Spiderwize's Self Publishing Blog

The Humber Mouth Literature Festival is an annual event that occurs in Hull. Granted, Hull isn’t the first name that might spring to mind when you think about either great literature or literary festivals. However, it appears that might be a rather ignorant response, given that in previous years the festival has attracted names such as Germaine Greer, best selling writers such as Louis de Bernieres and Jonathan Coe, and noted poets such as David Wheatley and Carol Rumens and has been running successfully now for 18 years, since its inception way back in 1993.

This year’s festival kicks off on the 25th June 2011, but will carry on until the tenth of July, so there’s plenty of time for you to get your affairs in order to ensure that you can be there. As in past years, there are plenty of name guests that those in the writing field, be it self publishing or otherwise, will recognise, such as George Monbiot, Simon Garfield, Adam Mars-Jones, John Hegley, Jon Ronson, Jenni Murray and several others besides. In addition to the guests, there will also be some events such as a celebration of literature in Hull throughout history, which will be presented by famed singer and songwriter Jack Underwood, workshops, stuff for children, and all the things you expect from a literary festival.

p.s. The Humber Mouth Literature Festival should be well worth a visit.

It seems to be festival month all around, with yet another literary event taking place near our shores in June – namely, the Belfast Book Festival 2011. The Festival kicks off on the thirteenth June (so that’s next Monday for the date illiterate among you) and unlike some other three day literary festivals being held this month, this one carries on for just under a week, not concluding until the following Sunday (the nineteenth, in other words).

There’s plenty to appeal to all writers and those with a literary eye, too, (whether in the self publishing field or not), with plenty of big name guests such as John Banville, David Peace, and Maurice Leitch. There will also be appearances by poets such as Leontia Flynn, Ben Maier, and Martin Mooney, as well as performing artists such as Owen O’Neill and Larry Lamb. Writers Jo Baker and Lucy Caldwell will also be on hand to appear in the Festival, conveniently timed to allow them to bang on about their new books.

There’s loads of other stuff going on in the Festival too, including the sort of things you expect such as workshops in creative writing and similar activities, while one of the highlights of the entire event will almost certainly be readings from a book taken from eye witness accounts of the Belfast Blitz, entitled “The Belfast Blitz: The People’s Story”.