What a fabulous weekend of events @litfest.bsky.social ! From a walk about the #slavetrade in #Lancaster to #poetry #philosophy,#history and finally to #TheRightsofNature panel discussion last night it has been a fabulous weekend .

I really enjoyed 'moderating' Anna Whitelock's discussion about her book "The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of Great Britain" (new in paperback this month) for @litfest.bsky.social this morning 🌄 Fab speaker Fab book

Getting ready at The Dukes for a day of history and philosophy, rounded off with our festival finale - our panel event on the Rights of Nature! Join us geni.us/LFSpring26

#FictionSunday @litfest.bsky.social and what a lineup we had today ! More #fiction on Tuesday evening with @kitdewaal.com and more events to follow right through until next Sunday evening 📚

Library takeover for @litfest.bsky.social Sunday 📚

My excellent Creative Writing colleague Dr Eoghan Walls is launching his new book @litfest.bsky.social today 👇😀

Spending the afternoon with @profannawhitelock.bsky.social excellent new book "The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of Great Britain" in readiness for moderating her talk @litfest.bsky.social on Sunday March 22 2026 @thedukeslancaster.bsky.social

It was a delight to attend the #ElizabethBurns memorial prize poetry readings last night presided over by Alan Rice . The winners and runners up who were aged between 6 and 16 years were superb. The future @litfest.bsky.social poets of the future .#Atkinsons upper hall in Lancaster is a great venue

Fascinating conversation last night with @karenllo.bsky.social and #LeeSchofield about The connections between land recovery and the #rightsofnature @litfest.bsky.social in the #AtkinsonsUpperHall. There are so many more events on offer over the next 11 days @litfest .

Superb afternoon @litfest.bsky.social listening to the most talented #authors and #illustrators @moohara.bsky.social @mglnrd.bsky.social @chrismould.bsky.social with @catherinespooner.bsky.social thank you to all of you for sharing your talent and stories today 👏👏

Snapshots of a sunny Saturday with Lancaster @litfest.bsky.social . Off home for a sit down before we go again tomorrow!

I am huge fan of #BeatrixPotter and so it was a delight to attend the #IWD event last night @litfest.bsky.social to listen to @drpennybradshaw.bsky.social in conversation with #JoBaker who talked about her new book an A-Z of Beatrix Potter. 🙏 I am looking forward to reading the book.

A lovely event @litfest.bsky.social this evening to mark International Women’s Day at which I discussed why Beatrix Potter should be recognised on this day & discussed my new book, ‘An A-Z of Beatrix Potter’. I’ll be appearing next at Words by the Water on Sat 14 March: wordsbythewaterkeswick.com

Today we are celebrating #InterantionalWomensDay 2026 with a wonderful celebration of @drpennybradshaw.bsky.social new book and I cannot think of a better way to spend the evening @litfest.bsky.social .

Join me @litfest.bsky.social this Sunday (8th March) for International Women’s Day to find out more about my recently published book, ‘An A-Z of Beatrix Potter’, and the new perspectives it offers on one of our most popular children’s authors 🍄📚🍃

I will be appearing at both @litfest.bsky.social (Sun 8) and Words by the Water (Sat 14) in March, and at the Lake District Book Festival in June to talk about my new book on Beatrix Potter. Date for the latter TBC 🍄📚🍃 www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/cu...

Staggered into the excellent @pgwells.bsky.social today in Winchester to spoil another fresh copy of the Immeasurable Heaven. Really lovely bookshop in a beautiful city. @solarisbooks.bsky.social

If you enjoyed the #WaroftheWorlds performance @thedukeslancaster.bsky.social by #ImitatingTheDog come along @litfest.bsky.social event with @chrismould.bsky.social and Andrew Quick for another take on this classic tale geni.us/LFSpring26. The after show discussion was really insightful on Thursday

FREE EVENT! In person and online! On Wednesday 18th March at 6:30pm, we will welcome @profdanhicks.bsky.social to @lancasteruni.bsky.social to deliver the Lancaster History Lecture on the topic of 'Every Monument Will Fall' in conversation with Deborah Sutton. Book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

Litfest 2026 is packed with Poetry! We've got Blake Morrison, Karen McCarthy Woolf Fiona Benson, Sarah Howe, Polly Atkin and, perhaps, YOU at our very special gala reading of a selection your submissions to our Rights of Nature Poetry Map! Book now geni.us/LFSpring26

We've got a packed Litfest Children's Festival coming your way over the first weekend - 13th-15th March! All tickets £3: geni.us/LFSpring26 Ft. Mo O’Hara M. G. Leonard Chris Mould & more!

