York Literature Festival is coming back for 2025! The festival runs from the 6th of March until the 29th of March and has a final event after this on the 29th of April. It has something for all literature fans spanning from fiction, non-fiction and poetry workshops and talks with a broad range of successful writers. It is a festival full of inspiration, compelling stories, and memorable moments. York St John University is a proud sponsor for the festival and the Where Ideas Grow Blog is proud to work alongside the festival’s programming co-ordinator and chair/interim treasurer Rob O’Connor. This blog post will give you a glimpse into what you can look forward to for this year’s festival and discuss some of the events that the editors are most excited about! Happy reading and here’s to this year’s York Literature Festival!
What Becca is looking forward to…
The Brontës and Contagion: Book Launch with Jo Waugh. 16th March, 2PM, York St. John University, Creative Centre, Free—Tickets are required.
As a Brontë fan, this book launch is right up my street and I am so excited to attend. I have had the pleasure of having Jo Waugh as my lecturer in my first year of university and she had an exceptional way of explaining the literature she was passionate about. Her new book discusses the significance of contagious disease in the works of Charlotte Brontë and both the social and political contexts she wrote in. I feel that this event will give me a different perspective in which to view Charlotte’s work in and allow myself to explore a new reading of her classic books that I already love such as Jane Eyre. It will be an enlightening discussion on a period of literature that is widely discussed, but this time in a new light. I’m so excited to be a part of this exciting discussion and celebrate Dr Jo Waugh’s new book launch.
Beyond the Walls Student Showcase. 17th March, 7PM, York St. John University, Creative Centre, Free—Tickets are required.
I attended this event at last year’s Literature Festival when I hardly knew anything about Beyond the Walls. It was a chance to go and enjoy listening to the amazing talent that is a part of York St John University, and it made me feel so welcome as a fellow writer in the community that has been established on campus. This year, I am incredibly excited to attend this event as I am part of the editorial team working on the 2025 Beyond the Walls anthology! This showcase has been put together by my hardworking teammates in the Marketing and Events subdivision of the anthology and I cannot wait to hear so many amazing stories, poems and more from students in the run up to the anthology’s publication later this year. This year, the theme of the anthology is ‘The Mind’ and is open for submissions for third year and postgraduate students at York St John. This will be such a great night to get to know more about this year’s anthology and listen to some captivating creative writing.
What Brigitta is looking forward to…
International Women’s Day Poetry Showcase. 7th March, 7PM, Theatre@41 —Tickets £15.
When I saw that one of my favourite poets, Mary Jean Chan, would be headlining this event, I knew it was a must-see for me! Chan is such a talented and acclaimed poet, and I have always wanted to see them read their work live. However, I am equally excited to hear the work of the other poets reading at this event – Isabel Galleymore, Lillian Akampurira Aujo, and Forward Prize winner Kim Moore are all listed on the event description and will be joined by various other talented poets. Kim Moore is an excellent pick for International Women’s Day, with much of her poetry centred around the female experience and patriarchy, and I can’t wait to be introduced to other poets I’m not as familiar with. One of the best things about events like these is expanding our list of writers and writing we love, so whether you’ve read all the listed poets or none at all, it will definitely be an exciting and enjoyable evening!
Pity with Andrew McMillan. 11th March, 7PM, The Crescent. Tickets £12 – but only £6 for students with code YLFSTUDENT
I’ve been familiar with Andrew McMillan’s poetry for a while now, and now that I am about halfway through his debut novel Pity, I can say with confidence that McMillan is brilliant in whatever type of writing he chooses. Pity explores Northern and generational identity, masculinity, and human connection in such an intricate and heartfelt way, and at under 200 pages, it’s definitely short enough to read before the 11th of March! Even if you don’t read it, though, I think the event is still worth coming to. McMillan has a wonderful and impactful voice for exploring Northern experience and queer identity, and what he has to say about place, change, and masculinity is worth listening to, whether it be through his writing, through this event, or both.
What Rosie is looking forward to…
What is a Classic? 12th of March, 7 PM. York St John University, Creative Centre
(Sold Out)
This discussion will revolve around well-known and well-loved classics and what makes them so. The session will question what it is about these texts, from Dickens, Austen, and Shakespeare, which means they stand the test of time. This is a valuable question to ask in our contemporary time, giving us a lens through which to identify how texts in our current cultures may endure and be studied for years to come. The fact that our culture has consistently returned to these texts over the course of centuries is a reflection of these works, but we should question what about them brings about this endurance and return? It is an intriguing question that I am thoroughly looking forward to exploring in this event, whilst investigating these superstar texts to get to their essence as classics.
What Luciana is looking forward to…
This year’s list of events and authors coming to York is absolutely outstanding. There’s so much going on, and it would be a waste of an opportunity to not attend to any of the events for anyone who is interested! Most of them did sell out pretty quickly, so to all the lucky ones who managed to get tickets for them, I hope you have an amazing time there!
Atlas, the Story of Pa Salt, with Harry Whittaker. 13th March, 6 PM. York Explore. Tickets £8.
Ever since I read The Seven Sisters series alongside my sister, mum, and grandmother many years ago, it’s held a special place in my heart. We were all enthralled by the amazing writing of Lucinda Riley and were incredibly sad when she passed away. Now that her son has finished the series for her, in a brilliant way too, I can’t wait to see what he’ll say about the process and the series in itself.
York Literature Festival Presents: A Workshop with a Difference. 14th of March, 6 PM. St. Peter’s School. Tickets £10 adult, £7 student (ID needed to access event).
