FEBRUARY

Hearth micro-festival 5 Feb

Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden, Flintshire Micro-festival that features relaxed opportunities to learn from and talk to writers www.gladstoneslibrary.org

Audacious Women Festival 20-27 February

Venues in Edinburgh Female-focused (but inclusive) festival of music, dance, art and books, all giving you an opportunity to Do What You Always Wish You Dared https://audaciouswomen.scot

Jewish Book Week 26 Feb-6 Mar

Kings Place, Kings Cross, London Nine days of discussion, debate, live performances, and a spectacular grand finale. www.jewishbookweek.com

Granite Noir 24-27 February

Various Aberdeen venues Granite Noir is inspired by the popularity of crime fiction in all its forms, by the fantastic contribution that Scottish writers make, by their love affair with Nordic Noir, on the page and on screen, and most of all inspired by Aberdeen, which is the perfect backdrop for the festival – steeped in history, atmospheric, quirky and with a strong sense of place. Granite Noir brings a programme of noir writing in unusual places and spaces across the city, from the lively festival hub at the Lemon Tree to the newly restored Cowdray Hall and the atmospheric St Nicholas Kirk. www.granitenoir.com

MARCH

King’s Lynn Fiction Festival 11-13 March

King’s Lynn Town Hall Presenting ‍some ‍of ‍the ‍best ‍contemporary ‍writers ‍of ‍chapter in ‍a ‍friendly ‍and ‍informal ‍setting www.lynnlitfests.com

Words by the Water 15-20 March

Theatre by the Lake, Keswick Literature festival in Cumbria featuring high-profile author appearances www.wayswithwords.co.uk/festivals/words-by-the-water--the-lake-district-23

Scottish Association of Writers’ Annual Conference 18-20 March

Westerwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Cumbernauld Writers’ conference, with workshops, seminars and competition award ceremony. www.scottishassociationofwriters.com

StAnza 7-13 March

The Byre Theatre and other venues in St Andrews StAnza 2022 will explore the opportunities and the pitfalls of stories, ranging over narrative poetry, prose poetry, re-writing old stories and imagining new ones, reportage, process / chance narratives, myth /epic; there will be poets who contest the power of narrative or of stories conventionally told, and those who experiment with it. www.stanzapoetry.org

York Literature Festival 18-27 March

Various venues in York York’s annual literature festival with over 50 events featuring drama, poetry, prose and interactive workshops all showcasing some of Britain’s brightest writing talent. https://yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk

Huddersfield Literature Festival 24 March-3 April

Various venues in Huddersfield An award-winning annual spring Festival held in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with community, accessibility and inclusivity at its heart. A blend of venue-based and online activities, HLF features family events, author talks, performance poetry, workshops, non-fiction discussions and special community projects. It includes many free or low-cost events, some with live subtitling, and Access Guides to key venues. www.huddlitfest.org.uk

Oxford Literary Festival 25 Mar-3 April

Historic venues around Oxford For 10 days over 300 speakers gather from across the globe to talk in some of the most iconic and historic venues in Oxford. Genres range from Animal Welfare to Shakespeare. http://oxfordliteraryfestival.orgwww.dylanthomas.com

APRIL

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust year round

Stratford-upon-Avon. Year round events celebrating the Bard www.shakespeare.org.uk

Cuirt International Festival of Literature 2015 4-10 April

The Town Hall Theatre, An Taibhdhearc, and Druid Theatre, Galway One of Europe’s oldest book festivals, and a leading voice for literature both internationally and across Ireland. Cúirt International Festival of Literature brings readers and writers together to tell stories, share new perspectives and celebrate writing in all forms. The festival began as a celebration of poetry and has since grown to a week-long celebration of all forms of writing. The 2022 festival will showcase Emer McLysaght, Sarah Breen, Bethany Rutter, and many more wonderful writers. www.cuirt.ie

London Book Fair 5-7 April

Olympia, West London The biggest trade event of the UK publishing year continues to offer events for writers and valuable insight into the worlds of publishing and self-publishing, with dedicated author programme Author HQ. www.londonbookfair.co.uk

Ink Festival 21-24 April

The New Cut Arts Centre and around Halesworth Featival of new short plays for theatre and radio https://inkfestival.org

Cambridge Literary Festival: Spring Festival Online 21-24 April

Live events planned, after an online-only 2021 Programme and details TBC; also a monthly online book club, with top name writer guests www.cambridgeliteraryfestival.com

Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival 30 April-3 May

Chiddingstone Castle, Kent Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival is back with live events over the first May Bank Holiday weekend, 30 April -3 May 2022. Our reputation as the leading event of its kind in Kent has attracted a strong and diverse audience since its inception in 2016. With our track record of carefully curated author talks offering wide appeal, we are planning a selection of high quality in-person events, bringing the latest books and best authors to our loyal fans and new audiences. Speakers include Jane Garvey and Fi Glover, Iain Dale, Tom Tugendhat MP, Miranda Seymour, Nina Stibbe, Michael Morpurgo, Adam Nicolson, James Fox, Justine Picardie, Patrick Gale, Katherine Rundell, Cathy Rentzenbrink and Tom Heap. www.chiddingstonecastle.org.uk