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Your Complete Guide to Stratford Literary Festival

May 11, 2025May 10, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

Stratford Literary Festival Your Complete Guide

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Home to Shakespeare (quite literally — his home and birthplace is in the heart of the town), Stratford-Upon-Avon is a beautiful town with a rich literary history.

It’s appropriate that the home of the Bard is also host to Stratford Literary Festival, an intimate affair featuring some of the biggest names of today.

Crucially, the festival also showcases the writers of tomorrow. I’m told that Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry, once appeared in front of an audience of 30ish festival-goers before her book hit bestseller status.

May is already a packed period for book festivals across the UK — including Hay-on-Wye towards the back-end of the month. And so get a better idea of what to expect, I’ve produced a brief guide on what to expect during your time in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Your Complete UK Book Festival Calendar

The lineup

I wrote this in my Stratford preview article, but one of the truly impressive things about Stratford Literary Festival is how focused it is, and how much they pack into just four days.

In fact, with Stratford being just four days — and reasonably priced (starting from £8) — you could feasibly make a long weekend of your trip, and attend a bunch of events.

The festival attracts a range of big names, previously hosting household literary names including Sir Michael Morpurgo and Maggie O’Farrell, plus popular broadcasters including Jeremy Paxman and Michael McIntyre.

In 2025, Dame Jacqueline Wilson featured in at least two events, as well as legendary British comedian and author Charlie Higson — famed for the Fast Show and Young Bond book series.

And as a parent of young children, I was also really encouraged to see a packed kids’ schedule, including the always-energetic Maz Evans (who has that delightful knack of getting a young audience going).

Location

Crowne Plaza Atrium Stratford Literary Festival

Crowne Plaza Gardens Stratford Literary Festival

Stratford Literary Festival is hosted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel — and it’s actually a great place for the festival.

I’ve done hotel-based events before, and they can sometimes feel impersonal and a little clinical.

But that simply isn’t the case with Stratford. They’ve carefully selected an already spacious venue and transformed it into a bona fide bookish spot.

From the lovely pop-up bookshops — plus a guy called Adam on a typewriter who can write you a personalised short story based on three words, one name, and just five minutes of rattling on a typewriter — it’s all great fun.

The hotel has multiple on-site bars and cafés, plus a lovely green space out back, right next to the River Avon. It’s private, cosy, and a relaxing place to have a drink and a natter between friends. It’s also just a short jaunt from the town centre.

Places to stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Stratford-Upon-Avon is not the easiest place to get to by public transport — with a couple of lengthy connections via train — so you may wish to stay the night.

Fortunately, there are plenty of places to stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon, depending on your budget and need.

Crowne Plaza
The venue itself is convenient, though certainly on the pricier side. However, I am reliably informed that they make a mean breakfast.

Premier Inn
Around the corner is also a Premier Inn (probably more my pace). Close to the venue, whilst also central, it’s probably the best spot for cost and convenience.

Travelodge
There’s also a Travelodge a little further out, though only a short drive away, if you’re looking for a stay under £100 in Stratford.

Pen & Parchment
A non-chain, and a bit of a wildcard, is a sweet country pub very near the Crowne Plaza called the Pen & Parchment. It looks to be a cosy spot, plus you can eat there.

Airbnb
And of course, for something completely different, you can always check out the local Airbnbs. I found a handful of interesting spots, including a boutique apartment, a stunning, modern flat, a really smart loft conversion and 3) a quirky cottage. Other places are, of course, available.

Places to eat

Bodega19 (Tapas)
The Boat House Restaurant (Bistro and Bar)
The Barge and Quarterdeck (Wood fired Pizza)
RSC Rooftop Restaurant (British Classics)
Deli Cafe (Family-Run Cafe & Brunch)
Dirty Duck (Gastropub)

In Summary

With a supremely varied guest list, including award-winning writers, broadcasters, comedians, and artists, Stratford Literary Festival is a great place to be.

It’s also excellent value, with talks starting from £8 (which for an hour of anyone’s time is pretty decent value — but a writer you love? Bargain).

Stratford itself is really pretty; it’s part-historic, part modern. There are plenty of old buildings — including Shakespeare’s birthplace — juxtaposed with modern shops and conveniences too. And with it being a small town, you can walk between most places, which is always great.

If you’re into anything bookish, then Stratford’s well worth a stop by.

