What’s On: Our Top Picks for Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival

This weekend sees the launch of a very special event - Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival.

From thought-provoking talks to creative workshops and live performances, the festival brings together a brilliant mix of voices and ideas right in the heart of Tunbridge Wells.

With over 30 world class speakers spread across the 10 day festival, you'll be spoilt for choice when it comes to events, but here are just some of our top picks...

FOR WRITERS

Nature & Writing

Friday 1st May, 10am

The Pump Room

£25

Writer, editor and nature-lover Robin Pridy has worked on many high-profile nature books for both children and adults. Join her for a workshop in which she will help you tune into the world around you and learn authentic ways to put your feelings and observations on the page. Please feel free to bring along any inspirational objects or images you take from nature.

Thinking Like A Mountain - Workshop With Monique Roffey

Sunday 3rd May, 2pm

The Pump Room

£35

As part of the festival’s Climate and Nature Fair, the festival is delighted to offer this opportunity to work with award-winning novelist Monique Roffey to read, discuss, think and write about how we need new heroes and new stories for our times. Indeed, how we need to think magically, maybe even think like a mountain. Bring yourself, something to write on and be ready to dive in.

Poetry Writing With Georgie Jones

Tuesday 5th May, 5pm

The Pump Room

£20

Led by poet and performer Georgie Jones, this workshop is open to everyone, no matter your age, experience or ability. Whether you’ve never written before, or you’ve got notebooks full of poems, this is a space to play, reflect and create without pressure or judgement.

Creative Writing Workshop - What’s Your Story?

Wednesday 6th May, 2pm

The Pump Room

£10

Presented in association with Polari literary salon, this two hour workshop will be run by authors Paul Burston and VG Lee. Both authors are also experienced writing coaches.

In this workshop, we'll explore life writing and how elements of autobiography can also inform our fiction. One participant will be offered the opportunity to share their work at tonight's Polari literary salon at the Old Auction House.

FOR HISTORIANS

Shakespeare On Screen - Hamnet

Trinity Theatre

Monday 4th May, 7pm

£15

There are countless films of Shakespeare’s plays, and perhaps as many inspired by them – including Rom-coms, drama, musicals, sci-fi and even Westerns. But his own on-screen “appearances” are relatively rare. Turning the camera on Shakespeare as a character, Linsay McCulloch asks: is he ready for his close-up?

Linsay McCulloch is a Brighton-based cinephile, speaker and film podcaster, with a particular interest in film noir, musicals and films where things get blown up. The talk is followed by a screening of award-winning film, Hamnet (12A).

Sam Davey - The Chosen Queen

The Amelia Scott

Tuesday 5th May, 2pm

£10

Join prize-winning novelist and short story writer Sam Davey as she shares why she chose to re-imagine Camelot, bringing its forgotten voices to the forefront.

Most people would say the legends of Camelot begin with the sword in the stone, but Sam Davey sees things differently. For her, the story starts a generation earlier - with Igraine, the mother of King Arthur.

In her retelling, the focus shifts from swords and sorcery to the women, the politics, and the untold perspectives that shaped the myth. Her feminist approach breathes new life into these timeless tales, offering a fresh lens on familiar legends.

FOR FICTION

The Body In The Mobile Library With Peter Bradshaw

The Amelia Scott

Tuesday 5th May, 7.30pm

£10

Join Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw as he explores his new short story collection.

With twenty-one deliciously observed, gloriously mischievous short stories – some previously narrated on BBC Radio 4 or published in literary magazines, others completely new – Peter Bradshaw explores the boundary between the plausible and the absurd, often with a laugh-out-loud gag up his sleeve.

Pixie - In Conversation With Monique Roffey

Old Auction House

Wednesday 6th May, 5.30pm

£10

Join prize-winning author Jill Dawson in conversation with Monique Roffey to discuss stunning new novel Pixie. Spanning continents and doubling as an act of feminist reclamation, this immersive and wildly entertaining historical novel reimagines the boundaries-pushing story of Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith – artist, publisher and illustrator of an iconic tarot deck – at the turn of the twentieth century.

Catherine - A Retelling Of Wuthering Heights With Essie Fox

Trinity Theatre

Sunday 9th May, 3pm

£15

In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end.

Join gothic historical Essie Fox in conversation with Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes (author of Thornby Manor) as they discuss perhaps the greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself.

