One of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors, Alexander McCall Smith, joins Fiona Lindsay in session to discuss the new instalment in his much-loved Scotland Street series, Love in the Time of Bertie. “Life for Bertie seems to be moving at a pace that is rather out of his control. In Drummond Place gardens it seems […]
It is with great pleasure that we launch York Literature Festival 2022 with the acclaimed author, Sarah Hall, who will be in conversation with Professor Abi Curtis, from York St John University, about her work and her latest novel Burntcoat. Sarah Hall is one of Britain's leading contemporary writers. Twice nominated for the Booker Prize, […]
It is December 2023 and the world as we know it has ended. The human race has been wiped out by a virus called 6DM (‘Six Days Maximum’ - the longest you’ve got before your body destroys itself). But somehow, in London, one woman is still alive. A woman who is entirely unprepared to face […]
Tickets are free but booking is required. Tickets are available here. Lady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. Spider Woman is her story. As President of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale won global attention in finding the 2019 prorogation of Parliament to be unlawful. […]
In his journey to get closer to the Brontës, award-winning author Michael Stewart began walking the historic paths they trod while writing their most famous works. From Liverpool to Scarborough, across wild, windy and often unforgiving scenery, he discovered echoes of the siblings’ novels. And with the help of an unlikely cast of Yorkshire’s inhabitants, […]
Yorkshire, 1890. Having lost her father and brothers in tragic circumstances, Olwen Malkon is forced to leave her childhood home to live with her uncle’s family. In his chill vicarage, however, she fears that she is also losing her mind, as strange dreams take her into the life of Ælfwyn, a woman from a distant […]
In these days of heated language and division we will think about poems whose power is not bound up in shouting; poems that work upon their readers in a more nuanced and tender way. In this workshop, you will explore how to write with feeling about those we care about, without slipping into sentimentality. Bring […]
Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen shares heart-warming tales and honest anecdotes from her remarkable farming, family life in North Yorkshire. It’s a life that has almost gone in today’s modern world, one ruled by animals and the four seasons. Accompanied by some of Amanda’s wonderful photography, we’ll experience the highs and lows of the farming year. […]
Poet and Writer Martin and Poet and Artist Helen established their award-winning “Live from the Butchery” online spoken word series during lockdown and we are delighted to welcome them both for a live event in York where they will be reading their own work. Helen Ivory is a poet and artist. Her fifth Bloodaxe collection […]
Jonathan Calvert & George Arbuthnott recount the extraordinary political decisions taken at the heart of government during the global pandemic. With meticulous research they’ve pieced together the insider’s account of how the government sleepwalked into disaster and tried to cover up its role in the tragedy – and it exposes one of the most scandalous […]
Join three women writers in conversation exploring ordinary lives against a backdrop of momentous global events, through poetry, fiction and memoir. We touch on themes of memory and identity, people on the margins, love, loss and history repeating itself. Jane Austin’s new novel, Renegade tells the story of Justin seeking redemption in the ashes of […]
Join us for exciting readings of creative pieces written by the talented students and staff of York St John University. This event is celebrating the annual Beyond the Walls anthology project and is hosted and organised by York St John University creative writing students. This event is free, but tickets are required. Tickets available here. […]
York Literature Festival 2022 welcomes Magid Magid for an evening celebrating his book The Art of Disruption - a guide to being courageous, doing better and disrupting the age-old power structures in work, life and politics. This is for when those in power don't listen, those above don't look down, those around you remain silent […]
YSJU staff Storytime, 10am - 11am Children's Storytime with York St John University Staff, who will be reading a selection of picture book classics, old and new. Aimed at children […]
Workshop – 11am – 2.30pm Public Reading – 3-4pm They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but photographic images can also be packed with silences and ambiguities awaiting voice and interpretation. Photographs are windows into past moments, but also springboards for imagination. They function as containers of particular stories, and also as fertile […]
"In the heart of Victorian York there is a shop like no other." Join local author Rachel Wade to discover more about her debut novel, Crow's Haunt. Set on the Shambles during the 1800s, this intriguing mystery is filled with compelling characters and vivid historic detail. Come along to hear from the author and ask […]
Both events are free, but tickets are required. Satire, Libel and the Law with Andrew Bricker 2pm - 3.30pm Andrew Bricker (Ghent University) will discuss the ideas and implications of his new book, Libel and Lampoon: Satire in the Courts (Oxford University Press), in a talk that spotlights some interesting and entertaining clashes between satire […]
In Europe's 100 Best Cathedrals, Simon Jenkins has travelled the continent - from Chartres to York, Cologne to Florence, Toledo to Moscow and Stockholm to Seville - to illuminate old favourites and highlight new discoveries. Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs throughout, this joyous exploration of Europe's history tells the stories behind these wonders, showing the cathedral's […]
Helen Mort has always been drawn to the thrill and risk of climbing. But when she becomes a mother for the first time, she finds herself re-examining her relationship with both the natural world and herself, as well as the way the world views women who aren't afraid to take risks. A Line Above the […]
1979: It is the winter of discontent, and reporter Allie Burns is chasing her first big scoop. There are few women in the newsroom and she needs something explosive for the boys’ club to take her seriously. Soon Allie and fellow journalist Danny Sullivan are exposing the criminal underbelly of respectable Scotland. When she discovers […]