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In light of the government’s new measures to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, we would like to remind our Friends that we are still able to offer our assistance to those being affected by the escalating pandemic. The government has stated that everybody should remain at home except when it is absolutely essential. We strongly…more

We are delighted to announce that England Rugby coach Eddie Jones will be joining us for a special event on Thursday 28 November. Fresh from the Rugby World Cup in Japan, Jones will be sharing stories of his life and career as told in his new autobiography, My Life and…more

Walter Swan Poetry Prize 1st. Border Patrol by Deborah Ballantyne 2nd. What Are You, Puffin by Rob Miles 3rd. honey suckle by Jo Peters   Judge Colette Bryce’s Feedback It was a pleasure to read the shortlisted entries for the Walter Swann Poetry Prize. Amongst the range of subjects, several…more

In total we received over 200 entries for this year’s short story competition. Many entries drew on important social issues such as dementia care or mental health, while others were packed with twists, turns and suprising final reveals. The competition has been judged by Lucy Caldwell, herself recently shortlisted for…more

Walter Swan Poetry Prize Shortlist 2019 Now in its fourth year, the Walter Swan Poetry Prize is open to all writers of poetry aged 18 and over. This year, for the first time, we have introduced a new prize category for young writers aged 18-25, which runs along the main…more

There’s lots happening in and around Ilkley in September and October. Don’t miss these fantastic events being run by our friends and partners. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tuesday 24 September Poetry From Singapore School of English, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT 6.30pm FREE Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to hear from one of…more

We are delighted to reveal some of the headline names who will be joining Poet Laureate Simon Armitage on the ILF programme this year. Star of stage and screen, David Suchet, will look back on his 50-year career via the many photographs he’s taken along the way. The much-loved actor…more

Our Young People’s poetry competition is open for entries and this year, inspired by the 50th anniversary of the moon landings we are asking for poems on the theme of Discovery. This can be any kind of discovery, not just scientific – it could be a personal discovery of a…more

The ILF Apprentice Poet in Residence position is a prestigious one for early career poets and is usually awarded to one poet each year. This year the calibre of this year’s applications was exceptional prompting ILF to take the unprecedented step of offering the Apprentice role as a joint position….more

We are delighted to announce that award-winning Northern Irish poet Colette Bryce will be Poet in Residence at the 2019 Festival. Following in the footsteps of previous Poets in Residence including Imtiaz Dharker, Daljit Nagra, Andrew McMillan and Zaffar Kunial, Colette will be putting her own mark on the festival,…more