Friday 22–Sunday 24 May 2026
ALI SMITH PAULA SUTTON JARRED MCGINNIS ECE TEMELKURAN SARAH HALL ROBERT STARLING MELISSA HARRISON SARAH HALL DARREN LEADER GEORGIA SHACKLETON RISHI DASTIDAR YVVETTE EDWARDS RACHEL CLARKE JAMES CANTON
Presented by the National Centre for Writing and Norfolk & Norwich Festival
With a national spotlight on the 2026 Year of Reading, we are delighted to present a dynamic programme of writers and thinkers as part of the City of Literature weekend.
Across a vibrant series of events, workshops and activities, we invite audiences to explore how reading and writing can help us navigate the complexities of the world today.
Literature casts a powerful lens on the present, creating space to reflect on our past and imagine collective futures. This year’s carefully curated programme brings together voices engaging with some of the most urgent questions of our time, from war and nature to social reform, exile and belonging, and family legacy.
We are honoured to welcome acclaimed contributors including Ali Smith, Ece Temelkuran, and Dr Rachel Clarke, who will deliver the Harriet Martineau Lecture.
Reading is celebrated in all its richness and variety — from interactive children’s storytelling and our regional publishing fair, to Page Against the Machine, a worldwide reading moment championing the simple power of making time and space to read together.
Join us to listen, engage and connect, and discover how storytelling can offer clarity, perspective and community in a rapidly changing world.
Holly Ainley, Head of Programmes & Creative Engagement
Friday 22 May
Set Sail! with Robert Starling
Join author and illustrator Robert Starling for a morning of drawing and storytelling.
Thursday 1 January
Wild The World: Nature Writing with James Canton
James Canton invites you to explore the core techniques of nature writing through conversation, writing, and reflection.
Thursday 1 January
The Body in the Kitchen Garden: Vintage Cream Tea with Paula Sutton
Join interior stylist, author, columnist, and TV personality Paula Sutton for an in-conversation event over cream tea in the atmospheric grounds of Dragon Hall.
Thursday 1 January
Writing the Family with Jyoti Patel
Explore how to write about family with authenticity in contemporary fiction with Jyoti Patel, author of The Things That We Lost.
Thursday 1 January
From the Floorboards: Georgia Shackleton
Folk musician Georgia Shackleton presents a journey through history, music, and the sea.
Thursday 1 January
