Following a successful inaugural event last year, Leeds Lit Fest returns in 2020. This year’s programme includes over 100 literature-themed events across 36 venues in the city.
Kicking off on Wednesday 4th March 2020 and running through until Sunday 8th March 2020, the main programme includes a poetry Otley run, an open mic night, an adventure walk, writing workshops and a site-specific interactive “mystery” experience in The Leeds Library.
Plus talks by the likes of 6Music presenter Stuart Maconie, the “Yorkshire Shepherdess” Amanda Owen, comedienne Jenny Éclair, Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding, Newsnight presenter Gavin Estler and writer Helen Taylor, described by The Sunday Times as one of “the most tempting literary prospects of 2020”. There’s even an opportunity to reminisce about the hedonistic Hacienda days with DJ Dave Haslam.
While *some* of the general programme events may be suitable to take babies or older children along to, the festival includes specific family family events, which are all listed below.
Ten new and original podcasts have been commissioned for this year’s festival. Funded by Leeds Inspired and created by Chapel FM, the podcasts will be available during the festival from the Leeds Lit Fest website.
On Saturday 7th March at Leeds Central Library, there are a series of family friendly workshops starting from 10am – 2pm. Most require pre-booking.
Activities for older children include a ‘Story Starter’ workshop with best-selling author James Nicol and a ‘Storybox’ drama workshop during which young people will create then perform a new piece of theatre in just two hours. Younger children can take part in a collage workshop exploring the simple shapes and colours that author Bethan Woollvin’s fairytale characters and trees are built with.
And finally, I’m most excited about meeting children’s author and illustrator Kate Pankhurst – a distant relative of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst and author of ‘Fantastically great women who changed the world’, which is a firm favourite on our bookshelf at home.
THE HIDDEN: IMMERSIVE LIBRARY LITERATURE ADVENTURE
Wednesday 4th March, Thursday 5th March, Friday 6th March (see performance times on booking) at The Leeds Library, £10
Your mission, if you chose to accept it, is to crack the code! Someone has gone missing but have they left messages behind? Hidden in books, written on index cards, scribbled on the back of an old photograph; there is a mystery waiting to be solved. Set in The Leeds Library, your task is to piece the story together using all the clues you can find, just don’t get caught! Work as a team to rewrite the history books, just be careful wh
ich path you chose to go down.
JAMES NICOL: CHILDREN’S WRITING WORKSHOP
Saturday 7th March, 10am at Central Library, FREE LAST FEW TIX
Do you love creating characters and worlds for stories? Have you got a great idea but don’t know where or how to start? Do you just love making things up or writing? Then join bestselling author, James Nicol for his Story Starter workshop. This is a fun interactive session with a focus on imagination, generating ideas and creativity!
LIZ FLANAGAN: MAGICAL CREATURES WORKSHOP
Saturday 7th March, 11am at Central Library, FREE SOLD OUT
Do you dream of dragons? Do you love stories about magical creatures of all kinds? In this interactive workshop, children’s author Liz Flanagan will be sharing her book Drag
on Daughter (Winner of the Leeds Book Awards 9-11 Category 2019) and inviting you to imagine a fantasy animal of your very own. There will be the chance to draw and write a story featuring the magical creature of your dreams. Suitable for ages 6+.
VICKIE ORTON: A FISHY TALE
Saturday 7th March, 11:30am at Central Library, FREE LAST FEW TIX
What would you do if you found a real merboy out at sea? Would you bring him home with you? Well that’s exactly what happened to Tales and Scales and this is the story of what happened next. Told with music and song this is a story that all ages will enjoy.
KATE PANKHURST: FANTASTICALLY GREAT WORKSHOP
Saturday 7th March, 12:30pm & 3pm at Central Library, FREE LAST FEW TIX
Join children’s author and illustrator Kate Pankhurst where she will be exploring her latest books ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Saved the Planet’ and ‘Fantastically Great Women Who Made History’, in these exciting and hands-on family workshops. There will be doodling, dressing up, drawing and plenty of inspiration to change the world!
CHRIS MOULD DRAWING WORKSHOP
Saturday 7th March, 1pm at Central Library, FREE SOLD OUT
Join children’s author and illustrator Chris Mould in this exciting drawing workshop as he takes you on an artistic journey that will explore his creative process as a children’s illustrator. Chris will share his latest book the newly illustrated version of Ted Hughes ‘The Iron Man’, step by step he will show you how to draw some of the characters. Perfect for all the budding authors and illustrators or anyone who just loves to doodle. Suitable for ages 8+.
COLLAGE WORKSHOP WITH BETHAN WOOLLVIN
Saturday 7th March, 2pm at Central Library, FREE
Award winning illustrator Bethan Woollvin explores the simple shapes and colours that her fairytale characters and trees are built with, and helps the children to recreate them with paper shapes through collage. Focusing on bold and fun scenes from her fairytale books, each child will have the chance to create their own fairytale collage.
STORYBOX
Saturday 7th March, 1:30pm at Central Library, FREE
Open the box and find the story inside. What happens? Only you can decide! Storybox is an immersive drama workshop, where young people create a brand new piece of theatre in just two hours. Armed with a box of props, and costumes, the participants work with professional performers and storytellers to create a brand new adventure story. At the end of the session the finished story will be performed to friends and family, and each young person will be presented with a Storybox Certificate.
MOLE & GECKO: AN INTERACTIVE RAP MUSICAL
Sunday 8th March, 11:30am and 1:30pm at Central Library, £5
A rapper and a singer. A mole and a gecko. A river. A boat with no name. A quest for adventure. A quest with a duck! Mole and Gecko is an interactive rap musical that you help create. There are live songs, rap stories, instant poems and a weasel with a serious biscuit problem. Join our unlikely pair as they discover that what they thought they were searching for might be less important than what they find along the way.
CARRIAGEWORKS YOUNG THEATRE MAKERS: THE BOOKSELLER
Saturday 7th March, 2pm & 7:30pm at Carriageworks Theatre, £8/£6
In the old, dusty bookshop the lonely bookseller carefully tends to the books, stores them and talks to them. But one day, the books start to talk back. Created especially for the Leeds Lit Fest 2020, The Bookseller is an original production written, produced and performed by the Junior Young Theatre Makers.
CARRIAGEWORKS YOUNG THEATRE MAKERS: THE GIRL WHO WROTE A BOOK
Sunday 8th March, 2pm & 7:30pm at Carriageworks Theatre, £8/£6
Ava lives in Leeds. She goes to college. The college where the fight started. Inspired by the day of the fight and her idols of famous female writers, Ava writes a story. But how do her friends feel about finding themselves characters in her book? Created especially for Leeds Lit Fest, The Girl Who Wrote a Book is an original production written, produced and performed by the Senior Young Theatre Makers.
Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult for all events. Tickets for wheelchair users must be booked in person or by calling the box office. Free tickets for accompanying carers.
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