Meet our Queer Writing Strand! Our LGBTQ+ Writer in residence Paul Burston will run a queer life writing course & an event on Queering the Memoir with Gordon A. Urquhart, he'll also host the Polari Salon with VG Lee , Rosie Garland & @maxwallis.bsky.social ! 1/2

Stuck for something to do with the kids this half term? We've got a few ideas for you! For more information on how to book, sign up, and submit: geni.us/LFSpring26 The majority of tickets only £3, with some events free! Two events can also be joined online.

Tonight has been our February edition of the Litfest International Fiction Online Book Club, so it's a great time to look ahead to our special festival edition on Monday 16th March at 6:30pm with Vincenzo Latronico and his translator, Sophie Hughes! Book (£4) https://geni.us/LIFBC26

Our final workshop for Litfest 2026, is a FREE Historical Fiction Writing Workshop with Vicky MacKenzie on Sunday 22nd March at 4pm! Apply here: litfest.org/workshop... You can also join us at 2pm when she will be discussing her novel with Alex Wragge-Morley! geni.us/LFSpring26

Our 2nd workshop of Litfest '26 will be a session on Nature & Environment Writing with Karen Lloyd on 21st Mar at 10:30am! In this time of crisis, consider ways that writers can engage in storytelling that places the rights of nature centre stage. Apply (£15): litfest.org/workshop...

Our first Litfest workshop for 2026 will be a Queer Life Writing Course with @paulburston.bsky.social and Gordon A. Urquhart! You can choose to join the first workshop only (£15) or the full course including an additional 5 digital workshops (£60) Apply now: litfest.org/workshops26/

One month today, we'll be launching Litfest 2026...with a book launch! We'll be celebrating our Naturalist in Residence @karenllo.bsky.social's new book - EARTHWORKS - in conversation with Lee Schofield! 13th March, 7pm at Atkinsons Upper Hall, tickets £6 geni.us/LFSpring26

On Tuesday 17th March at 7pm, we'll be welcoming @kitdewaal.com to Lancaster to discuss her latest novel - THE BEST OF EVERYTHING - with @lancasteruni.bsky.social's Zoe Lambert! 'Takes an ordinary life and renders it extraordinary' Monica Ali Tickets £8, book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

We are very excited to be bringing Lancaster University 's Eoghan Walls 's new novel: field notes from an extinction ( Seven Stories Press UK ) to Litfest! Join us at 5pm on Sunday 15th March for a very exciting launch! Tickets £6, book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

On Sunday 22nd March 11am @thedukeslancaster.bsky.social , we'll be welcoming @profannawhitelock.bsky.social to discuss THE SUN RISING! A panoramic history of the arrival of the Stuarts, and how the reign of King James I saw England reach new corners of the globe. Tickets £8: geni.us/LFSpring26

This year is #nationalyearofreading2026! So, it's the perfect time to sign up to our Big read - litfest.org/big-read... - and come along to hear this year's featured author M. G. Leonard exploring her work: geni.us/LFSpring26

We are very excited to be welcoming Blake Morrison back to Litfest! In addition to his poetry double with Fiona Benson at 2pm on Saturday 21st Feb, he will also be treating us to an early preview of his A-Z of Life Writing- ON MEMOIR at 5pm! Book now (£8): geni.us/LFSpring26

@litfest.bsky.social #BigRead is this excellent adventure @mglnrd.bsky.social . Its action packed a real page turner . Please get involved and read with your family and friends . We would love you to share your views with @litfest.bsky.social . 🐦🦉🐦‍⬛ And @mglnrd.bsky.social will be at the #festival.

