Bringing you the best in fiction, poetry, history, nature writing, ideas and storytelling, Lancaster’s 43^rd Annual Literature Festival returns from the 8^th – 20^th March 2022 to discover new works and explore topical issues. For the very first time, Litfest will be running as a hybrid event – meaning that we’ll be able to welcome you to attend either in-person at one of our brilliant venues, or online via Crowdcast – whichever suits you!

In the light of COP-26 and the Climate Crisis, our theme this year is ‘This Place, This Planet’. We are delighted to welcome the celebrated environmental campaigner Dr Vandana Shiva to give the very first ‘Lancaster Environment Lecture’, plus we will delve into themes of migration, population change, biodiversity and other global challenges through fiction, poetry, photography and discussion.

After months of staying close to home, the festival will explore our Sense of Place in the world and how we discover it via nature, via our family, and via our history – along the way tackling some challenging subjects such as Lancaster’s prominent role in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Our International Fiction events will span a range of topics from science to the supernatural, whilst our Poetry Day will bring some of the best contemporary poets, culminating with a reading by the acclaimed TS Eliot Prize winner, Roger Robinson.

We’re very excited to be hosting a Children’s Festival of four special events during the day of Saturday 12^th March, and we round off the festival with the hugely popular storyteller, Dominic Kelly, who will enthral us with mesmerising myths and fairy tales set in a haunting landscape.

There are chances too for you to get involved once more! Take part in our writing and publishing workshops, enter our Big Read Challenge, or submit your own work – either poetry to Litfest’s ‘This Place, This Planet’ poetry map or photos to our wildlife photography competition.

A fantastic International Women’s Day event on the 8^th March, with Rachel Holmes introducing her book Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel, leads us strongly into the main festival. Tickets start from just £5 – for more information about what’s on and how to book, please visit www.litfest.org.

43rd Lancaster Literature Festival

Tuesday 8^th – Sunday 20^th March 2022

Details of all the events are now available at www.litfest.org.

All Litfest events will be available on YouTube for 30 days after the festival ends.

Full listings:

8^th March          6pm                    The Storey        Photography Exhibition: Darren Andrews – Murmur

8^th March          7.30pm              The Storey        Rachel Holmes: Sylvia Pankhurst

11^th March       6pm                    The Storey        Big Read (11-15 yrs): Joseph Coelho

11^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        Big Read (16 yrs+): Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

12^th March        10am–1pm       Online only      Nature writing workshop: Anita Sethi

12^th March       10.30am            The Storey        Children’s Festival: Dom Conlon

12^th March       12pm                  The Storey        Children’s Festival: CG Moore

12^th March       2pm                    The Storey        Children’s Festival: Katherine Woodfine

12^th March       3.30pm              The Storey        Children’s Festival: Susan Brownrigg        

12^th March       6pm                    The Storey        Interntl Fict: Leila Aboulela, & Layla AlAmmar with Lindsey Moore

12^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        Nature Writing: Anita Sethi

13^th March       11.30am            Lanc Castle       History: Helen Carr

13^th March       1pm                    RKA Hotel         Graphic fiction: Matthew Dooley

13^th March       3pm                    RKA Hotel         History: John Mullan – Dickens in Lancaster

13^th March       4.30pm              RKA Hotel         Fiction: Jon McGregor

13^th March       6pm                    Online only      International Fiction: Benjamin Labatut

13^th March       7.30pm              RKA Hotel         Fiction: Daisy Johnson

14^th March       6.30pm              Online only      Interntl Fiction Book Club: Mariana Enriquez & Megan McDowell

15^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        History: Lancaster & the Atlantic Slave Trade   

16^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        Birdlife: Darren Andrews & Jon Carter

17^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        Nature Writing: Katherine Norbury      

18^th March       6pm                    Online only      The Lancaster Environment Lecture: Vandana Shiva

19^th March       10am-1pm        The Storey        Routes into Publishing: UCLAN workshop

19^th March       2pm                    The Storey        Poetry Day Double Bill 1: Hannah Hodgson & Martina Evans

19^th March       4pm                    The Storey        Poetry Day Double Bill 2: Helen Mort & Kayo Chingonyi

19^th March       5.30pm              The Storey        This Place, This Planet: Helen Mort

19^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        Poetry Day finale: Roger Robinson

20^th March       11.30am            Lanc Library     AC Grayling: Is Global Agreement on Global Challenges Possible?

20^th March       3pm                    The Storey        History: Legacies of the Slave Trade

20^th March       5pm                    The Storey        History: Brian Groom

20^th March       7.30pm              The Storey        Storytelling: Dominic Kelly

RKA Hotel = Royal Kings Arms Hotel