Welcome to
our Festival
16-24 October 2026
Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word
Tickets Available on the Door
News
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Competition Winners
The winners of the 2026 International Competitions have now been announced following an exciting afternoon of Poetry Readings and Prize Giving during the Festival. Entrants from around the world competed in four categories of poetry and storytelling for prizes totalling £5,000. Everyone who reached the shortlist received an explanation from the judges as to why…
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Thanks To Our Photo Team
Many thanks to our new team of photographers who have been covering all the events across the nine days of the Festival. The team includes two students, Ella Sargent (left) and Annabelle Brown (right), who volunteered their services alongside long-standing committee member Susan Knight. Between them they have amassed a memorable selection of shots capturing…
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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…
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.
IN 2025
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