Leeds Lit Fest is back! – preview

Credit: Leeds Lit Fest

Returning for its seventh year, the Leeds award-winning festival of words and thought will take place on Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd June across a diverse range of the city’s venues.

Leeds Lit Fest 2025 aims to bring together, and help develop, the city’s literary scene, with writers, poets and performers from Leeds, the UK and beyond, taking part in 34 events over 9 days. Gemma Styles, Andrew McMillan, Maria Ferguson, White Rabbit Books with Adelle Stripe, Lee Brackstone and David Keenan, Leeds International African Arts Festival Esther’s Revenge, John Robb, Simon Price and Boff Whalley are just some of the standout authors, writers, poets and performances taking place at this year’s festival.

This year’s Festival is the broadest yet in terms of partners and spaces. There are great writers, from across the country, as well as lots of homegrown talent. There is also a wide representation of organisations such as LiveWire, Leeds Poetry Festival, Leeds Arts University, University of Leeds, Blur the Lines, Leeds Libraries and others working together to develop the literary environment.

Best-selling author and award-winning podcaster Gemma Styles will be in conversation at the Brudenell Social Club talking about mental health and her debut book ‘Why Am I Like This’ (Sunday 22nd June, 1:00 pm). Gemma is an eyewear brand founder and mental health advocate with more than 14 million followers across her platforms including over 10 million on Instagram alone.

Gemma Styles. Credit: supplied by the artists.

Highly acclaimed Yorkshire-based poets and writers Andrew McMillan and Maria Ferguson will treat audiences to live performances of their work, alongside a conversation led by poet Matt Abbott at the Hyde Park Book Club (Wednesday 18th June, 7:30 pm). Andrew has published three award-winning collections with Jonathan Cape, most recently ‘pandemonium.’ Maria’s second collection, ‘Swell’, was published by Penguin in January and you can read our conversation with her about the collection here. 

Andrew McMillan and Maria Ferguson. Credit: supplied by the artists.

The Legendary White Rabbit Books is holding a special panel event showcase with White Rabbit supremo Lee Brackstone, writer, poet, cultural critic and memoirist Adelle Stripe and the one and only David Keenan, author of the cult classic This Is Memorial Device and several other works of genre-bending fiction and non-fiction. Taking place at Leeds Central Library (Saturday 21st June, 2:00 pm) this is an unmissable event for music and pop culture lovers.

Leeds International African Arts Festival, in partnership with Leeds Lit Fest, presents Esther’s Revenge, an intense drama written and directed by renowned director Kenneth Uphopho and performed by award-winning actor Bola Atitebi. It is the story of Esther, a woman driven by a quest for justice and truth against the system who have wronged her. With its unique blend of African storytelling and theatrical physicality, Esther’s Revenge is a must-see for fans of gripping drama and social commentary, in the stunning surrounds of Leeds Minster (Wednesday 18th June, 6:30 pm).

Bola Atitebi as Esther in Esthers Revenge. Credit: supplied by the artists.

Celebrated grave dwellers John Robb and Simon Price who have written extensively on goth music and subculture, join writer, poet & musician Stu Hennigan for conversation and maybe a chance to hear some classic goth tunes too. Essential for anyone who wants to hide from the sun and indulge their dark side in the company of fellow doom-mongers at the Hyde Park Book Club (Monday 16th June, 7:30 pm).

But: Life Isn’t Like That, Is It? is the new book by Boff Whalley, musician, author, and a founding member of the anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba and commoners choir. His stories are about real lives and real people – stuttering, wayward, disjointed, funny, ridiculous and unplanned. Boff will be at the beautiful Mill Hill Chapel (Friday 20th June,7:00 pm) to talk about, and sing, the stories that make up the book. Part reading, part gig and part conversation, Boff will play songs from a lifetime of writing and making music, songs which chime with the book, and will draw from a personal history of creative activism.

Boff Whalley. Credit: supplied by the artists.

Jack Simpson, Leeds Lit Fest Chair and owner of the Hyde Park Book Club said: “This is the 7th Leeds Lit Fest and comes at a time when the city’s literary scene is really buzzing. New spaces opening, the National Poetry Centre developing and the British Library project gathering pace.” He continued: “If people are interested in hearing the thoughts of writers, meeting publishers, visiting new spaces devoted to the written word, all in a city with an increasing focus on the literary arts, we think we’ve something for everyone.” 

***

Most previous events have sold out, and many of this year’s events are in venues with under 100 capacity, so don’t delay in booking your tickets! Full details of the Leeds Lit Fest programme can be found here. You can also keep up to date on the festival, including programme updates and ticket information on their social media pages: Instagram: leeds_lit_fest | Facebook: @LeedsLitFest | Bluesky: @leedslitfest.bsky.social | X: @LeedsLit | #LLF25