Literature Festivals with library involvement

This list, originally compiled in August 2018, includes author and reading festivals which have any form of public library involvement, from those entirely organised by the library service to those who simply use a library building. Information gathered from personal knowledge and a Twitter shout out.

Multiple authority

• Crossing the Tees Festival – Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool and Redcar take part.

Single authority

• Argyll and Bute – Bute Noir, Isle of Bute crime festival. Alphabetically top of the list and still one of the cleverest pun names on the list.
• Barnsley – BookFestival.
• Bexley – Book Buzz.
• Blackburn – Children’s literature festival.
• Blackpool – Wordpool.
• Bournemouth
  • Shelley Frankenstein Festival – including universities.
  • Westbourne Book Binge.
• Bracknell Forest
• Bradford – Litfest. Children’s Literature Festival.
• Brighton – City Reads Brighton
• Bristol – Bristol Festival of Literature.
• Bromley – Orpington Literary Festival.
• Cheshire West and Chester
  • Weaver Words
  • Chester Literature Festival
• Cardiff – Crime and Coffee.
• Cumbria – Borderlines.
• Devon
  • Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival – library hosts events
  • Crediton Lit Fest – Library helped organise.
  • Exmouth Festival
  • Tiverton Lit Fest – Library helped organise.
  • Exeter Literary Festival.
• Durham – Book Festival.
• Essex – Essex Book Festival. This started out as council but is now a trust supported by the council and others.
• Glasgow Aye Write – includes Wee Write for children.
• Gloucestershire – Coleford Festival of Words,
• Hertfordshire – Hertfordshire Lit Fest
• Hull
  • Humbermouth Festival
  • BBC Contains Strong Language Festival
  • The Big Malarkey Children’s Festival.
• Lambeth – Readers and Writers Festival.
• Leeds
  • The Big Bookend: “A Rock Festival of Words”.
  • Morley Arts Festival
  • Headingley LitFest
• Liverpool
  • Wowfest – library is a venue.
  • Smithdown Litfest
• Manchester
  • Manchester Literature Festival
  • Chorlton Book Festival.
• Moray – Elgin Literary Festival via the library and an independent book store.
• Newcastle – Books on Tyne “partnership between Newcastle Libraries and the Lit & Phil continues with the seventh year “.
• Nottinghamshire
  • Newark Book Festival. Libraries are a partner.
  • Inspire Poetry Festival.
• Oldham – Bookmark Festival.
• Redbridge – Fabula Children’s Festival.
• Rhondda Cynon Taff – Pontypridd Children’s Book Festival.
• Rochdale – Literature and Ideas Festival.
• Sheffield – Off the Shelf – Run by the two universities but with council support.
• Somerset – Yeovil Literary Festival. – Library is a venue.
• South Tyneside – The Word.
• Southwark
  • Dulwich Literary Festival.
  • Festival of Words.
• Staffordshire – Litchfield Festival.
• Stirling – Off the Page.
• Suffolk
  • Slaughter in Southwold and Skulduggery in Stowmarket – crime.
  • Lowestoft Library Literary Festival – £3 per talk or £10 for all four.
  • Felixstowe Book Festival.
• Sunderland – City of Sunderland Libraries Literature Festival.
• Surrey – Guildford book Fest –     Funded by the Borough Council amongst others. Library involvement unclear.
• Swindon – Swindon Festival of Literature.
• Tower Hamlets – Write Idea :events are free due to council funding.
• Trafford – Wordfest.
• Vale of Glamorgan – Penarth Literature Festival.
• West Dunbartonshire – Booked.
• West Sussex
  • “Involved in book programme of at least ten” including:
  • Wordfest Crawley
  • Festival of Chichester
• Worcestershire – 3 days of children’s events at Croome.
• Wrexham – Carnival of Words.
• York
  • Big City Read.
  • York Literary Festival has libraries has partner

International

• Eire –  Imagine Arts Festival – Libraries support Waterford Writer’s Weekend.
• Isle of Man – Manx Litfest – Some governmental aid e.g. Culture Vannin and Manx Arts Council.