Isle of Wight Literary Festival

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đź“šA fun, friendly, thought provoking literary weekend for every age and interest.
📆🖋️ 8th-11th October 2026

14/10/2026

Well that's a wrap for the Isle of Wight Literary Festival's 2026 Schools' Programme which delivered on a bigger and better scale this year.
Huge thanks to our sponsors and benefactors, including Wight Aid Ryde School with Upper Chine, Isle of Wight The Daisie Rich Trust and Gurnard Parish Council.
How do we better these facts and figures? Well, let's see how we can make 2027 even more special and get those kids reading!

12/10/2026

What an amazing weekend!

A huge thank you to everyone who made this year’s Literary Festival so special.

To our wonderful speakers, thank you for sharing your time and stories with us.

To our generous sponsors, thank you for your invaluable support.

And to all our brilliant volunteers, thank you for the hard work behind the scenes that helps make the festival such a success.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who came along, joined the conversations, supported authors, got lost in books and helped create such a fantastic atmosphere.

We’ve loved every minute and are already looking forward to doing it all again next year.

đź“š See you in 2027!



Seabourn HTP Apprenticeship College Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferry Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries Northwood House Spence Willard Love Running NFU Mutual Isle of Wight Ventnor Botanic Garden Ryde School with Upper Chine, Isle of Wight Van Mossel Isle of Wight Distillery Robertson Foster Limited

What an amazing weekend! A huge thank you to everyone who made this year’s Literary Festival so special. To our wonderfu...
12/10/2026

What an amazing weekend!

A huge thank you to everyone who made this year’s Literary Festival so special.

To our wonderful speakers, thank you for sharing your time and stories with us.

To our generous sponsors, thank you for your invaluable support.

And to all our brilliant volunteers, thank you for the hard work behind the scenes that helps make the festival such a success.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who came along, joined the conversations, supported authors, got lost in books and helped create such a fantastic atmosphere.

We’ve loved every minute and are already looking forward to doing it all again next year.

đź“š See you in 2027!

Seabourn HTP Apprenticeship College Robertson Foster Limited Northwood House Spence Willard Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferry Medina Bookshop NFU Mutual Isle of Wight Love Running Van Mossel Esplanade Ventnor Botanic Garden Isle of Wight Distillery Ryde School with Upper Chine, Isle of Wight

Looking for something to do this afternoon??Tickets still available for today's speakers!📚 ✨ Check out our Sunday line-u...
11/10/2026

Looking for something to do this afternoon??

Tickets still available for today's speakers!

📚 ✨ Check out our Sunday line-up:

🌞 Morning (10:30 – 11:30 AM)
🛍️ Mary Portas – I Shop, Therefore I Am
đź“Ť Park Marquee, Northwood House
🌊 Nicholas Courtney – Gale Force 10
đź“Ť Ballroom, Northwood House
⸻
🕛 Midday (12:00 – 1:00 PM)
🌱 Andrew Turvil – Blood, Sweat and Asparagus Spears
đź“Ť LitFeast Marquee, Northwood House
⚖️ Geoffrey Robertson – World of War Crimes: Eyeless in Gaza… and Beyond
📍 St Mary’s Church
📸 Hugo Burnand – An Audience with the King’s Photographer
đź“Ť Ballroom, Northwood House
⸻
🌤 Early Afternoon (1:30 – 2:30 PM)
✍️ Lily Blacksell – Life Immediately: Poetry and Conversation with Lily Blacksell
đź“Ť LitFeast Marquee, Northwood House
⚡ Mark Stuckey – Bright Spark
đź“Ť Ballroom, Northwood House
⛵ Royal Yacht Squadron Tour – Sunday 2 PM
đź“Ť Royal Yacht Squadron
⸻
🌿 Afternoon (3:00 – 4:00 PM)
🌊 Ben Robinson – Coastline: An Exploration of Britain’s Coastal Heritage
📍 St Mary’s Church
⚽ Clive Tyldesley OBE – A Game of Two Halves
đź“Ť Ballroom, Northwood House
✍️ Snakes and Ladders: Helpful Tips from Experts on Finding an Audience for Your Writing
đź“Ť LitFeast Marquee, Northwood House
⸻
🎟 Tickets are available from our box office at Northwood House or via the link in our bio.


