Best ever programme for Berwick Literary Festival's 10th anniversary as authors and writers are revealed

The organisers have brought more than 200 well-known and respected authors and writers to speak at its events in the town in previous years and this year is no different.

Running from October 12 to 15, there will be a mix of live events in town centre venues and Zoom events bringing major authors to Berwick who are unable to attend in person.

The first speaker will be Will Self, asking the highly relevant ‘Why read in a digital age?’

Crime fiction will be discussed with Hexham-based Mari Hannah and the Reivers’ story with Andrew Greig, and various points in history will be reviewed.

Four major events in partnership with The Maltings present journalist Polly Toynbee, performance poet Lemn Sissay and musician Karine Polwart, with Alexander McCall Smith making a welcome return with new books accompanied by his publicist Anna Marshall and her Scotland Street cookbook.

“The range of subjects and entertaining speakers is extraordinary,” said festival director Michael Gallico.

“A good festival is based on challenging choices. On one hand, the Beatles’ hairdresser (Leslie Cavendish) will recount his memories of the ‘lovable mop-tops’; on the other, Archbishop Rowan Williams will discuss his favourite poetry; and Rachel Joyce, author of book-of-the-film The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, will be in Berwick on the Saturday.”

Live poetry features strongly, keeping the Northumbrian theme with Katrina Porteous and Basil Bunting and the best of Bloodaxe Books’ new collections read live.

A distinguished panel led by Nick Kenyon will review the current state of classical music; Frances Spalding looks at 20th century British art history and Bridgewater pottery designer Matthew Rice will lead an illustrated tour of Rome. At the other end of the scale are the popular writing workshops and small-group tours of Martins the Printers.

In the library there will be free storytelling for under fives and a computer games workshop for teenagers, which is the public face of the free programme of activities organised for all schools in the Berwick Partnership.

The festival is organised by volunteers and generously supported by a cross-section of local businesses, charities, donors and a strong group of patrons.

To see the full programme and book, go to www.berwickliteraryfestival.com or www.berwicklitfest.eventbrite.co.uk