About Us
York is one of the most distinguished and historic cities in the world and has a rich literary and cultural inheritance. W. H. Auden, Andrew Martin and Kate Atkinson were born here. The Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins were regular visitors to the city, as was Daniel Defoe, whose character Robinson Crusoe was from York. The first two volumes of Sterne’s Tristram Shandy were printed in Stonegate. Margaret Drabble and A. S. Byatt went to The Mount School, as did Judi Dench, another native. Authors who have made York their home include John Baker, Fiona Shaw and Kate Lock.The York Literature Festival, which began in 2007, is for everyone, with a range of diverse events for adults and children at venues all over the city. The programme includes author and speaker events, performances, workshops, poetry, theatre, cinema, reading groups, and any relevant literature-related artistic activity. Writers who have appeared at the Festival include Tracy Chevalier, Carol Ann Duffy, Paul Torday, Diane Setterfield, Joanne Harris, Jim Crace, Jon McGregor, Kate Atkinson, Glyn Maxwell and Amanda Vickery.
The York Literature Festival continues to build upon its successes since 2007. The event contributes to the cultural life of York and the surrounding area, and thrives on the goodwill and participation of many local groups, organisations and individuals, and showcases the work of many local up and coming writers.
