Our fifth Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival will take place Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd October 2023. Tickets will be available online shortly, please check our website and social media for updates. Depending on availability, they will also be sold on the door.
All events are free to those under 18 or in full time education. They are half price to those under 25 or on benefits.
We are delighted to present this year’s Festival and look forward to seeing you at some or all of the events. As always, we have great authors coming who will entertain, inform and intrigue while you enjoy a cup of tea or coffee (or something stronger) and eat delicious homemade cakes.
We remain deeply grateful for the support of our Patrons: Nicola Upson and Mike and Judy Spenser-Morris, and our Sponsors: The Trustees of the beautiful Unitarian Meeting House and Greene & Greene Solicitors. We also want to thank our wonderful volunteers. Without all of you this Festival would not happen!
Festival Patrons: Nicola Upson, Mike & Judy Spenser-Morris
The Festival Team
Gill Adams
Jackie Burnett
Clare Dawson
Eileen Dreyer
Susan Pocklington
Julia Wakelam
Message from our Patrons, Mike & Judy Spenser-Morris
“It is with the greatest pleasure that Judy and I are again the proud Patrons of the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival. As avid readers, we feel a particular affinity with the Festival’s desire to bring so many wonderful authors to Bury St Edmunds to talk about their work. Our incredible town, that has such a depth of history, is the perfect setting for a Literature Festival.
“Once again, we have an exceptional gathering of wonderful authors ready to perform and talk about their work. We are really looking forward to this year’s outstanding programme. We hope you are too.”
Mike & Judy Spenser-Morris
Message from our Patron Nicola Upson
“With the isolation of recent years still so fresh in our minds, festivals feel more precious than ever, and the one in my home town is particularly special – so I’m thrilled to be looking ahead to this year’s Bury Litfest for the first time as one of its patrons.
“Growing up in a beautiful town where there’s a story around every corner is a wonderful gift for a writer. Stories are important. They enrich our lives and show us new possibilities. They help us understand who we are and who we’d like to be. And, as this year’s Abbey celebrations have shown, they connect us to our past and lay hopeful foundations for the future.
“The 2022 Litfest programme is a gloriously eclectic mix of stories: some fact, some fiction; some gritty, some heart warming; all inspirational. Please do join us in celebrating them.”
Nicola Upson
Congratulations from The Writers of Bury and Beyond!
Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing the Literature Festival back to Bury St Edmunds for 2022! We’re thrilled that the festival has returned and we’re looking forward to meeting new readers and writers at this year’s events.
East Anglia has a rich literary history and is home to many writers. We represent a group of independent local authors, all with a connection to Bury and the local area. We’ve come together since the first Bury Literature Festival in 2017. Between us we write crime novels, contemporary fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, romantic thrillers, dystopia, literary fiction, poetry, and more, for adults and young adults.
If you fancy discovering something new, you’ll find books from sixteen East Anglian authors on the local author shelf at The Market Cross Gallery and café in the centre of town. All the books are available to borrow during your visit. Why not sample our novels, poems, and short stories with some coffee and cake?
If you like what you read, and you’d like to meet some local authors and chat about books, you’ll find us at the Market Cross Makers’ Market. The market takes place on the second Sunday of every month, upstairs at The Market Cross Gallery and café. We’ll be there on the 9th of October and 13th of November – and for a special Christmas event on the weekend of November 26th and 27th.
The Market Cross café is open Monday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Find our local author shelf under the window opposite the café counter, and discover a new author with your latte!
We hope you enjoy the 2022 Bury Literature Festival – we’re looking forward to meeting you.
Best wishes for a fantastic weekend,
The Writers of Bury and Beyond.
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