York Literature Festival Announces 2026 Programme
28 February - 28 March 2026
The York Literature Festival is back in 2026, boasting best-selling authors and a diverse line-up of events for book-lovers of all ages.
With something for everyone, this year’s programme celebrates literary heritage and delivers the festival's third year of Hauntology--now with a dedicated weekend–focusing on Folk Horror and the Urban Wyrd. Join us to engage with local writers, groups, and performers, and participate in a series of workshops to promote York’s vibrant writing community.
Festival headliners include:
Following on from the exciting Hauntology event last year, we have a full weekend covering Folk Horror and the Urban Wyrd. Introduced by Professor Robert Edgar and Dr Wayne Johnson from York St John University, there will be appearances from acclaimed authors including Ramsey Campbell, Lucy Rose, Andrew Michael Hurley, Amy Jane Stewart and Lucie McKnight Hardy. There will be an opportunity to join Lowen Frampton Thornburn and The York Society of Hauntologists for a discussion of The Hospice by Robert Aickman. The weekend is run in partnership with Hauntology and Spectrality Research Group, and is set to be a spooky highlight of this year’s festival.
Rónán Hession is a multi-award nominated author. Rónán’s debut novel, Leonard and Hungry Paul (2019) was adapted into a BBC TV series in 2025. The book was shortlisted for the 2020 British Book Awards Debut Book of the Year. His second novel, Panenka, was published in 2021, to much critical acclaim. Hession will be in conversation alongside contemporary women’s fiction writer Colette Snowden, discussing writing and adaptation, and his most recent novel, Ghost Mountain.
Laura Bates is a Sunday Times best-selling author, activist and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project. Her work, including Everyday Sexism, Girl Up and Men Who Hate Women, draws attention to the misogyny experienced by women worldwide, both intimately and digitally. Bates’ latest book, The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny, delves into the advent of AI, the detrimental effect it has on gender equality and women’s lived experiences, and voices her urgent concern of a codified ‘new age’ of sexism.
This exciting event has a content warning for emotionally challenging material, but promises to be thought-provoking and a highlight of this year’s programme.
Isabella Dorta is a spoken-word poet with a huge social media presence. She is returning to York alongside the launch of her new book I Don’t Think I’m Straight, and we are thrilled to have a performance as part of the festival this year. Dedicated to ‘every woman I have ever loved, and to those I was afraid to’, this performance is destined to celebrate queer love and self-discovery.
Mark Webber, guitarist from Pulp, discusses his 2025 music memoir I’m With Pulp, are You? Forty years’ worth of Pulp’s history combine with Webber’s insight into the music industry in this fascinating music memoir. Webber has been a member of Pulp since 1995, appears on multiple albums, and narrates the band’s story from fan to manager to fellow musician. Discover his lifetime of passion from boyhood to pop star, from tour manager to songwriting and sold-out shows.
Susanna Clarke will be in conversation with Rob O’Connor, Chair of the York Literature Festival, about writing, genre and her beloved and bestselling fantasy titles. Her debut novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004) and Piranesi (2020) have achieved international critical acclaim, winning British Book Awards Newcomer of the Year, the Hugo Award, and the Women’s Prize for Fiction respectively. Her latest publication, The Wood at Midwinter (2024), is a ‘miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling’.
Susanna has strong links to York, receiving her honorary Doctor of Letters from York St. John University eighteen months ago.
Jasper Fforde, best known for the Thursday Next literary detective series, is delivering an evening for readers and aspiring writers alike. Join the number one bestselling author of The Eyre Affair for insights into the life and work of an iconic author as well as advice on becoming one yourself.
Join us in welcoming
Elly Griffiths to launch the newest instalment following Detective Ali Dawson in The Killing Time. A crime fiction novel focussing on retrieving a lost cat and time travelling to Victorian London. This event, with the backdrop of historic Merchant Adventurers Hall, is set to be an atmospheric evening of crime fiction.
Scarlett Thomas’s, The Sleepwalkers, is a modern gothic story composed of diary entries, and letters. Gritty and strange, it explores secrets, relationships, intrigue and dark truths. She joins Creative Writing Professor Vybarr Cregan-Reid in conversation about her writing process and what she could surprise us with next.
Debut novel events include Nikitha Bakshani and Ghost Chilli, a comedic coming-of-age and winner of the Cosmopolitan Book Award and New Adult Fiction Prize finalist, and Lucy Andrew, crime fiction scholar, launching her crime novel: A Very Vexing Murder. Stu Hennigan celebrates the publication of his debut Keshed. The novel challenges contemporary discourse about masculinity, fatherhood and men’s mental health. Manish Chauhan discusses his debut, Belgrave Road, described as a “classic tale of star-crossed love”, offering a powerful display of an unlikely pair and their journey of getting together.
Students from the York St John University Creative Writing undergraduate degree course will be hosting their annual student showcase and the launch of this year’s Beyond the Walls anthology of creative pieces written by students.
Author of Your Life is Manufactured,
Tim Minshall joins us for a discussion into the manufacturing world and its impact on our lives and the natural world. He shares his expertise as Professor at the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing to help us make better choices for us as individuals and the planet we share.
Alan Johnson, author of a biography of Harold Wilson, and Steve Richards, author of a biography of Tony Blair, sit in conversation about political legacies, twentieth century politics and everything that lead to today’s political climate: Wilson, Blair and Starmer: Leading Labour into Government.
The Crescent hosts
Keza MacDonald, video games editor at The Guardian, for a discussion on her first full-length book: Super Nintendo: Why Do We Game? This event explores the history of Nintendo and provides insight into the fascinating culture of gaming.
York Literature Festival will be holding their third annual poetry showcase to celebrate International Women’s Day. Local poet Chloe Hanks welcomes four vibrant poets including York based Kayleigh Campbell, spoken-word poet Minal Sukumar, Kimberly Campanello, and Helen Ivory. Janine Bradbury hosts a workshop discussing verse, and poetic practice relating to archival absences.
Liz Flanagan, a celebrated children’s author of the Wildsmith series, hosts a storybook workshop at York Explore Library.
Poet and children’s author
Olivia Mulligan will be leading a poetry workshop ideal for families to enjoy some playful poetry together!
With over 40 events to choose from, the festival brings together a celebration of York’s thriving literary scene.
For more information, please contact Chloe Hanks or Julia Edgar on programming@yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk
To see our full program visit:
yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk
To book tickets visit York Theatre Royal Box Office, 01904 623568
