Ilkley Literature Festival 2015 Programme Revealed

We are delighted to announce the 2015 Ilkley Literature Festival programme.

Our headline speakers for 2015 include Simon Schama, Brian Blessed, Caroline Lucas, Peter and Dan Snow, Frances Quinn and Howard Middleton from the Bake Off, Jay Rayner, Simon Armitage, Vince Cable, Robert Winston and Caroline Criado-Perez.

We’ll be welcoming novelists Sophie Hannah, Karen Joy Fowler, Caryl Phillips, Jane Smiley, Patricia Duncker, Rosmund Lupton, Stephen Kelman and Andrew Miller to talk about their latest books and there’ll be readings and performances by leading poets including Jackie Kay, Ian McMillan, Jo Shapcott, John Agard and our 2015 Poet in Residence, Zaffar Kunial. Our programme of workshops and masterclasses offers lots of inspiring sessions for budding writers or poets looking to improve their own work.

The 2015 Festival features 232 events, 45 of which are totally FREE and a fantastic programme of events for children aged 3-12, including Julian Clary sharing his first children’s book with the help of illustrator David Roberts, as well as the Wimpy Kid Show, and the magical Snow Child from Festival favourites tutti frutti. For teenagers we have a great panel looking at Young Adult fiction, including Queen of Teen James Dawson and the ever-popular Cathy Cassidy will be returning to the Festival to talk about her exciting new books.

The Box Office opens on Tuesday 1 September at 9am.

Click here to download the full programme.