Literature Festival

Twitter writing competition

To find out more about the Twitter writing competitions visit the Twitter poetry writing competition page.

Lyric competition winners annouced!

We’re delighted to announce the winners of the Festival lyric writing competition. 

Congratulations to Joel Williams, winner of the under 16’s category, and to Jeremy Duffield, winner of the over 16’s/adult category. 

Musician David Gibb will be setting both songs to music over the next few weeks and recording them as part of the ‘Mills and Chimneys; songs of Derbyshire’s  heritage and past’ CD. 

The songs will also be performed at a series of concerts taking place during the Festival.  Check out the Festival brochure (available for download in the related documents section) for full details.

Other festival information

During the Festival fortnight you’ll have the opportunity to meet and be inspired by celebrated authors, many of whom are based in Derbyshire or feature the county in their work.
We hope you enjoy the diverse range of more than 100 events featured in this year’s Festival.

We’re delighted that authors including Angela Huth, Judith Allnatt, Bernardine Evaristo, Lynda Page, Stephen Booth and Jude Morgan will be sharing their experiences and reading from their latest books. Poets Dorothea Smartt, Jane Weir and Ann Atkinson will also be reading from their latest collections.

If you like to practice or talk about sports, there is something for you too! Talk Football with journalist Paul Walker, get tips on how to write about sport from Duncan Hamilton, or experience something different with the Great Shakespearean Workout.

You can also try your hand at Chinese brush painting or bookbinding, or pick up tips on how to write fiction with Judith Allnatt and crime writer David Hewson, or take part in a Renga workshop with Linda France.

If you fancy something more relaxing enjoy a free pampering session at Buxton Library before getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into writing for women’s magazine with Maria McCarthy.

Derbyshire’s rich history is celebrated through talks exploring local transport and railway networks with Geoffrey Kingscott; rock art and the prehistoric secrets of Gardom’s edge with Dr Bill Bevan; and the changing views of Belper with Adrian Farmer. Come along to hear new songs inspired by the landscape and heritage of the county performed by David Gibb and his band, as a part of the Mills and Chimneys project.

There are events for teenage readers including the chance to meet Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, creators of The Edge Chronicles, Anthony McGowan and Joseph Delaney.

Younger children can take part in craft and stories session inspired by the characters and stories Alison Uttley, or join puppeteer Gordon McLellan on wild pirate adventures, have fun rhyming and playing out stories at Caryl Hart’s workshops, or celebrate Spot’s birthday!

Matt Black will be joining us as the Festival Twitter writer in residence, so check out the latest news from our Twitter feed! (opens in a new window) You can also find out more about Twitter and how the council uses it elsewhere.

You can also sign up and become a fan of the literature festival on Facebook (opens in a new window). We've listed all the events on our page and will be adding latest news. You can also join in and contribute to the page whether it is commenting on the information we're posting or adding your own items of interest or finding out more about the events we're holding.