Dear readers & bird-lovers of Lancaster, I'll be talking about how nature inspired me to write The Twitchers books & giving you an exclusive peak at The Adventures of Portly to Otter on MARCH 14th at @litfest.bsky.social. Tickets are ONLY £3! www.mgleonard.com/events/2026/...

On 8th March at 7pm, Dr Penny Bradshaw will be celebrating #internationalwomensday by taking us through the A-Z of Beatrix Potter in conversation with Jo Baker! Tickets only £8, book now! geni.us/LFSpring26

As part of our Spring Season, we're delighted to include imitating the dog's retelling of H. G. Wells' classic - WAR OF THE WORLDS! They'll be bringing it to The Dukes from 18th-21st February (tickets £25), with a special after show discussion on the 19th (free!) Book now: geni.us/LFSpring26

I'll be at the excellent Lancaster @litfest.bsky.social talking about 'These Isles: A People's History of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales', Sun March 22nd, 3.30pm. Tickets here: litfest.org/events/brian... Book due out Feb 26, can be preordered from bookshops and websites.

Join us on 26th February, for a fascinating pre-festival event in partnership with our friends Lancaster Arts celebrating the work of Booker Prize-winning author Alan Hollinghurst and delight in dissent! Tickets are £12-£16. Book now www.lancasterarts.org/youre-invite...

It's here! The full programme is now available to browse, and all tickets are available to book! Explore our workshops, sign up to the Big Read, learn about what's on offer from our Writers in Residence and submit to our Rights of Nature Digital Poetry Map! geni.us/LFSpring26

I am thrilled to be speaking about Beatrix Potter as part of @litfest.bsky.social 2026 and to mark International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March) 📚🍃

It's time to reveal the programme cover for Litfest's 2026 Spring season, including our 47th Litfest (13th-22nd March)! Whilst you'll have to wait a little longer for the full release of our packed programme, you can grab early-bird in-person tickets for a selection of events! geni.us/LF26Spring

Browse our Christmas e-newsletter to learn about our children's book sale, enjoy three pre-festival events, and get those all-important dates for Litfest 2026! Learn More! geni.us/LFDecENews

Help us to make Litfest better than ever! As we take stock of the Autumn Weekend events that we've run so far, and look ahead to the future, we need to know what you thought of our events. Let us know what worked, what didn't and what you'd like to see: geni.us/LFFeedback25AW

Help us to make Litfest better than ever! As we take stock of the Autumn Weekend events that we've run so far, and look ahead to the future, we need to know what you thought of our events. Let us know what worked, what didn't and what you'd like to see: geni.us/LFFeedback25AW

Just finished #LancashireFolktales @storywheel.bsky.social . Definitely tales for #winter evenings and I found a new story about my own local town - Icy Fingers 🥶. So lovely to hear Jacqueline and #MarjanWouda talking @litfest.bsky.social last weekend about how they created the book.

We hope all who joined us at @litfest.bsky.social to hear the fabulous @mkhardywrites.com discussing THE NEEDFIRE & co-writing with @oliverklangmead.bsky.social has a wonderful time! We've spotted a lone copy waiting for a new home on display Lancaster Waterstones. Grab yours before they're gone!

Our final Sunday event of Litfest’s Autumn Weekend is with @malikalnasir.bsky.social telling us his deeply insightful story of SEARCHING FOR MY SLAVE ROOTS! He is in conversation with Rebecca Joy Novell from Lancaster Black History.

We had a great time on our panel talking about liminality and the environment and all things co-writing! So great to see a vibrant programme and lots of keen attendees at @litfest.bsky.social this weekend. Thanks for having us!

Litfest’s event on co-writing novels kicks off with a reading from THE NEEDFIRE by “Mo” (one half of @mkhardywrites.com) exploring the border places, equally linked to @oliverklangmead.bsky.social’s mysterious CITY OF ALL SEASONS which we turn to next…