The thriving independent bookshop based in Holmfirth will be hosting book stalls at HLF2020 events across the town this March

A new partnership has been announced between the Huddersfield Literature Festival and independent bookshop, Read, for the March 2020 Festival.

Read, which opened in Holmfirth in February 2019, recently featured in a Guardian article: ‘People are so happy we exist: indie bookshops grow despite retail slump’.

The bookshop will be supplying books and hosting stalls for events with authors such as Strictly pro and Sunday Times bestselling novelist Anton Du Beke at the Town Hall (24 March), Queen of Crime Val McDermid at Huddersfield University (27 March) and Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister, with Anne Choma at the Holmfirth Civic Centre (22 March). Several events will take place in the bookshop, including: Waymaking with Yorkshire Poet Helen Mort, a talk on graphic novels with Jamie Rhodes and Darryl Cunningham, a talk by novelist Jenn Ashworth and a chance to meet Julia Donaldson’s Zog.

Many more events will be taking place at venues across Huddersfield town centre. These will include performance poetry, a Moomins Puppet Show and discussions on subjects from mental health, Asperger’s and working as a paramedic to TV crime dramas and the ‘hostile environment’ around immigration.

Where there is more than one event taking place on the same evening, Kirstie Lount of Fox Lane Books, a freelance bookseller, will step in to ensure that audiences don’t miss out on a chance to purchase a book and get it signed by the author.

HLF Festival Director Michelle Hodgson said: “We are very excited about this new partnership with Read bookshop. Louise and James have created a little gem in Holmfirth and their passion for books and bookselling shines through everything they do.”

She continued: “Although Waterstones were no longer able to supply our books, we would like to thank them for their support in previous years and we appreciate that they will continue to make our Festival brochures available to their customers.”

Owner of Read bookshop, Louise Ashmore, said: “One of the first events we ran after opening was our Elmer event with the Huddersfield Literature Festival. It’s fantastic that this year we have the chance to further develop this partnership through a number of events across Huddersfield and Holmfirth. This partnership is extremely important to us and we’re excited to see it grow year on year.”