It is with regret that we announce that Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2020 (and the City of Literature Weekend) has been cancelled

For a full statement, please visit the Norfolk & Norwich Festival website.

This year the National Centre for Writing has put together a series of literary journeys that will guide you through our exciting City of Literature programme at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2020.

With a programme of fresh and original literary voices, along with award-winning writers and publishers, we invite you to celebrate Norwich as a UNESCO City of Literature and a home to writers, thinkers, storytellers and readers. Browse the curated journeys we’ve suggested and book all four events together to get a £1.00 discount per ticket.

Our first City of Literature journey is titled ‘The nature of things’ – examining the nature of our world through some of the best non-fiction books released this summer; from bird migration and animal psychology to the future of our democracy.

The nature of things

How to Be Animal – Melanie Challenger

Friday 22 May, 10.30am, The Adnams Spiegeltent, Chapelfield Gardens, £8.50

Through a blend of natural and environmental history and philosophy, award-winning researcher and writer Melanie Challenger argues that at the heart of human psychology is a profound struggle with being animal. A remarkable look at human existence, our animal nature and our relationship to other species.

The Good State – A.C. Grayling

Friday 22 May, 2pm, The Adnams Spiegeltent, Chapelfield Gardens, £12 / £10.80 conc / £7.50 under 26

The foundations upon which our democracy stands are inherently flawed. What is the remedy? Join internationally renowned philosopher A. C. Grayling as he makes a powerful case for the reforms necessary to address the imbalance of power in our country.

Journeys in Springtime – Tim Dee

Sunday 24 May, 12noon, The Adnams Spiegeltent, Chapelfield Gardens, £8.50

Tim Dee, BBC producer, nature writer and birdwatcher, makes a remarkable journey in step with the Spring season and its migratory birds; spanning South Africa, Ethiopia, Sicily, Britain and even arctic Norway. Greenery: Journeys in Springtime is a masterpiece of nature writing.

Wild Child – Patrick Barkham

Sunday 24 May, 1.30pm, The Adnams Spiegeltent, Chapelfield Gardens, £8.50

Celebrated nature writer and Guardian columnist Patrick Barkham draws on his experience as a parent and forest school volunteer to explore the importance of children finding their place in the natural world, and the delight we can all find in even modest patches of green.

Tickets are available from the Norfolk & Norwich Festival website. A discount of £1.00 per ticket will be automatically applied to your basket when you book these four events together.