Whitby takes centre stage at inaugural lit fest

Whitby Lit Fest has announced a series of events to showcase local talent, and the coastal town, at its inaugural festival this November.

Poetry and music combine in Sea Here which features three North Yorkshire poets - Wendy Pratt, Charlotte Oliver, and Rowena Sommerville – alongside beautiful singing from the A cappella group, The Marigolds. From the personal to the cosmic, the all-female line up promises to leave audiences entertained, refreshed, and uplifted.

Writer Bob Fischer invites audiences on a journey through folklore spanning 12,000 years of history taking in Freebrough Hill alongside the A171 moorland road to Whitby. He’s joined by Teesside poet Bob Beagrie, performing extracts from his new collection, The Hand of Glory.

Whitby audiences can enjoy a special event celebrating the remarkable collaboration between Whitby’s Dogwood Productions and the Teesside organisation, Going For Independence. Supported by Arts Council England, the two groups produced a four-part audio drama co-created with blind and partially sighted participants.

Each episode was developed by community groups in Redcar, Darlington, Hartlepool and Stockton, alongside professional writers, and actors. This session reunites the writers and performers for a discussion and playback of the drama, which features a young couple, struggling to run the recently inherited guest house, Bel View, in a fictitious resort north of Whitby.

Adele Duffield community development librarian and committee member of Whitby Lit Fest, said: “We are thrilled to add more inspiring events to the festival line-up. From coastal poets and community theatre to workshops, performance and untold histories, this programme celebrates the richness of words and voices in all their forms.”

A writing workshop, First Person Singular – Writing Monologues That Speak to an Audience will be hosted by the writer Suzanne Elvidge, who lives on the coast near Whitby. Suzanne will guide participants through the craft of writing monologues, from first idea to final draft.

Suzanne’s own writing crosses science and the Arts. She writes fiction about lost and forgotten women’s voices based on interviews, news stories, historical events and the overheard. Dancing in Heaven, her first solo collection of monologues is due out in December 2025.

Whitby writer Julie Noble, whose memoir appeared in Kit de Waal’s Common People: An Anthology of Working-Class Writers, leads an interactive workshop - Rusty Shears - exploring how Whitby has inspired writers from Caedmon to Atkinson, and Gaskell to Brody. Participants will explore classic and contemporary voices before creating their own work inspired by the town.

The Yorkshire crime author, David Mark, a former crime reporter for the Yorkshire Post turned bestselling novelist, will host a workshop on plot, place, and character. And for aspiring poets, Harry Gallagher presents a creative writing workshop exploring ideas inspired by the Whitby coast. Harry runs the North East Stanza of the Poetry Society.

The writer and performer Noreen Nasim shares the extraordinary and moving story of expulsion from Uganda, exploring identity, resilience, and belonging. Her performance brings a powerful new voice to Whitby.

The inaugural Whitby Lit Fest, which runs from 6 to 9 November, welcomes household names alongside a celebration of the unique literary heritage of the town and diverse and thought-provoking local talent.

Rebeka Russell, who set up the independent publishing imprint Manderley Press, grew up in Whitby. She’ll be discussing her 2026 release of Storm Jameson’s Whitby-inspired novel, The Moon is Making, as well as the wider influence of the town’s history and architecture on literature with the writer, broadcaster and academic, Dr Katherine Cooper.

The festival falls on the anniversary of Bram Stoker’s birth on 8 November. Exploring Stoker’s seminal Dracula, The Working-Class Library will record a live podcast with their guest author, the Yorkshire writer, Adelle Stripe. Adelle will be in conversation with the CEO of New Writing North, Claire Malcolm, and the writer Richard Benson - a former editor of the iconic magazine The Face. They’ll explore the working-class credentials and perspectives of Stoker’s classic.

Also joining the line up are gothic literature experts, Dr Michael Stewart, and Dr Claire O’Callaghan, discussing Stewart’s latest novel, Black Wood Women, in the wider context of how and why gothic fiction evolved.

They’ll also be a New Blood panel on Stoker’s undying legacy, featuring local author Amanda Mason and Leticia Lentini, who runs the Whitby independent publisher, The Crow Emporium. Mason also features on the panel, Gothic Tales, with fellow author Essie Fox.

Celebrating Charles Dickens literary links to Whitby, his great, great, great grand-daughter Lucinda Hawksley hosts an entertaining author dinner at the original coaching inn Dickens stayed – The White Horse and Griffin. Diners can enjoy a three-course menu at £40 per head.

The festival also welcomes two children’s authors who have set their latest books in Whitby. Former Blue Peter presenter, Yvette Fielding discusses her children’s book, The Vampire of Whitby, and Emma Carroll brings her brand-new adventure series, Dracula & Daughters.

It also welcomes cult writer Paul Magrs, whose Brenda and Effie Mystery series are set in a Whitby BnB, and have been optioned for TV.

Young adult authors S.J Baker and Liz Hyder, winner of the 2024 Nero Book Awards prize, also feature.

Headline acts for 2025 include Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Miriam Margolyes, Lee Child, Rob Rinder, Shaun Usher, and Steph McGovern.

More than 50 authors are expected to descend on Whitby.

Tickets, from £5 available at: https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/