Thank you for your interest in the Bristol Festival of Literature – an annual celebration of the creative word in Bristol. It is organised by a community and voluntary group of writers, readers, publishers and editors, offering the unique grassroots feel that Bristol is renowned for. 

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2020 will be our tenth anniversary. The festival will run from 15-25 October. 

 

What we do

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We unlock the power of imaginative writing to generate understanding across barriers, lift personal and collective creativity and provide therapeutic benefit. We aim to help Bristol’s profile on the wider UK map by reflecting the city's distinctive warmth, independent spirit, innovation and unheard voices mainly through fiction, with some poetry and local non-fiction.

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To do this, we deliver a programme of innovative events celebrating the creative word, held each October in venues citywide, many of them unexpected. We curate and host original performances by well-known and emerging writers, avoiding the ‘lecture’ format, and uniquely, we outreach to all our communities, especially new audiences, inspiring active reading and creative writing through reading groups and writing masterclasses for all levels. We also showcase existing literature initiatives, signposting new audiences to follow them at other times of the year. 

We have three Festival strands: 

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• “Inspire!” - Bring top-flight writers to the city, from the UK and beyond, to form strong connections between Bristol and the very best national and international writing.

• “Grassroots!” -  Actively involve different communities, showcasing the city’s best established and emerging writing, from groups and individuals.

• “Get Writing!” - Train audiences in better writing, from beginner to expert, through masterclasses and industry insights, including launching new publications.

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The festival Programme will be released after the summer - so check back then!

 

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