A Sunday Times bestseller, an art historian, a well-known local author and a writer known for her love of gardens are among the first names announced for Stoke-on-Trent’s inaugural book festival.
Stoke Book Festival will feature a week-long programme of author talks, workshops, family activities, school events and community celebrations designed to inspire a lifelong love of reading, storytelling and creativity.
One of the festival’s core ambitions is to support Stoke-on-Trent’s efforts to tackle literacy poverty and establish the event as a flagship cultural festival for the city. According to the National Literacy Trust, 31 of the city’s 41 council wards have literacy levels below the national average.
Award-winning former BBC journalist and broadcaster AJ West, whose book The Betrayal of Thomas True was a Sunday Times bestseller, has been confirmed as one of the first authors on the line-up.
He will be joined by art historian and passionate advocate for Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramic heritage Verity Babbs, author and journalist Helena Attlee, whose work focuses on gardens and their history and Stoke-on-Trent crime writer Mel Sheratt, whose 26 novels that have sold over two million copies worldwide,
Simon Drakeford, Communities and Arts Manager at Stoke Minster and Director of Stoke Book Festival, said: “We are excited to bring Stoke Book Festival to Stoke. The city already has a diverse artistic and cultural offering, and the book festival will further enrich it, helping to mark Stoke-on-Trent as a destination for culture and the arts.
“The festival seeks to make books and the joy they bring accessible to every single person. Together we can challenge the literacy deprivation that holds so many people back.
“We have a fantastic programme that works to make books and all the joy they bring accessible for all. The support we have received so far has blown us away and confirms that the Stoke Book Festival will be fantastic.”
The festival will be held across Stoke-on-Trent using the city’s libraries, with the main stage being at Stoke Minster.
The full programme will be announced in mid-August.
Many events will be free to attend, and organisers said ticketed events will be priced as affordably as possible.
As well as public events, there will be networking and development opportunities for local authors and writers.
Schools and education settings will include virtual and in-person author events, including a session with children’s author and illustrator Nick Sharratt.
Partners include Visit Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Libraries, Made in Stoke and YMCA North Staffordshire. Support has also come from the National Literacy Trust, and the office of Gareth Snell MP.
There are various sponsorship opportunities available.
To find out more, or to enquire about the festival in general, email communityandarts.stokeminster@gmail.com