This workshop sounds like a great opportunity to get the creative juices flowing, and I am curious to see how this will develop. It’s always fun to practice some writing, especially surrounded by many other writers with similar goals and the intention of having fun.
Fantasy Fiction: Susanna Clarke in Conversation. 15th of March, 7 PM. St. Peter’s School. Tickets £12, £7 student (ID needed to access event).
Piranesi has been on my reading list for ages now, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. So going to the author’s event sounds like the perfect opportunity to finally give the book a read (which I am now doing) and hear what the brilliant author has to say about it.
I plan on attending other events too, such as ‘Women in Science Fiction’, ‘How to Build a Superhero’, etc. York Literature Festival is the perfect chance to get even more immersed into the literary world and hear about successful experiences in it. Expect some blog posts and articles about it soon!
What Rachel is looking forward to…
This blog post reminded me that I need to book my spaces for the York Literature Festival well in advance. When I managed to start booking my tickets, at least a third of the talks I would have liked to attend were sold out. For those going to ‘An Introduction to Folk Horror and Pop-hauntology’ and ‘What is a Classic?’ I hope you have a great time and maybe you can write an article and tell us about your experiences there!
The Brontës and Contagion: Book Launch with Jo Waugh. 16th March, 2PM, York St. John University, Creative Centre, Free—Tickets are required.
I am curious to see how illness has affected the Brontës’ writing after it has taken the lives of many older siblings and then, eventually, all three sisters. As a huge fan of Jane Eyre and The Tennant of Wildfell Hall, this is hopefully an opportunity to understand the world of the Brontës and give further depth to my reading, and rereading, of their works.
Literary Enemies: Authors Hating Authors in the Olden Days. 20th March, 6PM, York Explore. Tickets £8.
Sadly, this event is happening during one of my lectures, but if there were the option of watching a recording of this talk, I would pay to see that too. In my undergraduate degree, it was amusing to read how early authors would write and publish books in response to other books or publications. In my master’s, I have had the amusement of reading Lord Byron’s correspondence with his publisher for an assessment. I would be amused to hear what else ‘Olden Day’ authors got up to when they had private and public rows with each other.
Literary Walk, With David Holt. 22nd March, 11AM, Museum Gardens, Museum Street entrance. Tickets £10—Pay the guide on arrival, cash only.
While I live in York, I would like to do a proper tour of the city and combining it with the joy of learning about its history with literature would be fantastic. Let’s hope that the weather holds for a nice walk and that David Holt’s voice won’t be drowned out by the sound of rain.
Feeding the Monster: Why Horror Has a Hold on Us. 22nd March, 2PM, The Crescent. Tickets £10.
After finishing a second draft of a script of Dracula, this talk sounds right up my street. I am curious about why horror and monsters intrigue so many of us. Why has there been so many stories of vampires, ghouls, and monsters in various forms? Why do we return again and again? I look forward to hearing what Anna Bogutskaya enlightens on the subject.
What Anna is looking forward to…
An Introduction to Folk Horror and Pop-Hauntology. 8th March 1-2.30PM, The Black Swan, Peasholme Green. (Sold Out).
Olivia Isaac-Henry, in conversation: Sorrow Spring. 8th March 3-4PM, The Black Swan, Peasholme Green. Tickets £5.
York Society of Hauntologists. 8th March, 4:30-5:30PM, The Black Swan, Peasholme Green (Sold Out)
Free—Booking required, Donations welcome.
Bob Fischer—The Haunted Generation. 8th March 7-9:30PM, The Black Swan, Peasholme Green (Sold Out).
The events I am most looking forward to during York Literature Festival are those taking place on the 8th of March—a day dedicated to all things folk horror! The day begins with an introduction to folk horror, in which professors Adam Smith and Robert Edgar will dissect key theories and ideas associated with the genre. At 3pm, author Olivia Isaac-Henry will be in conversation discussing her writing career, inspirations, and forthcoming novel, Hallows Hill. In 2024, she published a folk horror novel set in the 1970s: Sorrow Spring.
I am also looking forward to the Hauntology group meet-up, where fans of spooky stories will join together to discuss Thomas Hardy’s The Withered Arm. I have attended a Hauntology meet up in the past, and it was such an enjoyable experience, being surrounded by hard-core horror fans and newcomers to the genre and listening to everyone’s theories and ideas. The day will conclude with a show by Bob Fischer, a writer and broadcaster from the Northeast, discussing tall tales and urban folklore of 70s and 80s childhoods. I can’t wait to join conversations about what makes people’s skin crawl, how people define ‘creepy,’ and niche takes on the folk horror genre. All the events will take place in the Peasholme Green, an atmospheric, dark, cosy pub nestled just outside the city centre.
I have been fascinated with folk horror for around a year. I have watched The Wicker Man, The Blood on Satan’s Claw, and Witchfinder General, and I have purchased a copy of Damnable Tales. My fascination with folk horror was born from my love for the early 2000s British sitcom The League of Gentlemen, which I have rewatched many times, but only recently have I begun to dive deeper into its adoption of folk horror tropes, as the writers of the show are self-proclaimed horror geeks. I am mainly interested in studies of the occult and witchcraft, and I have found myself writing my own novel centred around surrealism, magic, suspicion, and cunning folk. I am excited to gain more knowledge and discuss these concepts further on Saturday with like-minded people.
Check out all the events that are happening at this year’s York Literature Festival here!