Welcome to
our Festival
Save the Date
16-24 October 2026
Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word
Celebrating its 34th Year in 2026
News
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Event for Friends
Festival Friends are in for a thrilling night with cosy crime writer Jayne Chard who is to be guest speaker at a Friends-only event on Thursday 9 July. Jayne is also an award-winning film and TV drama producer, with the BBC series Silent Witness among her credits. Her latest book The Body that Floats is…
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Writers at the ready
Entries for this year’s international competitions are now open, and there is hot competition for the £5,000 pot of prizes on offer. Writers have three months in which to hone their skills at poetry and storytelling in three categories before the competitions close at midnight on 31 June. These are Open Poetry, Short Story and…
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Lyse in line for award
Lyse Doucet – a sellout speaker at last year’s Festival – is on a shortlist of six authors for the Waterstones Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2026 with her book The Finest Hotel in Kabul. The hotel in question is the Hotel Inter-Continental, which opened in Afghanistan in 1969 as a glamorous beacon of hope for…
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Writers under wraps
No names can be revealed just yet, but behind the scenes the Festival booking team is sending out invitations and signing up authors for this year’s event which takes place from 16-24 October. As usual the 2026 Festival will feature speakers discussing numerous topics from the arts to the sciences, from history to politics, and…
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
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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