Welcome to
our Festival
Save the Date
16-24 October 2026
Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word
Wells Festival of Literature
Celebrating its 34th Year in 2026
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
VISITORS A YEAR
Education projects
Fleur Hitchcock visits Longvernal Primary
Dicheat School Book Club meet to discuss The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll
St John’s enjoy a visit from Tracey Corderoy
Wookey Sch reading their new books
Waterstones visit by Bishop Henderson Sch
Emily Lloyd-Gale at St John’s
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
News
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First class tickets to everywhere!
Somerset was long considered the heart of England. After all, it’s easy to feel at home here. Many of our speakers do and are: Dr Lucy Pollock who urges us actually to talk about getting older; Lucy Jago who set her first YA book at Montacute House and has now written about a scandal at…
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A taste of things to come
Legendary war reporter Kate Adie CBE, in conversation with Festival Patron William Waldegrave, set the tone for this year’s Festival during a unique pre-Festival event for Friends and supporters, sponsored by Investec. Kate reported from battlefields and disaster zones all over the globe and her descriptions of what she saw were mesmerising. Her experiences at…
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Topics for conversation
Recent announcements about some of this year’s Festival events will certainly provide plenty to get people talking. First on the horizon is the opportunity to listen in on someone else’s conversation – a chat between the legendary war reporter Kate Adie CBE and the Festival’s own distinguished patron, Lord Waldegrave. This fascinating exchange will take…
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Last call for our competitions
A few weeks ago it was reported that Nicola Clifford, a former winner of the Short Story Competition, had gone on to snap up a three-novel publishing deal (a spine-chilling murder mystery series set in Wales). The most recent triumph has gone to a poet. Last year’s Open Poetry winner, Maggie Wadey has been Highly…