Tickets are now on sale for the third Bournemouth Writing Festival, to be held over the weekend of 25-27 April at various locations in Bournemouth town centre. The three days will be packed with around 100 events and activities (some free) to inspire writers of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and experience. There will be talks, walks, panels, workshops, informal networking breakfasts, lunches and dinners, and literary agent 1-2-1s.
The very popular Writing on the Beach will return, there will be a Words for Wellbeing Chillout Zone at the Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, and special evening events from the Outsiders Project, Bourn Jammy, and closing the festival on the Sunday night, Making Waves, a showcase for new and emerging writers hosted by Arts University Bournemouth.
Bestselling authors including Rachel McLean, Alex Stone and Anna Britton will be joining over 50 other writing professionals delivering talks and sessions. Literary agents Laura Williams, Oscar Janson-Smith, Saskia Leach and Megan Carrol from prestigious London-based literary agencies will be offering 1-2-1 sessions where authors could bag a publishing contract.
A poetry hub, located in the Bandstand in the Lower Gardens, will be chock full of free drop-in sessions and performances and there will be further networking activities in cafes and restaurants across the Town Centre to meet and mingle with other writers and industry professionals. If that wasn’t enough, the festival has been such a success in its first two years that a new one-day Romance Writing Festival will make its debut on 18 October at the Royal Bath Hotel.
Thanks to funding from the Town Centre BID and Arts Council England, free workshops for marginalised members of the community will take place, including Children in Care, the homeless and Adults with Additional Needs.
New co-working space Patch, on the 1st Floor of Bobbys, will host children’s activities all day on Saturday 26thApril and a special Author’s Marketplace, where people can meet local authors and their buy books.
The Bournemouth Writing Festival is supported by the Arts Council England funded by the National Lottery, the Town Centre BID and Solid Imagery Photography.
Visit https://www.bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk for full details, including a downloadable programme. To find out more about the new Romance Writing Festival Bournemouth, visit https://www.romancewritingfestival.co.uk
Take control of your author career by understanding the publishing business - with Rachel McLean.
Join us for an insightful session with multi-million selling author Rachel McLean on Sunday, April 27, at 11:45 am.
Publishing is a complex business. But it’s easy to forget the most important thing, which is having your books read. What are the publishing options in 2025? How do readers discover books and what are they clamouring for?
In this talk by Rachel, known for her Dorset Crime series, you’ll learn how she researches what readers respond to, the different publishing methods she uses to get her books into the hands of as many readers as possible, and how she builds a relationship with readers so they keep coming back for more.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn how publishing works and how to get your books read!
This talk takes place at the Ocean Theatre in Pavilion Dance and tickets are on sale now.
Ashley Hickson-Lovence will be giving a talk and performance that explores how powerful poetry can enliven your prose.
An engaging and interactive talk and performance lead by acclaimed writer Ashley Hickson-Lovence that explores how reading and writing poetry can enliven your prose. Whether you are self-published, traditionally published, a poet, a prose writer, or at the beginning of your writing journey, this interactive and energetic session will empower you to be bolder on the page – and stage – by experimenting with repetition, alliteration, sibilance and a range of other poetic techniques.
Ashley's session is on Sunday 27th April at 3:15pm at Patch (1st floor of Bobbys), and will also be featuring at the Showcase finale of new and emerging writers hosted by Arts University Bournemouth.
100 free and ticketed events and activities throughout the three-day festival - each one is booked individually through our ticket partner Pavilion Dance South West.
60 minute talks £10, 90-minute workshops £15.
Note, there is not a day or weekend ticket. Pick and choose which talks and workshops you'd like to go to, and pop along to the free events (no ticket needed).
