Literary event return is 'major cultural moment'

A Devon literary festival is returning for the first time in almost a decade, with organisers saying it is "set to become a major cultural moment" for the city.

Taking place over Saturday and Sunday, the Plymouth Literary Festival aims to welcome book lovers, aspiring writers and families with two days of talks, workshops and interactive events.

Held at Portland Square Building on the University of Plymouth campus, organisers said the programme was deigned to appeal to a wide audience of literature lovers.

They said it would host a range of events, like a 7 Summits Lecture with adventurer Ed Buckingham, offering stories of endurance and exploration and "real-life adventure".

Katie Geraghty, director of the festival, which aims to make literature more accessible and engaging for people of all ages and backgrounds, said: "We are in the National Year of Reading, so we're actually doing a whole government project to try and get people back into reading.

"Plymouth is also bidding to become the City of Culture for 2029, so it's a really important time showcase the culture that we have in the city."

On Saturday, a workshop was due to be led into the publishing industry and the realities of bringing a book to market.

On the Sunday, organisers said there would be a strong focus on fiction, with a headline appearance from Sunday Times best-selling author, Jane Corry.

They said crime fiction fans would be "well catered for", with a crime writer panel at midday, bringing authors like Caroline Serpell, Stephanie Austin and Helena Dixon together to explore what makes a compelling murder mystery.

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