FOR POETRY

Donna Ashworth & Davina McCall

Assembly Hall Theatre

Monday 4th May, 5.30pm

£28.50

Join Sunday Times No.1 bestselling poet Donna Ashworth and journalist and presenter Davina McCall MBE for an uplifting and deeply personal evening.

Following the phenomenal success of her breakout bestseller Wild Hope, Donna’s words have become daily companions for millions, allowing us to find calm in the chaos and enjoy embracing the unexpected moments. This night will remind us that love and grief are intertwined, and life's true treasure lies in those we hold most dear.

An Evening With Georgie Jones

The Forum

Tuesday 5th May, 8.30pm

£7.50

Georgie’s one-woman shows combine spoken word, stand up and storytelling, and has been praised for her warmth and wit by press and public alike.

In 2021 she took her poetry to social media and has since amassed over 130k followers, over 5.8 million views and had her work has shared by Malorie Blackman, Adrian Lester and British pop-rock band Bastille who said her poetry was ‘f*!#ing brilliant’.

Georgie Jones' debut collection And the World Spins Away has been described as "a love letter to real life... a tribute to the unfinished, the unfiltered, the uncertain"

FOR NON-FICTION

Uncluttered

Calverley Grounds 

Saturday 2nd May, 10.30am

£8 (PWYW)

Join Ingrid Pope in a conversation about how to create awareness of the clutter in our lives, clutter which can take many forms and trip us up, especially when we don’t notice or see it. Step off the relentless treadmill for a moment and create some space amidst the chaos, giving you time to slow down and become selective in where to focus your attention and valuable mental power.

A Brief History of the Universe (and our place in it) – with Dr Sarah Alam Malik

Calverley Grounds 

Saturday 2nd May, 10.30am

£15

Nearly 40 years after Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, Sarah Alam Malik's epic exploration of the cosmos reflects a changed landscape around science in the 21st century.

In this spellbinding book, Dr Sarah Alam Malik takes us on a journey through the discoveries that shaped our perception of the cosmos. From the Earth-centred worldview of Aristotle and the Copernican revolution, to Isaac Newton unifying the terrestrial and celestial under the law of gravity. Each breakthrough is a testament to humanity’s determination to peek behind the curtain of our world to examine what’s underneath.

An Audience With Rory Bremner

Assembly Hall Theatre

Monday 4th May, 2pm

£22

Join highly acclaimed comedian and satirist, Rory Bremner, for what promises to be an unmissable hour of impressions, sidesplitting humour and fascinating anecdotes, served alongside personal insight and reflection.

Widely regarded as one of Britain's premier impressionists and often described as a "one-man opposition party", Rory will be talking with TV & radio presenter, political commentator and author Matthew Stadlen.

The Men Who Created Winnie The Pooh

Old Auction House

Tuesday 5th May, 5.30pm

£10

100 years on from the first publication of the Winnie the Pooh books, overseer of the E. H. Shepard artistic and literary estate James Campbell has written the first ever dual biography of Shepard and Milne.

James Campbell brings to life the two remarkable men. The book takes us from their early professional and personal relationships, through their work at Punch magazine, all the way to the Second World War and beyond, including their other collaborations, most notably Shepard's renowned The Wind in the Willows illustrations and Milne's work on the dramatization of Toad of Toad Hall.

Using never-before-seen archival material – including excerpts from original manuscripts and drawings, draft illustrations, photographs, documents, ephemera and more – this timely book is a beautiful, full-colour volume celebrating the centenary of these much-loved characters and ultimately uncovering just who were the men who created Winnie the Pooh.

Hollywood Blackout

The Old Auction House

Thursday 7th May, 7.30pm

£10

Join author and broadcaster Ben Arogundade for a fascinating journey through cinema history. For the first time, Ben's book Hollywood Blackout reveals the untold story of a tumultuous journey from exclusion to inclusion; from segregation to celebration.

Whether you are a film fan, history lover or diversity advocate, Hollywood Blackout is required reading for all those who wish to know the real story of Hollywood, the Oscars - and the talents who fought to make change.

Johnny Ball - My Previous Life In Comedy

Trinity Theatre

Sunday 10th May, 11am

£15

Television personality, writer and populariser of mathematics, Johnny Ball, talks about his recently published autobiography (vol 2) Stories That Must Be Told.