Find out more at
https://www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk/

Your Complete Guide to Oxford Literary Festival

April 2, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

Oxford, the city of dreaming spires, is a stunning place where the city itself is as much the attraction as the talks.

You could spend a long weekend here, exploring the narrow cobbled streets, dropping in and out of coffee houses, and sampling the diverse selection of foodie spots.

So, ahead of this year’s Oxford Literary Festival, I arrived early to get a flavour of what to expect when you visit Oxford.

Oxford Literary Festival: Day One Review

The vibe

Broad Street is the main street through the centre, flanked by Trinity and Exeter College, and home to the world-famous Oxford Blackwells bookshop.

On the day I arrived, the place is filled with food, music, and crafts — thanks to an all-day open market — and the campus shops packed with people, though thankfully, not to the point of being cramped.

Card readers beep almost every 10 seconds as books and brownies are bought, wine kegs are flowing, and it’s days like this where the dark days of COVID and national lockdown feel like a distant memory.

In short, it’s a really pleasant vibe and there’s a constant hum of chatter as the city comes to life.

A short 10-15 minute walk away from the busier streets are a number of open green spaces.

These include Christ Church Meadows, the Botanic Gardens opposite Magdalen College, and – my personal favourite – University Parks, up past the Natural History Museum. In this spot, you’ll even find the Tolkien bench.

These spaces are perfect for quiet reflection, a picnic with friends and family, and or simply a walk in nature away from the hustle and hustle of Oxford City Centre.

Five things I learned from Oxford Lit Fest

Accessibility

One of the impressive things about Oxford Literary Festival is how easy it is to get around to different events.

Whether you’re in the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Martin Building, Brasenose College, or the Weston Lecture Theatre, no venue is ever more than a 3-minute walk from one-another.

This keeps the whole event accessible for older and/or disabled visitors so that everyone can enjoy what the festival has to offer, without having to rush between venues or jump on buses to get between talks.

Plus, there is almost always a one-hour interlude between talks too, enabling visitors to explore the city, peek into College quadrangles, or grab a refreshment.

The city itself is reasonably straightforward to get around too, provided you aren’t driving (Oxford isn’t an overly car-friendly place).

Fortunately, it’s got a decent bus network and the centre of the city isn’t spread too far apart, with most places within a 20-minute walk of one another. You can also Uber around easily enough.

Plus, if you’re eScooter-inclined, there are plenty of these available, making zipping around the city a relative breeze.

Connecting authors with readers

This year, the festival’s tagline, ‘The World’s Meeting Place for Writer and Readers’, stood out to me for a couple of reasons.

As a copywriter, and a fervent reader, I have the blessing / curse [delete as appropriate] of noticing microcopy and advertising copy all over the place, from bus stop adverts to event pamphlets.

But this is one of those cases where advertisements meet expectations. Oxford Literary Festival does genuinely feel like a place where authors and readers can connect in a meaningful way.

This is particularly important, because it fosters that sense of community and openness that feels immediately inclusive.

As I wrote last year, authors are more than happy to sign books and talk to attendees after their event. It’s not a case of them simply doing a talk and selling some books before being ushered away.

More often than not, the Q&As are very conversational too — giving the audience a more active role in the room. Festivals are getting much better at this now more broadly, but Oxford Literary Festival is particularly good at it.

Your Complete UK Book Festival Calendar

Variety of speakers, topics, and venues

Coming to Oxford Literary Festival means you’ll find discussions anywhere from the politics of the day and Booker Prize-winning writers, through to debut novelists and talks from academic professionals on extremely niche topics.

One of my favourite talks has been by Nussaibah Younis on her debut novel Fundamentally — a book on ISIS-brides, with a ‘Fleabag-like sense of humour’ according to Younis. Meanwhile, seasoned academics such as Peter Boxall spoke on the possibility of literature and the changing faces of literary criticism in the last few decades.

Children are reasonably well-catered for too, with a dedicated programme of events. This year, Mel Taylor-Bessent kicked off the kids programme with an activity session where children were encouraged to create their own characters and worlds, with print-offs provided by the author.

Previous Childrens’ Laureate, Cressida Cowell, also joined young readers in the Sheldonian later in the day, talking about her How to Train Your Dragon series ahead of a live action film launching in the summer.

