What's On

Heritage Open Days weekend sees the launch of Talking Statues in Norwich. This international scheme to revitalise civic history gives voice to statues around the city via a mobile phone app. Pick up a map and start your walk from Dragon Hall. Visit the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, […]

Fully booked! Tour this historic medieval trading hall with our expert guides. Tours will take place at 10.00am and 2.30pm. Maximum numbers 15 per tour. Not suitable for children under twelve. Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of this fascinating building […]

Drop-in sessions throughout the day on writing your own family history. Why not try your hand at telling your own story? Come and talk to our Heritage Open Day writer in residence about researching and writing family history. Have a go at writing your own family story using a range of prompts and exercises. The […]

An evening talk in Dragon Hall by Stuart Hobday, biographer of pioneering journalist and radical thinker, Harriet Martineau. Stuart Hobday, author of Encounters With Harriet Martineau, will give an evening talk on this extraordinary woman, who was a citizen of Norwich. Harriet Martineau became famous in the 1830s for writing about political and economic issues […]

In the week prior to Noirwich Crime Writing Festival – the region’s largest festival dedicated to the genre – we explore questions of good and evil. What is the nature and origin of evil? Who gets to decide who is good and who is not? And how do we make sense of atrocious acts in […]

Limited availability Join us in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature for a four-day spectacular at three city venues: the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall, the University of East Anglia and Jarrold. Purchase a season pass for access to*: Nicci French – Day of the Dead Witnessing the Experts The Noirwich Lecture: Val McDermid […]

It’s the 21st anniversary of Nicci French, the hugely successful writing partnership created by married couple Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. Noirwich is thrilled to welcome them back, to celebrate their successes and the much-anticipated Day of the Dead, the stunning finale to their Frieda Klein series – it will leave you breathless. Our opening […]

Launch of the UEA Creative Writing MA Crime Fiction Anthology 2018. ‘Make no mistake, these are the stars of the future – and you’re reading them here first.’ – Ian Rankin Come and meet future stars of the genre at the launch of Postmortem, an exciting anthology of work from this year’s UEA Creative Writing Crime […]

With Fiona Barton, Kristina Garner, Professor David Russell and Professor Mark Wilkinson. Fingerprints, forensics and postmortem evidence. Uncover the fascinating facts that inspire the best crime fiction, and use them to authenticate your own writing, with our panel of experts from the University of East Anglia. Kristina Garner from the Law School, Professor David Russell […]

Ticket holders for Witnessing the Experts, Val McDermid: the Noirwich Lecture and John Banville Meets Benjamin Black can enjoy free access to this exhibition. Enjoy a fascinating glimpse into the writing process of one of the world’s top thriller authors. Their creation of an unforgettable character has led to a long-running series and a truly […]

Presented by The Times and The Sunday Times Crime Club Val McDermid is an international, bestselling, award-winning crime writer and commentator. Over the years she has explored the themes of violence and gender within the genre. This year she’s also a Man Booker Prize judge. Noirwich warmly invites you to her keynote address; a riveting, […]

This writer leads a double life. He is John Banville, acclaimed literary novelist, winner of multiple awards including the Man Booker Prize for The Sea. He is also Benjamin Black, the crime writer behind the Quirke series set in 1950s Dublin, a recreation of Philip Marlowe in The Black-Eyed Blonde, and historical crime novel Prague […]

with Eva Dolan, Mari Hannah and Winnie M Li. Begin your weekend in the company of three acclaimed writers, who turn painful truths into compelling stories. Eva Dolan, Mari Hannah and Winnie M Li show how crime fiction can help us make sense of today’s world; from surviving personal trauma, to tackling injustice, or investigating […]

with Amer Anwar, Claire Askew and Stuart Turton. A sizzling London thriller, the poignant portrayal of a college shooting, and a postmodern murder mystery set in a crumbling mansion…discover your next favourite book from our selection of the best debut voices in crime writing. Claire Askew is an award-winning poet and her first novel, All the Hidden […]

With Leo Benedictus, Jacob Ross and Louise Welsh. In such a well-established genre, how do you create something exciting and cutting edge? Meet Leo Benedictus, Jacob Ross and Louise Welsh, writers who are breaking rules and pushing the boundaries in stories that range from post-apocalyptic Britain, to the chilling world of a stalker, to the […]

Limited availabilty Appearing at Noirwich for the very first time is Paula Hawkins, author of the global phenomenon The Girl on the Train and the chart-topping Into the Water. She is joined by Ruth Ware, the internationally bestselling author of twisting psychological thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, The Lying Game, and most recently The […]

With Syd Moore, Cathi Unsworth and Roz Watkins. Here in the medieval splendour of Dragon Hall, a short walk from the witches’ ducking stool on Fye Bridge, we have the perfect setting for this spellbinding panel. Join Cathi Unsworth, Syd Moore and Roz Watkins as they delve into the dark art of writing crime laced […]

John Danes, a ‘generalist’ who does all sorts of strange jobs for all kinds of peculiar people, is about to set off to Idlewyld House, former home of the late Harriet Landrigan – the most famous and bestselling romantic novelist the world has ever known – when a strange man knocks on his door. This […]

With Harry Brett, Graeme Cameron, Elly Griffiths and Elodie Harper. Noirwich is proud to present a quartet of crime writers inspired by Norfolk, the land of big skies and buried secrets. From stone circles to seaside criminality, with Elly Griffiths and Harry Brett, and from serial killers to online hate, with Graeme Cameron and Elodie […]

With Jane Lythell, Sarah Pinborough and Matt Wesolowski. Crime stories shape what we read, what we watch, who we are. We look forward to hearing from Jane Lythell (author of Behind Her Back and The Lie of You, currently in film production), Sarah Pinborough (Behind Her Eyes)  and Matt Wesolowski (Hydra) about Hollywood deals, the […]

With Robert Thorogood. BBC One’s Death in Paradise ­– the award-winning drama set on an idyllic Caribbean island – is one of the top three most popular programmes on British television. We invite you to meet its creator, the screenwriter and novelist Robert Thorogood. We anticipate a fascinating discussion, and answers to those elusive questions – how do you […]

Join us for the finale of the festival and help celebrate our fifth birthday in a fun hour of readings, crime-fiction-flavoured chat and the big reveal of our Noirwich flash fiction competition winners. Topping the bill is New York Times bestseller Elizabeth Haynes, who will read from her new novel The Murder of Harriet Monckton – based […]

Join Norwich’s writing community for a free evening of conversation, ideas and support each month. Open to anyone who makes, reads and works with words, the Dragon Hall Salon is an opportunity to grab a drink from the bar, meet people, cook up plans and compare notes, to talk books, and to hear what’s happening […]

With sea levels on the rise and tidal erosion escalating, the fragility of being an island nation has never been more apparent, particularly to Norfolk’s vulnerable coasts and the people who call them home. Happisburgh coastal campaigner Malcolm Kerby and Patrick Barkham – author of Coastlines: The Story of our Shore – join our Dragon […]

With an epidemic amongst young people in depression and anxiety, and policy-makers now looking at ways of addressing public wellbeing, we ask – are we living in a new age of anxiety? Political economist Will Davies of Goldsmiths, University of London will discuss what he calls ‘the happiness industry’; Tonia Mihill of MAP will explore […]