraturefestival-tickets.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/...

If you're in or near Ilkley this weekend, I'm at Church House at 2.30 on Saturday.

Diaries out - here's what we have in store for you at ILF this week and weekend! 🗓️ 📚 Tickets available at ilkleylitfest.org.uk or call the box office on 01943 816714 🎟️

Had a marvellous time talking about Lost Boys at the @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social yesterday with Sally Johnson. Thanks to the organisers and those who braved the weather to turn out for a packed event.

I spoke about Bergson (with my hands) at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social

Really looking forward to interviewing @johnharris1969.bsky.social @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social. #MaybeImAmazed is my personal choice for book of the year; a tender, deeply moving memoir about music and autism — and essential reading!

What an opening weekend! ILF25 is well and truly underway. And there's plenty more to come from now until Sunday 19 October. What were your highlights from our opening weekend? (don't mention the weather ☔ - that part was out of our hands...) 📸 Rich Bunce, Walking Photographer

Aaaand we're off! What a fantastic turn out to our opening night event with Nick Clegg at the King's Hall. Thank you to everyone who braved the weather last night and good luck to everyone braving it today to see us! Lots more brilliant events coming up this weekend and until Sunday 19 October. 🧡 📚

We're delighted to have BSL interpreters at several of this year's events. You can browse all our BSL interpreted events here: buff.ly/BcLgRm0 #ILF25 #britishsignlanguage #bsl #bookfestival

MPs called for it to be banned. The Daily Mail labelled it a ‘torrent of filth’. What was it about the late, great Tony Harrison’s poem ‘V.’ that stirred up so much controversy? Join us on Sunday 12 October as we explore Harrison's seminal work and its legacy. #nationalpoetryday #TonyHarrison

It wouldn't be ILF without poetry! We've dedicated a whole day to celebrating the power of poetry at this year's festival. Join us on Sat 18 October for showcases, guided reading groups, workshops and an evening of networking! #nationalpoetryday #poetry #ILF25

ILF 2025 starts THIS FRIDAY! Take a look at what we have in store for you this weekend 👀 📚 Tickets available at ilkleylitfest.org.uk or call the box office on 01943 816714 🎟️

One week to go until ILF25 begins! We can't wait to welcome you all back for another October of word power, big names and even bigger ideas. Who's got their tickets? 🎟️ 😍 #ILF25 #bookfestival #litfest

It's publication day for Simon Armitage! Simon's latest collection New Cemetery is a luminous and wry collection reflecting a changing world of unstable weather patterns and unpredictable news events, all observed across a few acres of Pennine upland.

Hungry? We’ve got quite the menu of events exploring food and our relationship with it at ILF this October: 🍽️ Ruby Tandoh traces how being ‘into food’ went from a subculture to a national obsession with her a laser-sharp, wry analysis of today’s food culture on Sun 19 Oct: buff.ly/4skuFOX

We are thrilled to have Claire Adam appearing in conversation with Emma Nanami Strenner at this year's Ilkley Lit Fest. Claire's latest novel, Love Forms, was recently longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed when the shortlist is announced next Tuesday!

HUGE congratulations to @nussaibah.bsky.social, whose novel Fundamentally has been shortlisted for the Comedy Women In Print Prize. You can catch Nussaibah in Ilkley this October discussing her seriously funny book with fellow author Sanam Mahloudji. Tickets available here: tinyurl.com/4uptc6ce 🎟️

A wonderful interview with Bradford-born author Jess Kitching in the T&A today! Jess is returning to her roots this October, appearing at ILF alongside Hanna Thomas Uose to discuss her new novel The Life Experiment: buff.ly/WWHsOCM buff.ly/KsIttiD

Our in-person event with Vince Cable has sold out! 🎉 But tickets are still available for the live stream (which you can also watch for up to 72 hours after!): tinyurl.com/yzkvt7z8

What was the first book you remember loving as a child? Have your reading habits changed since childhood? Are there any books you return to, time and time again? 📚

We're looking forward to this event - definitely one for anyone interested in history, politics and journalism! Simon Hall, Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds, will tell the stories of the three communist revolutions in Russia, China and Cuba that changed world history forever.

I’m appearing at Ilkley Lit Fest this October! You can book your tickets online now at ilkleylitfest.org.uk or by calling 01943 816714 @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social

In a world where offline isn’t an option, how can you protect yourself – and your family – from online harm? Check out this interview with Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, who's appearing at Ilkley Lit Fest on Sat 4 October. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Are you a member of a book club? Do you want to attend a selection of ILF fiction events together? Then sign up to our new book club membership scheme! 📚 #ILF25 #BookClub #BookGroup #AmReading

"Valerie Waterhouse reclaims an exceptional, overlooked Yorkshirewoman, Malachi Whitaker, as her 1939 memoir of life in Bradford on the cusp of war is finally being republished. " Ilkley Gazette www.ilkleygazette.co.uk/news/2543780... Still a few tickets left for @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social

It wouldn't be ILF without politics. Discover the inside story of Labour under Starmer, explore the legacy of Tony Blair and get the inside scoop on the life of a Chief Whip. And we're going global with events on geopolitics, from Xi Jinping's rise to power to what happens if globalisation fails.

Looking forward to this in Ilkley on 18th October:

Yorkshire friends! I will be speaking at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social on October 5th!! Get your tickets now! www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk/events/15-em...

This year we’re putting the spotlight on the influential figures and events that you didn’t learn about in history class in our Soft Power strand. Re-examine the legacies of influential but overlooked writers, power players, philosophers and peacemakers... 🔎 #ILF25

We're going to be at the Yorkshire Real Market on The Grove this Sunday! Pop by our stall to say hello, find out more about this year's programme, book your tickets and even pick up a book or two! 📚 #RealMarketsYorkshire #ILF25 #Ilkley

Author of #GreenInk @stephenmay1.bsky.social is in conversation with Sophie Haydock on 18 October at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social to discuss how they reimagined real life historical figures and events in their latest novels. Buy 🎟️ shorturl.at/0kQBB

See @steverichards.bsky.social discuss his biography of #TonyBlair at @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social on 11 October. Richards casts new light on Blair’s time in office and shows that many of the challenges facing him were the ones that still face Labour today. Book 🎟️ shorturl.at/0HKjI

Why are queues, rather than reviews, now the mark of success in the 'foodie' world? Ruby Tandoh investigates... observer.co.uk/style/food/a...