Lancaster University plays a key role in the city’s prestigious Litfest Extra-Long Autumn Weekend (October 18 to 25).

Former Lancaster University student Camille Ralphs, now editor of the Times Literary Supplement and president of Oxford University Poetry Society, will take part in Saturday’s Poetry Double Bill.

As part of Litfest’s 2024 Autumn Weekend, emerging poets from across the North West were invited to submit 20 pages of their work to a Pamphlet Poetry competition. Some 90 poets submitted work, spanning generations and genres.

The shortlisted ten poets will read their poetry on October 19 at 2pm. The MC for the occasion will be Eoghan Walls, a poet, novelist and teacher of English Literature and Creative Writing at Lancaster University. The event will be at The Storey or you can watch online via Crowdcast. Book via www.dukeslancaster.org.

Chair of Romanticism in the University’s Department of English Literature and Creative Writing Sharon Ruston speaks about her work on Humphry Davy – chemist, inventor of the Davy Lamp, and poet. This event will be the official launch of a new digital resource detailing the life and times of Davy from his own notebooks.

And Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University, Dr Inés Gregori Labarta, talks with award-winning author Professor Jenn Ashworth, also of Lancaster University, about ‘The Three Lives of St Ciarán’ – stories of hope and salvation in times of darkness and despair.

Litfest collaborates with Lancaster University on other events: the festival edition of the Litfest International Fiction Online Book Club and The Lancaster International Fiction Lecture presented by celebrated Mexican novelist Guadalupe Nettel.

A unique event on October 25, in partnership with Lancaster Arts, will feature celebrated American record and film producer Joe Boyd, who comes to the Nuffield Theatre to talk about ‘And the Roots of Rhythm Remain’ – the history of global music from Tango and Bossa Nova, through Ravi Shankar and the Beatles, to Fela Kuti and the Buena Vista Social Club.

Almost all events take place both in-person and live online and tickets are just £3/£5 and can be purchased from The Dukes – apart from the Joe Boyd event which costs £16 and is bookable via Lancaster Arts.

Join in a magical literary autumn extra-long weekend! www.litfest.org