Outreach work Our programme of work aims to impact on the development and support for literature and writing activity within Northumberland.Read more
A relaxed and friendly group for those suffering from a Visual Impairment. We meet at 1.30 pm on the last Thursday of the month in Hexham Library, members are loaned an MP3 audio book to listen to each month and then discuss at the meeting. Help with transport may be available. Please contact us if you would like to join the group. Read more
The Festival has worked with Northumberland Libraries and Arts & Heritage to bring a uniquely designed, quiet space to the library. Read more
Come along to this free to join book group. Read more
Read the Book, see the film. Read more
Ian Douglas will be sharing his stories from around the world in an event especially for young people. Read more
One of the UK’s most influential, engaging and accessible historians asks how history can help answer the questions facing us in the near future. Read more
Come and share storytelling techniques and ideas about presentation with Chris Bostock, local storyteller. Read more
This event has now sold out. John is running a second workshop at 2.30pm which is available for bookings.Read more
Join Chris for a special lunch at the Beaumont Hotel , over two courses and a glass of wine find out how different things could be... Read more
John Wright will lead a second foraging walk on and around Linnels Farm, down by Devil's Water, join him to gather what you can and return to the farm for a special sampling in Linnels Kitchen.Read more
This event has now sold out. If you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call the Box Office on 01434 652477.Read more
What do we mean by ‘character’ in fiction? Come along and enjoy exercises to explore this essential aspect of writing fiction.Read more
Lucy Mangan presents a personal history and celebration of children’s literature and a must for all book lovers. Read more
Travel all around the world, carried only by stories from 3 continents - in just 45 minutes! Read more
Scotland's history has been told many times, but never exclusively by its women. Rosemary Goring gives us a fresh perspective on dramatic national events as well as ordinary life, down the centuries.Read more
Steve Brusatte, one of the world’s leading palaeontologists and a consultant on TV shows such as Walking with Dinosaurs, follows these magnificent creatures from the Triassic period, through the Jurassic, to their final days.Read more
From stock sales to lambing sheds, and out in the fields in driving snow and long summer days, Sally reveals the highs, lows and hard, hard work involved in making a living from the land.Read more
The final instalment in Pears’ exquisite West Country Trilogy, The Redeemed is a timeless, stirring and exquisitely wrought story of love, loss and destiny fulfilled, and a bittersweet elegy to a lost world.Read more
Chris Mullin talks about his new novel, The Friends of Harry Perkins, a tantalising human drama skilfully woven around the big issues of our day. Read more
In this workshop, you'll get to grips with finding your voice and the basics of setting up, planning and writing a blog.Read more
Tracy Borman, author, broadcaster and joint Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces, reveals the secrets and personalities of Thomas Wolsey, Richard Rich, Thomas Cromwell and the other men who surrounded King Henry VIII.Read more
Fiona Stafford, Professor of Romantic literature and daughter of a florist, looks at flowers and considers their physical beauty, their special characteristics and uses, and their ever-evolving meanings.Read more
Star of the BBC Radio 4 series, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, Natalie brings us her unique combination of ancient history and stand-up comedy. Read more
Award-winning financial journalist, Ian Fraser, reveals new details about the catastrophic fall of RBS.Read more
Whether you have a linguistic flair, an instinct for technology or good old common sense, you can pit your wits against some of the greatest minds of our time with McKay’s ingenious brainteasersRead more
Shetland-born writer Malachy Tallack’s talks about his life-affirming debut novel of love, loss and grief on the outer edge of the British Isles.Read more
The Co-Chair of Cambridge Neuroscience traces the link between depression and inflammation of the body and brain. Read more
Paul Anthony Jones reveals the hidden histories and global adventures that lie within the pages of our dictionaries. Read more
Thriller writer Luke Jennings discusses the second novel in his cult Killing Eve trilogy.Read more
In Nine Pints, Rose George tells nine different stories about the liquid that sustains us, discovering what it reveals about who we are. Read more
Max Adams and Nell Stevens discuss the often hidden role of women in our history books.Read more
Cumbrian nature writer Karen Lloyd issues a clarion call for the conservation of endangered habitats and species – most notably the curlew, Europe’s largest wading bird.Read more