Overall, Oxford Literary Festival should be high on your list of must-attend book festivals, whether you’re a seasoned festival-goer or a reluctant first-time attendee.

It’s a friendly, approachable series of events that platforms brilliant thinkers, excellent orators, and some delightfully funny, thought-provoking talks.

Check out my book festival calendar for more festivals up and down the UK.

Oxford Literary Festival 2025 — Day One Review

April 2, 2025March 30, 2025 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

In what is becoming somewhat of an annual tradition, I was honoured to be invited to Oxford Literary Festival for the second year running. So firstly, a huge thanks to the organisers for reaching out and giving this independent critic access to the festival.

Day one of any big event always has a buzz about it, but this year felt particularly lively. And not just on account of some beautiful, sunny spring weather. The city was alive with the hum of conversation and the Sheldonian Theatre was packed out, which was particularly great to see in the wider context of the cost of living squeeze.

Here’s a brief overview of my experiences on the first day, which should give you a glimpse into what to expect for the rest of the week, and beyond.

Groove Armada-turned-farmer

The day kicked off in the Sheldonian Theatre, with Compassion in Farming – a panel discussion chaired by Kate Humble. The panel consisted of BBC Dragon Deborah Meaden, Groove Armada-turned-farmer Andy Cato, and founder of Compassion in Worldwide Farming Philip Lymbery.

Whether you’re a proponent of veganism, a vegetarian, or even just mildly curious about where your food comes from, it was a legitimately interesting talk. Business, farming, and activism were all at the table here – and all three were largely in agreement that factory farming has to end, and consumers need more information in order to make better-informed decisions.
There’s a broader theme of ethical farming running through the festival this year, spearheaded by Miriam Margolyes’ lecture (more on that later).

Your Guide to Visiting Oxford Literary Festival

Read more

Liz Truss, ISIS Brides, and Satire

Next, I hot-footed over to Brasenose College’s Amersi Lecture Theatre for the first installment of Festival Debuts, featuring Nussaibah Younis and her debut novel, Fundamentally.
Joining her was Jonathan Coe, seasoned satirical novelist of Middle-England and, more recently, The Proof of My Innocence – a murder mystery set during the brief days of the Liz Truss government.
It’s a curious thing, hearing a fiction novel about ISIS brides described as Bridget Jones-esque. But then again, Percival Everett managed to produce an outstanding comedic work of fiction in The Trees – a murder mystery about lynching mobs and white nationalism.
I’m yet to read either Younis’ or Coe’s works, but that’ll change pretty sharpish after this talk – and once I’ve whittled down that pesky TBR!

Nussaibah Younis and Jonathan Coe discuss Fundamentally and The Proof of My Innocence, both now out in hardback.

Miriam Margolyes’ Memorable Musings

Finally, I made my way back to the Sheldonian Theatre for the annual ‘Compassion in World Farming Peter Roberts Memorial Lecture’, featuring Miriam Margolyes.
Now running for five years, this is an annual tradition where a speaker delivers an informal lecture on a topic in tribute to the late farmer and campaigner. This year’s was Compassion for all Life which focused primarily on farming, but also addressed Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza, and Hamas’ continued holding of hostages.
Margolyes’ hallmark irreverence was, as it often is, a mixed bag. She’s undeniably witty, and unafraid of producing a barb or three towards her political opponents. She was particularly sharp on Farage, foie gras, and the Labour Party’s increasingly confusing approach to policy making.
Though a remark on how low welfare farming leads to less tasty food — which resulted in a bizarrely inappropriate segue about rape diminishing the enjoyability of sex — was received with discomfort in the room.
In spite of this, it was an entertaining hour with Philip Lymbery thankfully on hand to keep the discussion (mostly) on topic.

Your Complete UK Book Festival Calendar

Read more

The day as a whole was pretty stunning. As I wrote in my guide to visiting Oxford Literary Festival, it’s a terrific place to be for any book lover and/or follower of current affairs.
There’s also a solid balance of established writers and debut novelists — and realistically, something for everybody. I’ve selected my top picks for the festival, so check them out. And if you’re already planning to be Oxford-bound, let me know events you’re most excited about.

Oxford Literary Festival runs until 6th April. You can read the full listing of events online here and even download a handy, printable pocket guide [PDF].

