With the nights drawing in and a greater chill in the air, there is no inspiration like the season of autumn for cosying up with a good book. This year, book lovers across the city and county were given the ultimate autumnal treat in the form of the Norwich Book Festival. Taking place over four days at the end of October, there was over 35 events, ranging from author talks to storytelling on a bus, at venues of literary significance in the city centre such as the Forum, Dragon Hall, and some of the major bookshops of Norfolk. Several of these events, particularly those for children and families, were free or held on a ‘pay what you can’ basis.  

Many authors leading events had connections to the city and UEA, reinforcing UEA’s reputation as “a powerhouse of producing these amazing talents”, as the National Centre for Writing’s Chief Executive, Peggy Hughes, put it. Several of the appearing authors were graduates of UEA’s world-renowned MA Creative Writing courses. Among the impressive line-up were Emma Bamford, UEA MA Prose Fiction graduate, and Stephanie Bishop, UEA’s own Professor of Creative Writing, who shared a captivating exploration of the female gaze and the power of the protagonist in fiction. In the realm of ‘Young Adult’ fiction, Dr Ashley Hickson-Lovence, UEA Creative and Critical Writing graduate, and Joseph Coelho didn’t disappoint with their discussion of their latest novels The Boy Lost in the Maze (by Hickson-Lovence) and Wild East (by Coelho and which is also set in Norwich). Natalie Lawrence also mesmerised an impressive audience with her eloquently delivered talk about her new non-fiction, Enchanted Creatures, analysing 15,000 years of imaginary beasts and the secrets of the human mind they divulge, as well as reflecting on our past and future relationship with nature.  

The weekend brought families out for a range of crafting activities and stalls at the Imaginarium in the Forum, while storytelling sessions were held in the unique venue of the First Story Bus outside. With only 1 in 3 UK children and young people aged eight to eighteen saying that they enjoy reading in their free time, one of the lowest levels of reading enjoyment ever recorded, Norwich Book Festival has been born at a time when it has perhaps never been more important for this demographic.* The provision of free and ‘pay what you can’ activities was a commended move for greatly minimising the financial barrier preventing families’ access to these opportunities for children’s vital engagement with books.  

Norwich’s evident significance in the literary world, as the City of Stories and the first  UNESCO City of Literature, makes us wonder at how overdue a book festival seemed. But rooted in the buzz of readers and writers of all ages coming together was a definite sense of deep connection with an appreciation of the incredible host city. With the pilot having set the bar high, it is safe to say that we can expect more great things from Norwich Book Festivals to come! 

*According to the Literacy Trust 

Image Credit: Vaiva Ivanovaite on Unsplash