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Durham Book Festival has launched its 2025 line-up for the county's annual book festival which takes place from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 October, celebrating the power of the written word.
Produced by New Writing North, the Durham County Council event features a very special appearance from one of the UK’s most revered living authors, Dame Pat Barker.
The Durham author has written 16 novels, including the Booker-Prize winning The Ghost Road. Her daughter, the writer and poet Anna Barker, has spent a decade uncovering her mother’s life story. The two will be in conversation for Dipped in Ink, an event about their forthcoming memoir spanning 40 years exploring family silences, literary legacy, and maternal relationships.
Other internationally best-selling North East authors include Whitley Bay’s Ann Cleeves, whose books have been adapted into major TV shows, including ITV’s Vera and BBC’s Shetland. She’s in conversation with the award-winning broadcaster Steph McGovern, with her debut crime thriller, Deadline. Hailing from Middlesborough, Steph began her career as a producer on Radio 4 Today, before moving to BBC news and presenting her own magazine show, Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch.
This year a special Durham Book Festival commission, with support from Manchester Metropolitan University, will mark the 40th anniversary of the publication of Tony Harrison’s seminal poem, v. Poets Andrew McMillan, Malika Booker, Jo Clement, and Paul Farley will present their reimagining of the 1984 poem that explored class, anger, and Northern identity during the Miner’s Strike.
There’ll also be another Durham Book Festival commission of an exclusive dramatic live reading from author Eliza Clark's short story collection, She’s Always Hungry, directed by Maria Crocker, followed by a Q&A with the author. Eliza grew up in Newcastle and was named one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists in 2023.
Fiona Hill, the Chancellor of Durham University, will discuss her new podcast series Forged in the North. Fiona is also a political advisor specialising in Russian and European affairs and from 2018 to 2019 served as deputy assistant to the President of the US. She’ll be in conversation with the Northumberland internationally bestselling author, LJ Ross, and Romani storyteller, Richard O’Neill, on how the North East forged their writing.
Durham University alumni broadcaster Jeremy Vine will discuss his debut crime novel, Murder on Line One, and TV’s retail guru Mary Portas brings her memoir, I Shop, Therefore I Am.
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Literary acts also include bestselling and award-winning novelist Jonathan Coe, with his latest razor-sharp new novel, The Proof of My Innocence, a blistering political critique wrapped up in a murder mystery.
One of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists and recent Booker Prize long-listee, Natasha Brown, brings her acclaimed second novel, Universality. New Writing North’s 2022 Debut Award for Fiction winner, Grainne O’Hare, will feature on a panel with novelists Vincenzo Latronico, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025, and Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin, shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025.
The Working-Class Library records a live podcast with editor of The Bee, Richard Benson, and CEO of New Writing North, Claire Malcolm. The podcast welcomes guest writer Terri White discussing the legacy of Catherine Cookson.
Rebecca Wilkie, Durham Book Festival Director at New Writing North, said: “This year’s festival really puts a spotlight on the remarkable literary legacy and the powerful voices coming out of the North East, as well as the wider literary landscape. There’s a lot to celebrate, alongside three new commissions from brilliant Northern writers, including a major new podcast series from the region, Forged in the North featuring appearances from North East legends ranging from Sting to Sara Davies. This year's festival is a showcase of the very best talent at work today.”
Cllr Lyndsey Fox, Durham County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Partnerships, said: “A good book is like an adventure, transporting us to different worlds, introducing us to fascinating characters and making us laugh and cry along the way. Durham Book Festival is a celebration of the power of the written word in all its guises. It helps to spread the joy of reading among people of all ages and provides an opportunity to showcase talented writers from our own region. This year’s line-up is truly inspirational, and I hope it encourages aspiring authors, poets and journalists from County Durham to follow their dreams.
“Furthermore, Durham Book Festival helps to raise our profile as a cultural destination and boosts the local economy by attracting people into County Durham. We are incredibly proud to commission such a fantastic event.”
Non-fiction comes from Ian Leslie with his new biography John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs charting Lennon and McCartney’s relationship. Journalist, podcaster, and presenter John Harris will talk of how music helped him connect with his son after an autism diagnosis, with his book Maybe I’m Amazed.
The Guardian culture correspondent Lanre Bakare’s will discuss We Were There - his portrait of Black Britain outside of London - with Jake Morris-Campbell with Between the Salt and the Ash which explores the North East in the wake of Christianity and coal.
Politics comes from former cabinet minister Alan Johnson with his biography of Harold Wilson in conversation with former parliamentary colleague, Chris Mullin, with his latest diary collection.
Also featuring is the author Rachel Cooke with The Virago Book of Friendship and Gabriel Weston and Grace Spence Green with their boundary blurring books, Alive and To Exist As I Am.
The festival also features a series of events for aspiring children's book writers programmed in partnership with Children's Books North Network and the return of the Little Read, which will see 500 free copies of North East children's author, James Harris' picture book, Help! We Need a Story distributed by libraries across the county.
Founded in 1990, Durham Book Festival is a Durham County Council event produced by New Writing North, with support from Durham University and Arts Council England.
To book, visit www.durhambookfestival.com
Header Image: Jeremy Vine (Toby Madden)
