Whitby Literature Festival

With the inaugural Whitby Literature Festival on the horizon and LOTS of big names heading to the East Coast, we caught up with co-founder Fiona Duncan, manager of Whitby Bookshop, to chat about what and who audiences can expect to see over 6-9 November.

• How did Whitby Lit Fest begin?

A Whitby Literature Festival had long been a dream for the book lovers of Whitby but the stars had not yet aligned. Then local restaurant owner, Lois Kirklan who runs Hetty & Betty, realising the winter months could be tough for local businesses, wanted to find ways to attract visitors in the quieter months. She felt it was crazy the town didn’t have a literature festival with its remarkable Bram Stoker legacy.

She approached me, North Yorkshire Council, Whitby Library and English Heritage (who run Whitby Abbey), and we all felt it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate Whitby’s rich heritage while supporting the local economy and - hopefully! - supporting and inspiring local talent too; and Whitby Lit Fest was born!

Culture is a powerful and meaningful way for people to fall in love with a place, and books and literature can be transformative.

• With a line-up that includes Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Lee Child, Miriam Margolyes and Shaun Usher, who are you excited to see most?

All of them! It’s so exciting to have such a celebrated, and local playwright take centre stage. Sir Alan Ayckbourn is a true icon. It’s pretty inspiring too to have such influential octogenarians! Miriam Margolyes is just a spark. She plans to attend Sir Alan’s event.

We’re really grateful to Lee Child, who was the first to agree to be a headline guest. 

One thing we’re proud of is keeping the events affordable and accessible too. The big-name acts are £15; Shaun Usher’s Diaries of Note is being hosted in London venues where tickets are upwards of £55. Most of the wider events are £5 or £9.

The hope is the big names will create a brilliant buzz, but also entice audiences to come along and try some of the lesser-known authors too – part of the joy of reading is discovering your next favourite books!

• Which events are you looking forward to the most as a bookseller?

As a bookseller, books inspired by and set in Whitby, nature and folklore are always very popular with my customers.

I was really excited to secure Yvette Fielding as she’s a real advocate of Whitby and has set her latest children’s book here. I’m also excited by award-winning children’s author Emma Carroll, whose new series of books, Dracula and Daughters, is inspired by our incredible gothic heritage.

I’m a huge fan of Peter Ross with his celebration of landscape and people, Upon a White Horse.

It’s fitting we have so many authors inspired by landscapes, as Stoker was inspired by Whitby – northern writers like Rob Cowen, Jenn Ashworth and Wendy Pratt.

As a true celebration of the power of the written word, there are two events that feature actors reading letters and diaries that will make us all reflect beautifully on life, love, and loss – Shaun Usher’s Diaries of Note, featuring the actors Ace Bhatti and Miriam Margolyes, and James Bailey’s The Meaning of Life, which also features Ace alongside the film actor Greta Scaachi reading letters on stage.

Both are beautiful books, and it's an opportunity to get a signed copy for Christmas!

• What would you say to entice audiences to come along?

If you come for a day trip, or make a long weekend of it, you’ll experience Whitby in a quieter but more charming time.

You can expect November sunrises and sunsets, dramatic coastlines, windswept walks, the gothic Abbey, romantic cobbled streets, fish and chips, hot chocolate, and the chance to discover new authors, be inspired, meet like-minds and enjoy a warm Whitby welcome!

In its inaugural year, Whitby Literature Festival is a celebration of writing and authors, past and present, in many genres including novels, short stories, plays and poetry, some of which have been inspired by Whitby along the way. It runs from 6-9 November - get your tickets here.