• Advice on Allergies

    Hayfever may be on the wane with the end of summer, but allergies are on the rise worldwide, and one in three UK adults experiences allergic reactions at some point during their lifetime. Broadcaster and author Rebecca Seal offers some welcome relief in her book Irritated: The Allergy Epidemic and What We Can Do About…

  • A Golden Success

    Best-selling author Louisa Young continues her aunt Elizabeth Jane Howard’s much-loved Cazalet Chronicles in her new novel published this month (3 Sept) and already receiving rave reviews. The Golden Hours continues three decades of the Cazalet family saga, now moved to the early 1960s, where a new generation of Cazalets is growing up in a…

  • A new Normal

    Comedian and poet Henry Normal is appearing at the Festival ahead of recording a new series for BBC Radio 4 where he has written and performed several shows in which he uses poetry, storytelling and comedy to explore life’s big questions. Co-writer of the award-winning Mrs Merton Show and of the BAFTA-winning Paul and Pauline…

  • Longlisted for a prize

    Andrea Wulf is on the longlist for The Baillie Gifford Prize 2026 announced on 3 September for her book The Traveller: The Revolutionary Life of George Forster and His Search for Humanity. The Baillie Gifford Prize rewards excellence in non-fiction writing, bringing the best in intelligent reflection on the world to new readers. Judges said…

  • Bowie By A Superfan

    Before David Bowie fans rush to see the tribute concert Bowie By Candlelight at Wells Cathedral in November, here’s a chance for Festival goers to discover what shaped the late musician’s music. Journalist and Bowie superfan Peter Ormerod has written a new biography that delves into Bowie’s quest for spirituality, taking in his first musical…

  • Playing With Numbers

    Two authors who are interested in numbers – one in googology, one in global economics – both are appearing at the Festival, and both are likely to be fascinating speakers. What’s googology? It’s the study of huge numbers, as mathematical logician Richard Elwes explains in his book called just that – Huge Numbers: A Story…

  • Voice From The Grave

    Former war correspondent and best-selling author Damien Lewis brings to life WWII Special Forces hero Archie Gibson in his new book Behind Enemy Lines. Gibson miraculously survived a harrowing attack in the desert by an 88mm German gun and went on to spearhead a string of daring missions by the Long Range Desert Group patrol,…

  • Climate Upheaval

    After a summer of wildfires, drought and natural disasters across the world – and the first hosepipe ban in Somerset in 50 years – climate and geopolitics expert Arthur Snell should prove a fascinating guest at the Festival. In his book Elemental he suggests that, while natural disasters and increased scarcity of food shake the…

  • Destiny In The Stars

    Budding astronomers inspired by the recent solar eclipse can reach for the skies once more duringthe Festival. Dame Maggie Aderin, space scientist and presenter of BBC4’s The Sky at Night, will tell the fascinating story of how her destiny was always written in the stars. Her memoir Starchild: My Life Under the Night Sky reveals…

  • Young Poets’ Record High

    A record number of 170 entries has been received in the Young Poets’ category of this year’s Festival competitions, beating 2021’s  previous high of 106 entries during the second Covid lockdown. Entries for 2026 closed on Friday 31 July. This increase in numbers follows an extended deadline of an extra month for Young Poets, aged…