Categories Blog Tags festival review, oxford literary festival 2 Comments

Five things I learned at Oxford Literary Festival

March 20, 2024 by John @ Tales from Absurdia

Five things I learned at Oxford Literary Festival

Oxford is revered globally – and for good reason. The architecture is stunning, from college spires to the iconic Sheldonian Theatre.
And with famous alumni from J.R.R. Tolkien and CS Lewis, to Monica Ali and Jeanette Winterson, Oxford University has a history of producing impressive writers.
Suffice to say, Oxford Literary Festival is a must-visit event in the book festival calendar for bookish audiences.
So, it was a privilege to be invited to the 2024 edition of the festival. It’s especially great to see bloggers and alternative media being treated as equals with the more established print journalism.
In any case, here are my thoughts and experiences of a bookish day in Oxford.

1) The variety of speakers & events

Think Oxford Literature Festival is just a sit-down affair, being talked at by speakers and panels? Think again.
Sure, there are a bunch of talks from writers, politicians, journalists promoting their latest book — many of which are hugely insightful. But you can also attend workshops, library tours, creative writing courses, debates, and much more!
I particularly appreciate that they’ve invited footballer turned pundit Nedum Onuoha to talk about racism in football, and life on and off the pitch.
Nedum is a really intelligent, charismatic guy, with experience up and down the UK’s football leagues, and his appearance at Oxford Literary Festival is a great way to appeal to the cross-section of football fans.

2) It is for me (and you!)

I have a theory — one I can’t quite substantiate — but a theory nonetheless, that the phrase ‘literary festival’ puts some people off, including bookish people.
Literary, especially in the context of the reductive debates around ‘literary’ fiction vs ‘genre’ fiction, carries a certain connotation. And there are a whole generation of readers who create bookish content online, whether it’s fellow bloggers, bookstagrammers, booktubers, or booktokers — but so few of them create content around literary festivals.
My own early experiences of attending book events are tinctured with anxiety around belonging. Was I literary enough? Would everyone there know each other? Was there a certain etiquette I wasn’t clued into?
All of it was unfounded — and this was true of the Oxford Literary Festival too.
If you’re interested, or even mildly curious, literary festivals are for you. You’re actually the intended audience! And as I’ve previously mentioned, it’s not all ‘literary’. There’s plenty of room for book readers of all preferences.

Your Complete UK Book Festival Calendar

Read more

3) Oxford’s café culture is 🔥🔥🔥

I spoke to the organisers of Oxford Literary Festival whilst I was there, who explained that the event is always scheduled to coincide when the students aren’t in term time.
This is likely for a number of reasons, from allowing them the space to study to logistical reasons around getting round the city.
I’m bringing this up because when I arrived, on a cool Sunday morning out of term time, I wasn’t strictly sure how busy it would be. I was pleasantly surprised that Oxford was packed full of visitors, with people spilling out of cafés.
Whether it’s Knoops, right next to Blackwells and Exeter College, or espresso bar Jericho Coffee Traders, Oxford has some seriously great options for a brew.

4) In person events are always better

Online book events are great — especially if it’s an author you love but can’t make it in person (let’s face it, UK travel is expensive and Zoom is convenient).
But they’re not the real thing. Not even close. In person book events engage the senses — especially in a place like Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre. The sights and sounds, from murals and paintings to echoes of footsteps on flagstone and the din of audience chatter, it’s just… real.
And post-lockdown, these things many of us took for granted just seem more valuable now.

5) Access to writers and speakers

Another perk of in-person events is direct access to the speakers you’re going to see.
Want to ask them a question? There’s invariably a microphone that goes round, and you can look your favourite writer in the whites of their eyes as you ask them something truly meaningful. That’s priceless.
Plus, after the event, speakers tend to hang around for a combination of chatter and book signings.
Unlike bookshop book signing events, where you’re ushered through a queue like it’s a production line, Oxford Literature Festival just feels more laid back, more accessible. The event organisers have done a great job with this.

If you’re reading this before 24th March, 2024 – there are still loads of events left to attend, so do check out the calendar and see what’s on at Oxford Literature Festival.
But even if you’re reading after the event has finished, it’s still worth checking out who attended this year, as it may provide some indicators on 2025’s attendees.
Is Oxford Literature Festival worth visiting? Absolutely. I’ll definitely be going again next year! 📚

Categories Blog Tags festival review, oxford literary festival 2 Comments