Welcome to
our Festival
16-24 October 2026
Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word
Tickets Still Available
News
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Festival Fun for Year 6
Helen Rutter, children’s author and comedian, will have brought laughter and learning to more than 1,000 local youngsters from local schools by the end of this year’s Festival. At each of her four sessions, she entertained her young audiences with tales of how and why she had written her books, and introduced them to the…
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Unravelling Fragile Minds
Dr Gavin Francis, who is speaking at the Festival on Thursday, has just been shortlisted for the prestigious Saltires – Scotland’s National Book Awards – in the non-fiction category. Tickets are still available for his session tomorrow (Thursday 22 October) for his talk at 6pm. In his latest book The Unfragile Mind, the doctor draws…
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Women Take to the BBC
Four of our fascinating female speakers who are appearing at this year’s Festival are currently featured on BBC Radio Sounds. Catch novelist Louisa Young in Radio 3’s Private Passions – available until 15 October – where you clan listen to her tracklist of music. Family is at the heart of her work, and her first…
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Repertoire Of Rice
Foodies will get the chance to explore delicious rice-based recipes with Malaysian-born chef Ping Coombes at the Festival’s Saturday morning cookery slot. In her new book called simply Rice, Ping – who is a TV MasterChef Champion of Champions, and who now lives locally – sets rice at the heart of the table with dishes…
2026 Speakers
Following a visit from A.F. Harrold:
“It was an enriching session that enhanced our pupils’ appreciation and understanding of poetry. Huge thanks to the Education Team at The Wells Festival of Literature for organising and funding this visit!”
Fairlands Middle School – Cheddar
Education projects
2026 Brochure
Our 2026 Sponsors
Principal Festival Sponsor
Wells Festival of Literature
Wells Festival of Literature is a registered charity entirely run by a committee of volunteers, funded by ticket sales, competition entries and generous local sponsors and Friends.
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