Look forward to hearing more about the highs and lows of Johnny's years in entertainment and television, recounting some hilarious tales of when he was a stand-up comedian in the Northern Clubs, before joining BBC TV as a Presenter for over seventeen years - on shows such as Play School, Play Away, Think of a Number and Think Again.

Discover that his roller-coaster career was anything but steady, and that each success seemed to be matched by a setback, as if someone, or something, was always waiting to pull him down.

Music, Gothic Subculture & Survival

The Forum

Sunday 10th May, 8pm

£12

Rosie Garland has a passion for language nurtured by public libraries. An award-winning poet, novelist and short story writer, she is front woman for post-punk / Goth band The March Violets. Her poetry collection What Girls do the Dark was shortlisted for the Polari Prize & latest collection.

FOR YOUNGSTERS

I Don’t Want A Werewolf Sleeping On My Sofa

Calverley Grounds - The Little Tent

Monday 4th May

Free

Join local author and musician Dylan Holloway as he reads his magical, rhyming story I Don't Want a Werewolf Sleeping on my Sofa! A wizard and a werewolf arrive at an unsuspecting family's home, asking for a place to stay, when a curious mix of chaos and kindness unfolds.

With playful rhymes, colourful illustrations and a heartwarming twist, I Don't Want a Werewolf Sleeping on my Sofa! is a magical tale of kindness, acceptance, and seeing beyond the surface.

Winnie The Pooh Trail

Calverley Grounds

Monday 4th May

Free

Winnie the Pooh is having a party to celebrate his birthday! Follow the clues to find all the friends he has invited. A fun, free activity for all the family - and a small prize for every completed trail!

Get your trail sheet from the Festival book-shop on the day and bring it back once it has been completed to claim your prize.

The New Winnie The Pooh

Calverley Grounds

Monday 4th May, 10.30am

£8 (PWYW)

Celebrate 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh and friends, hear a special story-time, and discover how to draw the bear of very little brain.

Jane Riordan has edited countless books for children. She began her career as a teacher, but her love for books took her into publishing, where she was lucky enough to work with Michael Bond on Paddington before another bear - Winnie-the-Pooh - led her career into writing as well as editing.

Cackle Street Cats

Calverley Grounds

Monday 4th May

Free

A rhyming fable from Rust & Stardust, featuring spellbinding songs, delightful dances, colourful costumes, and adorable cat puppets who make potions and fall in love! Shadowshanks and Pumpkinpaws are the very best of friends, but their owners can't stand each other, even though they haven't spoken in years.

With musical mayhem, mischievous misunderstandings and of course, a sprinkle of magic, the Cackle Street Cats try to reconcile their owners before the Midsummer Festival - with some unintended, and hilarious, results!

Jeff The Snake & His Fabulous Friends

Calverley Grounds - The Little Tent

Monday 4th May

Free

Come and meet Jeff the Snake and his fabulous friends. Will you enjoy splashing with Bob the Shark, flying with Barry the Pterodactyl, or simply snuggling up with Bert the Bear? Maybe a meerkat, a reindeer, or even an ant will be your favourite! With so many kind and friendly animals, it will be hard to decide.

Perfect for animal-loving youngsters, these laugh-out-loud poems and stories celebrate friendship, bravery, and inclusion, with unexpected twists and delightful resolutions on every page.

Stories & Songs With Ed Boxall

Calverley Grounds - The Thoughtful Spot

Monday 4th May

£8 (PWYW)

Join storyteller, musician and artist Ed Boxall for a fun-filled and fantastic hour of music and stories, suitable for all ages.

Ed Boxall is a musician, illustrator, author and story-teller based in Hastings on the South coast. He is the author of a number of books, including We the Wild Ones and Carried Away With the Carnival.

Crafts

Calverley Grounds - The Little Tent

Monday 4th May

Free

A make and take session for all the family - suitable for anyone who likes to mess about and have fun with paints, glitter and stickers. Come and join artist, illustrator and ceramicist Sioux Bradshaw and just see where your imagination takes you. 

As part of our celebration of Winnie the Pooh's birthday, the activities will be inspired by the 100 Acre Wood and the creatures that live there.

To book tickets or explore the full programme, head to www.twlf.co.uk