BEST-selling writers James Herbert, Melvyn Bragg, Janet Street-Porter, Roger McGough and Brian Patten will lead Liverpool’s biggest literary festival this spring.
They will give talks or readings of their work as part of more than 350 events taking place in the In Other Words month-long event.
The festival will open on World Book Night, April 23, and incorporate the reopening of the Central Library on May 17.
The two Mersey poets McGough and Patten will be joined by Catherine Marcangeli, the widow of their late friend and colleague Adrian Henri, for a rare double bill in St George’s Hall.
Patten said: “Liverpool has always embraced creativity open-heartedly and the new festival certainly lives up to this great tradition.
“It’s exciting, wide-ranging and inclusive and I’m really proud to be part of it.”
Horror writer Herbert, who has sold more than 54 million copies, will make a rare public appearance at the Williamson Tunnels to talk about his craft, his inspirations and the paranormal.
Journalist Street Porter will follow in the footsteps of Martin Bell and Germaine Greer to take part in Writing on the Wall’s acclaimed Rebel Rant series.
She will be voicing her opinions on the rich, public school elite - and why class still matters.
Veteran broadcaster Bragg has chosen the Museum of Liverpool as the location to talk about his new dementia-focussed novel, Grace and Mary, because of the venue’s House of Memories community reminiscence project.
He said: “The best of what we have is in our memory and is often in our misrememberings.
“We carry a museum of ourselves in our minds, and are constantly adding new rooms to it.”
Other highlights include high tea at Liverpool Town Hall with Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite, a Here Come the Girls chick-lit event with the former Liverpool Daily Post editor Jane Costello and multi-award winning romance novelist Erica James.
In Other Words runs until May 19. Tickets for events, many of which are free, will be available to book online at www.itsliverpool.com/culture from 9am today.
