Following the huge success of the Festival of Words in October, the East Riding Libraries team have planned a programme of author events taking place from 14 – 17 March across the East Yorkshire coast.
A festival dedicated to celebrating the best of Northern writing, SpringFest will explore the beauty and ruggedness of the North Sea coast through music, poetry and prose. Events will take place in libraries throughout the East Riding, focussing on coastal towns.
The events will showcase an eclectic mix of writing, ranging from crime, poetry, romance, and more. Kicking off SpringFest will be ‘I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This’ with Clare Mackintosh at North Bridlington Library. Taking place at 2pm on Thursday, 14 March, bestselling author Clare will be providing an accessible roadmap for lost grievers looking for compassion, understanding, and hope. Tickets are FREE, but booking is essential.
On Friday, 15 March from 10am – 1pm, bestselling author Kate Evans will be visiting North Bridlington Library to explore all things crime fiction. ‘Writing Workshop: Plotting a Crime Novel’ will help aspiring crime and thriller writers discover how to plot a crime novel filled with twists and turns, suspense and mystery. Tickets are £10.
Saturday signals the return of the Festival of Words day festival, where multiple authors will visit North Bridlington Library for a day filled with Northern Voices.
First up, at 11am, are Kate Evans and Glenda Young, exploring the idea of ‘Coastal Crime’. Both authors have chosen the Yorkshire coast as settings for their crime novels. In conversation with Nick Quantrill, they will discuss how the sea and our coastal towns make the perfect backdrop for a thrilling mystery.
Next, at 12:30pm, is award winning poet and author, Andrew McMillan. This event will introduce you to Andrew’s debut novel, ‘Pity’ and explore the impact of post-industrialisation in Northern England.
Last, but not least, at 2pm, is Matt Cain. An author, leading commentator on LGBTQ+ issues and journalist, he’ll be chatting with Louise Beech about his latest book, ‘One Love’, as well as his other glorious novels.
These events cost £5 each or £10 for a day ticket.
Senior librarian Pamela Taylor- Bramwell said: “We are so excited to welcome these brilliant Northern writers to our Spring festival. We’ve curated a diverse programme, keeping pricing as affordable as possible, to introduce our readers to new writing and also bring some really well-known names right to our doorstep.”
Councillor Nick Coultish, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, added: “This promises to be an excellent series of events and it’s very pleasing that we are able to launch a brand new festival, with a coastal theme! I hope local residents will come along and enjoy this varied and fascinating programme.”
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at: www.festivalofwords.co.uk/whatson or by calling 01482 392699.
