First Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival to encourage love of the written word

If you love reading, writing or simply want to have your imagination whisked away to far off lands, then the first Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival is for you.

International bestsellers and local authors will be coming together to celebrate the written word and encourage children and adults alike to develop their passion for reading and writing.

The Festival offers everything from poetry and book readings to children’s and adult workshops to networking events for writers and a literature themed film screening.

Young authors are also invited to take part in a short story competition as the Literature Festival encourages the writers of the future to develop their voice.

Many of the events are free – thanks to funding from backers including St Edmundsbury Borough councillors Diane Hind, Julia Wakelam and Robert Everitt who have each given £500 from their locality budgets.

Councillor Wakelam, who is also on the committee organising the festival, said: “We wanted to make as many of the events as we can free and so I am very grateful for the support from our various funders including councillor Diane Hind and councillor Robert Everitt.

This is the first Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival and it is our hope that it will become an annual event, not only highlighting the wonderful array of cultural activities that we have here in Bury St Edmunds, but also to encourage people of all ages to enjoy the written word, liberate their imaginations and maybe even have a go and write themselves. It will be fun.”

The festival takes place from Wednesday to Sunday, October 25 to 29 and will feature best selling authors including Louis de Bernieres, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Helen Callaghan, whose 2016 debut novel psychological thriller Dear Amy, quickly became a Sunday Times’ Bestseller.

More details on the festival line up can be found on the Facebook page /BuryLitFest and on Twitter at @bselitfest

Tickets are available online at www.wegottickets.com/burylitfest in person from Oakes Barn, or on the day – notices of events sold out will be posted on the Facebook page.

Pictured above are councillors Diane Hind, Julia Wakelam and Robert Everitt who have all given locality budget funds towards the event.