Sadly this event has been cancelled.Read more
Northern voices come together to tell poems of the body, the heart and the untrammelled imagination, each inflected with the strong beauty of the North. Read more
Using a collection of 'keys' Gooley shows how everyone can develop an ability to read nature and enjoy the outdoors in an exciting way that is both new and ancient.Read more
Justin Butcher traces the pull of Jerusalem on the European imagination – the many strands of legend and fable radiating from the Holy Land and its three faiths.Read more
Well known and loved as a judge on Channel 4's Great British Bake Off, Prue Leith brings us the final instalment of The Angelotti Chronicles, an epic saga about an Anglo/Italian family in the restaurant business.Read more
Amanda and her family live a life that has almost gone in today's modern world, one ruled by the seasons and her animals.Read more
Come and hear the fifth Children's Laureate perform some of his - and our - favourite poems at what is sure to be a riotously funny, zany and unforgettable event.Read more
Graeme Macrae Burnet’s latest novel is a literary mystery that takes place in Saint-Louis, the sleepy French backwater that provided the setting for The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau.Read more
Join Oz Clarke as he shares anecdotes from his long and varied career, along with insider tips on how to enjoy wine whatever your budget.Read more
Join farmer, author and TV presenter Kate Humble for a fascinating talk about her life working with wildlife, the places that work has taken her to and the inspiring people she has met on her travels.Read more
Claire Macdonald is one of Scotland’s best known and best loved cookery writers. Lifting the Lid: a Life at Kinloch Lodge, is the autobiographical account of her and Godfrey’s eventful years of running Kinloch.Read more
Writer, broadcaster, restaurateur and unrepentant cookery geek, Tim Hayward discusses his most recent book Knife: The Culture, Craft and Cult of the Cook’s Knife. Read more
Diagnosed with dementia at 58, Wendy Mitchell was suddenly confronted with the most profound questions about life and identity, but was determined not to be beaten. Read more
The celebrated conductor and biographer talks about Handel in London: the Making of a Genius.Read more
Author of McMafia, Misha Glenny takes us on a tour through the dark depths of world capitalism and shows us how cyber hackers pose an increasing threat to global security.Read more
Art Historian, Mike Thornton, shows how Norman Cornish's sketches reveal the fascinating story and historical record behind his paintings of a bygone era.Read more
Are you a fantastically beastly fan of the Harry Potter books? Join Fleurble Laffalot for a family friendly, participatory journey through JK Rowling’s much loved Harry Potter books.Read more
From a Romany childhood to an Oxford University scholarship, Damian Le Bas has had a remarkable life.Read more
Would you like to come and swim to the bottom of the sea!Read more
Travel back 4,000 years with the bestselling author of The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood.Read more
A creative Writing Workshop where you will learn the importance of editing your workRead more
Discover what it was like to dine with queens, walk with kings and dance the conga round the state rooms of Buckingham Palace with George VI.Read more
This illustrated talk will lead you on a journey to the furthest reaches of the cosmos. Set your imagination racing as Dr Pete Edwards guides you through the cosmic web to discover the beauty of our Universe.Read more
Mark Lynas ifts the lid on the anti-GMO craze and shows how science was left by the wayside as a wave of public hysteria swept the world.Read more
After 30 years as a palliative care specialist, Kathryn Mannix feels passionately that it’s time to re-address public understanding of dying.Read more
Kamal Ahmed's childhood was very ‘British’ in every way – except for the fact that he was brown.Read more
Join Vanessa Nicolson, granddaughter of Vita Sackville-West, as she talks about The Truth GameRead more
Celebrated philosopher Julian Baggini travels the globe to provide a hugely wide-ranging map of human thought.Read more
Sarah Moss’ latest work of fiction was inspired by a Festival residency in Hexham.Read more
The Hidden Horticulturalists traces the stories of a selection of forgotten working class 19th Century gardeners.Read more
In Annabel Abbs’ novel Frieda emerges as a woman whose behaviour and thinking is often provocatively at odds with modernity even while she seems to be ushering in a new more liberated age.Read more
Bring your ideas about the future and develop your narratives in this workshop with award-winning novelist Tracey Warr and futurist curator Rob La Frenais.Read more
Award-winning biographer Claire Harman leads us through this bloody and scandalous moment in British literary history.Read more
In The Beast, the Emperor and the Milkman, award-winning sportswriter, Harry Pearson takes us on a journey across the Flemish countryside.Read more