All you need to know about Wolverhampton Literary Festival

Wolverhampton Literature Festival is back next weekend, bringing literature, poetry, music and dance together with over 90 events in the city to enjoy.

Festival-goers will be able to meet broadcaster Dr Hilary Jones, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, ex-Metropolitan Police officer and author Susie Merrill and Punjabi poet Rupinder Kaur Waraich.

The three-day event, held in locations across the city, will take place from 6-8 February, celebrating arts and culture for adults and children.

We have gone through the line-up and listed them below to help you plan your weekend and decide which tickets to book.

Friday's events begin from 11:00 GMT and range from celebrating art in the Black Country at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, celebrating local publishers, creative writing and poetry workshops and tips on how to write a persuasive book review.

The events aim to celebrate the voices of storytellers from across the UK, said festival organisers.

See who can get the chance to meet below:

The festival weekend begins at 11:30 at the art gallery with the chance to meet poets Troy Cabida and Caroline Smith.

Both will read from their new collections and share insights into their creative journeys and experiences getting published.

Cabida's collection Neon Manila explores the queer Filipino body "in all of its skin and glitter," weaving narratives of identity, belonging, and self-expression. He currently works as co-editor of poetry journal Fourteen Poems and library assistant for the National Poetry Library.

Smith's Bycatch poems offer "poignant reflections on memory, care, and the fragile boundaries of personhood". Her previous collection, The Immigration Handbook was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award and translated into Italian.

The readings will be followed by an audience question and answer session.

Black Country author and historian Ned Williams will be meeting guests from 13:00, shining a limelight on local stars who have since faded into history.

With more than 50 books to his name, Williams has recently turned his attention to biographies of Wolverhampton figures such as circus equestrian Broncho Bill, aerialist Brenda Jones and world champion jumper Joe Hastings.

American author Cebo Campbell will talk about his debut novel Sky Full of Elephants from 13:30.

The book follows the plot about a mysterious event causes all white people in America to vanish into the sea, leading the country to become radically transformed.

Author A D Bergin will be talking about his historical thriller The Wicked Of The Earth from 15:00 GMT and fans can also meet Kasim Ali to talk about his Birmingham-based book Who Will Remain at 15:30.

The Arena Theatre will have a performance of one-person show Fixing, starring Matt Miller, from 19:30.

Back at the art gallery at the same time, folk singer Beans on Toast will be talking about the characters who inspired his latest book, Wild Folk People.

From Brazilian artists to Yorkshire publicans, land rights activists, family legends and fellow folk singers, the talk is a celebration of people he has met on his path.

Wolverhampton Arts Centre will be hosting drummer Dave Rowntree as he releases a book of exclusive, intimate, never-seen-before photographs of Blur early in their career.

The founding member of Blur captured close-up pictures of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James and himself in the band's early days.

There will be a chance for audience members to put their questions to Rowntree, view a selection of his favourite photos and grab a signed hardback copy of his book No One You Know.

Saturday's events will include talks with various storytellers including university professor and poet R M Francis, more writing workshops as well as the horror movie Beetlejuice, retold through the songs of The Beatles.

With almost 40 events running on the day, there is much to choose from.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery will be hosting TV doctor Dr Hilary Jones at 11:00 as he speaks about his new book Under Darkening Skies, the conclusion to his historical trilogy and touch on the medical milestones that inspired the saga.

Local author and poet Cora B will launch her first poetry book at the festival. People will be able to listen to her poems from The Space Between and then have a go at writing their own poem.

Former Metropolitan Police mounted officer Susie Merrill will share stories from her time with the force from 11:30 at Wolverhampton Central Library. Her book, From One Pig to Another will be topic for discussion as she tells the audience about a time where women on horseback were a rare sight.

At 12:00 National Geographic travel writer Daniel Stables will be at the art gallery to talk about his book Fiesta - a non-fiction travel book about the festivals of the world.

Melanie Branton will be at Tilestone Studio at 12:30 to perform The Full English - a spoken word performance about the history of the English language.

Dr Lucy Andrew will be on hand to talk about Jane Austen, and why the author's stories never get too old.

A discussion on why Wolverhampton Art Gallery is one of the city's gems will take place at 13:00 and travel author Ben Aitken talks about why he gave Venice the cold shoulder and went to Wolverhampton instead in his new book.

Fans of Crime and Doing the Time can meet author Tim Franks at Wolverhampton Central Library at 13:30 and poet Rupinder Kaur Waraich will be sharing new work from her latest collection Tigress With Wings back at the art gallery at 14:00.

Charles Kouasseu will perform Shemsu Maât - Talking with African Artefacts at Tilestone Studio at 15:00. He will look at the hidden journeys of African artefacts now resting in Western museums.

The library will also be hosting a performance of Justice Be Told at 15:00 - an immersive performance that allows the audience to step into the jury box in a court room drama.

Wolverhampton author Peter Chand will be available to talk about his journey to becoming a storyteller from a working class Punjabi home and Heather Dunn will be on hand to talk about her short stories about Ancient Egypt.

The last day of the festival boasts a reimagined performance of The Great Gatsby at the Arena Theatre - with performances at 14:00 and 17:30.

Priyanka Joshi will lead Food is a Love Language at 11:00, telling stories about honouring the meals that raised her growing up. Readings will also take place from local writing groups across the city, as well as a discussion on where The Black Country dialect fits into the English language.

Female south Asian poets will be celebrated at Coach House from 12:30 and the public will be invited to share their memories of The Beatles at the arts centre from 13:00.

Natalie Haynes, author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar, will be discussing her new book No Friend to This House—a retelling of the Greek myth of Medea and her turbulent relationship with Jason.

Local poet, Martin Kennedy Yates, will be sharing pieces from his prize-winning collection, This Wilderness & Other Concerns at 18:30 at the art gallery too.

Imani Erriu will be available to talk about her book Fallen Stars, the sequel in her bestselling Heavenly Bodies series. With more than 80,000 TikTok followers and millions of views, she has built a passionate global fanbase and sold out events across the UK, US, and Europe.

John Penney, frontman of Ned's Atomic Dustbin, will be at the art gallery on Sunday sharing his story behind his brand-new lyric book alongside guest poet Sarah Dixon.

Broadcaster and comedian Robin Ince will talk about his book Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal and his journey with ADHD.

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