The autumn has become very much the time for literary festivals, and the West Country has some of the longest established and most respected, including Bridport – alongside more recent events – attracting some of the most interesting writers around. Hot tickets this year will surely be Radio 4’s science presenter Jim Al-Khalili at Yeovil, Baroness Minette Batters at Mere, Jung Chang at Dorchester and Tom Scott at Bridport.
Around the region, there are high-profile authors, politicians, historians, novelists, broadcasters, scientists and food writers. Fanny Charles shares a chronological list of festivals across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire:
Mere – 12th-18th October. Speakers include Ping Coombes, Tim Scott, Simon Cooper, Claire Leslie Hall, Sally Page, Minette Batters, Adam Hart and Tim Tate; mereliteraryfestival.com
Wells – 6th-24th October. Speakers include Jonathan Dimbleby, Oz Clarke, Henry Normal and Maggie Aderin
wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk
Yeovil – 16th-26th October. Speakers include Jeremy Hunt, Maggie Aderin, Celia Imrie, Sir Ian Botham, Frank Gardner, Anneka Rice, Minette Batters, James Purefoy, Mary Portas and Jim Al-Khalili.
yeovilliteraryfestival.co.uk
Dorchester – 17th-24th October. Speakers include Tony Juniper, Blake Morrison, Julian Fellowes, Victoria Hislop, Kathy Lette, Simon Jenkins, Martin Sixsmith, John Sweeney, Jung Chang and Alison Steadman.
dorchesterliteraryfestival.com
Bridport – 6th-14th November. Speakers include Tom Cox, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Katja Hoyer, Iain MacGregor, Beth Gardiner, Jeremy Hunt, James Holland, Julian Baggini and the hilarious Shaun Bythell (returning with tales from his Wigtown bookshop).
bridlit.com
