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The Working-Class Library: Val McDermid 

 

Join writer Richard Benson (The Farm, The Valley) and Claire Malcolm (New Writing North) from the Working-Class Library podcast as they seek to explore and reclaim working-class people’s contribution to English literature. For this live edition of the podcast they will be joined by special guest Val McDermid, talking about William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw – a foundational Scottish crime novel that is often cited as being the book that kicked off the Tartan Noir phenomenon.   

The podcast is a venture of The Bee, the magazine of writing by working-class writers. 

 

Working-Class Library, Claire Malcolm & Richard Benson

 

 

Booking Information

  • Priority Booking for Festival Friends opens at 08.00 on Friday 27th of February. Tickets go on general sale from Monday 2nd March.
  • Our concession tickets are available to Friends of the Festival, those on benefits and students.
  • Hearing loops are available for Theatre and Library events. Carers qualify for free ‘essential companion’ tickets. Wheelchair spaces are limited. In all cases, please call the Box Office on 01434 652477 to book or email: boxoffice@queenshall.co.uk.
  • Tickets cannot be refunded but can be exchanged for other Book Festival events.
  • All bookings are subject to a booking fee of £1.50 per transaction.

 

Back to 2026 programme 

Location

Hexham Library, Queens Hall

Date

25 Apr 2026

Time

7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Cost

£5
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Testimonials

Many thanks for a wonderful time up in Hexham, I look forward to a return visit one of these years.
Mick Herron
Thank you so much for an absolutely wonderful event last night. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed being back in beautiful Hexham - thank you for everything you and the team did to make it all run so smoothly.
Tracy Borman
I feel incredibly lucky to have this festival on my doorstep. It is world class.
Hexham Book festival is a leading creative force in the Northumbrian cultural landscape, with a positive impact on the lives of so many. Locally based, outward-facing, brilliantly organised, and recognised by writers and readers as one of the attractive and dynamic literary festivals.
David Almond
Two words, absolutely fantastic. Really looking forward to next year!

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