Seabourn Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferry Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries Northwood House HTP Apprenticeship College Spence Willard Medina Bookshop

10/10/2026

What a day at the festival! Packed venues treated to a star-studded and varied programme of speakers.

Master storyteller Ann Cleeves, distinguished journalist Stephen Sackur, entertainment legend Amanda Barrie, BBC’s Sophie Raworth, now an inspiring runner, national treasure Clare Balding, actor and poet Larry Lamb, and former Royal butler Grant Harrold all on the bill.

They were joined by stellar names including Celia Imrie, award-winning broadcaster Iain Dale and master storyteller Ann Cleeves plus Lit Feast chef’s including Chris Galvin, Miranda Gore-Brown and Eric Lanlard.
Ann Cleeves returned to host a murder mystery and Baritone Mike Christie’s Some Enchanted Evening brought the curtain down on another stimulating day of entertainment.

There’s still time to catch big names tomorrow including Mary Portas, football commentator Clive Tyldesley, the King’s photographer Hugo Burnand and The Repair Shop’s Mark Stuckey.

For more information visit https://www.isleofwightliteraryfestival.com/



What a day at the festival! Packed venues treated to a star-studded and varied programme of speakers.Master storyteller ...
10/10/2026

What a day at the festival! Packed venues treated to a star-studded and varied programme of speakers.

Master storyteller Ann Cleeves, distinguished journalist Stephen Sackur, entertainment legend Amanda Barrie, BBC’s Sophie Raworth, now an inspiring runner, national treasure Clare Balding, actor and poet Larry Lamb, and former Royal butler Grant Harrold all on the bill.

They were joined by stellar names including Celia Imrie, award-winning broadcaster Iain Dale and master storyteller Ann Cleeves plus Lit Feast chef’s including Chris Galvin, Miranda Gore-Brown and Eric Lanlard.

Ann Cleeves returned to host a murder mystery and Baritone Mike Christie’s Some Enchanted Evening brought the curtain down on another stimulating day of entertainment.

There’s still time to catch big names tomorrow including Mary Portas, football commentator Clive Tyldesley, the King’s photographer Hugo Burnand and The Repair Shop’s Mark Stuckey.

For more information visit https://www.isleofwightliteraryfestival.com/

Seabourn HTP Apprenticeship College Red Funnel Isle of Wight Ferry Wightlink Isle of Wight Ferries NFU Mutual Isle of Wight Love Running Northwood House Spence Willard Mike Christie Official

Paul Armfield, manager of Bookshop, the festival's bookselling partner, and his colleague Charlotte, report strong sale...
10/10/2026

Paul Armfield, manager of Bookshop, the festival's bookselling partner, and his colleague Charlotte, report strong sales at this year's event.
There is still time to pop in and buy a (signed) book or two from your favourite festival author.

If you've been visiting the Isle of Wight Literary Festival this weekend you may have noticed some rather beautiful flow...
10/10/2026

If you've been visiting the Isle of Wight Literary Festival this weekend you may have noticed some rather beautiful flowers around our marquees and at Northwood House. These stunning displays are all courtesy of wonderful Carisbrooke Flower Farm. Thank you Claire Westbrook they make the perfect backdrop! đź’–

Ann Cleeves OBE at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, sponsored by Seabourn. A fantastic talk this morning from award-...
10/10/2026

Ann Cleeves OBE at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, sponsored by Seabourn.

A fantastic talk this morning from award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves OBE who is one of the UK’s most celebrated and bestselling authors.
Renowned for creating the hugely successful Vera and Shetland series both adapted into internationally acclaimed television dramas — Ann has captivated millions of readers with her atmospheric storytelling, unforgettable detectives and richly drawn sense of place.

You might be surprised to know that Ann told the audience the inspiration for her books often starts with a picture not words and that the setting and character informs the plot. Asked if she knew how her books were going to end she said, "If I knew how it was going to end there would be no fun in that!"

Now on her 40th book in 40 years of writing Ann joined the Isle of Wight Literary Festival to discuss Her latest novel, The Dying Light, published during festival weekend.

There are still tickets available for The Woodyard Murder at 6pm in St Mary's Church, Cowes, sponsored by Seabourn. An interactive murder mystery written by Ann. Tickets available at www.litfest.com or at the Northwood House Box office.

Address

Northwood House
Cowes
PO318AZ

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