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Home ➔ Programming Information for Publishers and Writers

Ilkley Literature Festival runs a two week festival in October celebrating some of the most exciting voices in the industry at the moment. Details are further below.

Ilkley Literature Festival…

Submissions for ILF 2023 October Festival are now open.

If you or an author you represent would like to be part of the 2023 Ilkley Literature Festival, please keep reading to find out how to share the details with the festival.

Please be assured we do consider every submission we receive, but sadly are not able to accommodate every talented author and great book on our programme. We’d love to be able to get back to every unsuccessful submission personally –  we are a small team and sadly it’s beyond our capacity to do so.

About Us

  • is the longest-standing literature festival in the north of England. Established in 1973, our 50th Anniversary will be taking place this year in 2023!
  • runs for 17 days every October.
  • programmes over 150 events – talks, panel discussions, poetry readings, performances, writing workshops, and interactive experiences.
  • attracts incredible writers in a wide-ranging and varied programme of genres and subjects. Literary luminaries appearing at the festival over the years have included W.H. Auden, Alan Bennett, Maya Angelou, Margaret Atwood, Ted Hughes, Hilary Mantel and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage to name just a few.
  • This year’s festival dates: Fri 6 – Sun 22 October 2023.

Location:

  • Ilkley is an attractive spa town just to the north of Leeds and Bradford.
  • Good transport links with direct trains to Leeds and Bradford taking just 30 minutes.
  • Leeds-Bradford Airport is an easy 20-min drive.

What we programme:

  • Fiction
  • Non-Fiction
  • Poetry
  • Writing workshops and masterclasses

In addition to our wide-ranging general programme, for each annual iteration of the festival we look to curate events around 4-6 specific themes or strands.

We also programme Children’s (3-12 years) and Young Adult (12+ years) events. Please email programme@ilkleylitfest.org.uk to let us know if you wish to be added to the Children’s & Young People Publicist mailing list.

Venues:

Ilkley and its surroundings boast a variety of high-quality venues to suit a range of audience capacities from 50 to 700.

Publishers, Writers and Poets:

If you would like to be part of ILF 2023, ask your publicist at your publishing company to get in touch with us by completing our online submission form.

If you are working on a particular project or touring show that might be suitable for the festival, please email us.

If you are a self published writer, a local writers group or have an idea for a more unusual event, please take a look at how to apply to be part of our Fringe Festival.

Have a question about programming or want to email us? Drop us a line at programme@ilkleylitfest.org.uk