Discover the Wells Festival of Literature 2023: Your ultimate guide to Somerset's premier book festival
By Laura Linham
8th Sep 2023 | Local News
Step into the world of words at the Wells Festival of Literature, a staple event for book lovers since its inception in 1992.
Now spanning nine days and situated in Cedars Hall at Wells Cathedral School, this year's festival is all set to commence on Friday, 27 October 2023.
Admission Prices:
- General Admission: £10
- Student Admission: £6
- Friends Admission (with 10% discount): £9
All ticket prices are subject to an additional £1 booking/administration charge.
How to Book Tickets:
You can secure your spot through the following means:
- Via the festival Website
- Or call : 01749 834483 (Available weekdays 9.30 am to 12.30 pm)
Unsold tickets will be available on the door at Cedars Hall, where both cash and card payments are accepted. For those unable to attend a sold-out event, the option to resell tickets is available on the Cedars Hall booking website.
Event Schedule:
Friday, 27 October 2023:
- 6:00 pm: "One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up" by Wes Streeting.
- 7:45 pm: "See What You're Missing: 31 Ways Artists Notice the World" by Will Gompertz.
Saturday, 28 October 2023:
- 10:30 am: "Who Cares: The Hidden Crisis of Caregiving and how we solve it" by Emily Kenway.
- 12:15 pm: "Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World" by Roma Agrawal.
- 2:00 pm: "Bibliomaniac: An Obsessive's Tour of the Bookshops of Britain" by Robin Ince.
- 3:45 pm: "The Wife of Bath: A Biography" by Marion Turner.
- 5:30 pm: "The Hong Kong Diaries" by Chris Patten in conversation with William Waldegrave.
- 7:30 pm: "An Uneasy Inheritance: My Family and other Radicals" by Polly Toynbee.
Sunday, 29 October 2023:
- 12:00 pm: "Touching Cloth: Confessions and Communions of a Young Priest" by Fergus Butler-Gallie.
- 2:30 pm: "Queen of Dirt Island" by Donal Ryan.
- 4:15 pm: "Life in the Balance: A Doctor's Stories of Intensive Care" by Jim Down.
- 6:00 pm: "Astonish Me: First Nights that Changed the World" by Dominic Dromgoole.
- 7:30 pm: Literary Quiz at the White Hart Wells.
Monday, 30 October 2023:
- 2:00 pm: Competitions Poetry Readings and Prize Giving.
- 6:00 pm: "To Boldly Go Where No Book Has Gone Before: A Joyous Journey into Science" by Luke O'Neill.
- 7:45 pm: "The West: A New History of an Old Idea" by Naoíse Mac Sweeney.
Tuesday, 31 October 2023:
- 2:00 pm: "Between the Chalk and the Sea: A Journey on Foot into the Past" by Gail Simmons.
- 4:15 pm: "Mirrors of Greatness: Churchill and the Leaders who Shaped Him" by David Reynolds.
- 6:00 pm: "This is Europe: The Way We Live Now" by Ben Judah.
- 7:45 pm: "Fighting For Life: The Twelve Battles that Made Our NHS, and the Struggle for its Future" by Isabel Hardman.
Wednesday, 01 November 2023:
- 2:00 pm: "Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity" by Sander van der Linden.
- 6:00 pm: "On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe" by Caroline Dodds Pennock.
- 7:45 pm: "Bringing Down Goliath" by Jolyon Maugham.
Thursday, 02 November 2023:
- 4:15 pm: "Why Women Grow and Uprooting" by Alice Vincent and Marchelle Farrell.
- 6:00 pm: "The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space will change Our World" by Tim Marshall.
- 7:45 pm: "How Migration Really Works: A Factful Guide to the Most Divisive Issue in Politics" by Hein de Haas.
Friday, 03 November 2023:
- 2:00 pm: "Ten Birds That Changed the World" by Stephen Moss.
- 4:30 pm: "Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China's Cultural Revolution" by Tania Branigan.
- 6:15 pm: "Free and Equal – What would a Fair Society Look Like?" by Daniel Chandler.
- 8:00 pm: "Around the World in 80 Games: A Mathematician unlocks the Secrets of the Greatest Games" by Marcus du Sautoy.
Saturday, 04 November 2023:
- 10:30 am*: Literary Lunch with various authors.
- 2:00 pm: "Chasing My Dream: A Year in the Life of a Police Dog" by David Wardell.
- 4:15 pm: "Anxiety of Influence: How do We Find Our Unique Voice in a Culture of Copying?" by Benjamin Myers.
- 6:00 pm: "Refugees in Our Midst: The Untold Story of Britain's Reaction to the Refugee Crisis" by Michael Dobbs.
- 7:45 pm: "This Mosaic Life: Making Sense of the Pieces" by Nihal Arthanayake.
Special Features:
- Literary Quiz: Scheduled for Sunday, 29 October 2023, at 7:30 pm at the White Hart Wells. Tickets are £4 per person.
- Literary Lunches: Scheduled for Saturday, 04 November 2023, at 10:30 am. Tickets are £10 per person.
Friends of the Festival:
Membership offers a 10% discount on all event tickets and priority booking. A single membership is £30, and a double is £50.
Whether you're a seasoned reader or someone just diving into the world of literature, the Wells Festival of Literature is a must-attend event. So mark your calendars and secure your tickets for a literary adventure that promises something for everyone.
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