Crime writer Ann Cleaves, historian Fern Riddell – and a love letter to Jürgen Klopp are among the headliners of this year’s Smithdown LitFest.
The annual Festival of the Written Word takes place from 24 to 29 September at venues along the Smithdown Road corridor.
Author talks and readings take place at venues such as Toxteth Library, Sefton Park Palm House, Mossley Hill Church and Smitdown Social Arts Hub.
The opening will take place on 24 September with an evening with poet and musician Tom George at the Smithdown Social Arts Hub.
Tom George has been performing his works – inspired by modern life, human relationships and nature – in Liverpool for more than 20 years. His recent book Keys to the Forest has been described as “touching and true”.
Liverpool bestselling author and LitFest patron MK Murphy will appear at Toxteth Library on 25 September to talk about her writing with fellow crime writer Daniel Sellers and to promote her latest book, Blood Debt.
Murphy – former chair of the British Crime Writers’ Association and founder of Murder Squad – has produced internationally acclaimed psychological thrillers and also writes forensic thrillers under the pseudonyms Ashley Dyer and AD Garrett.
The festival continues on 26 September with the chance to meet historian Fern Riddell in Sefton Park’s Palm House and hear the untold story of radical suffragette Kitty Marion.
Riddell specialises in sex, women’s suffrage and culture in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her book Death in 10 Minutes uses Marion’s personal diaries to examine her work as she was sent across the country by the Pankhurst family to carry out a nationwide campaign of bombings and arson, including a bombing of the Palm House, in the militant fight for women’s suffrage.
Above: Sefton Park Palm House. Above: Ann Cleves and Anthony Quinn.
On September 27, critically acclaimed and award-winning crime writer Ann Cleves returns to LitFest.
Cleves is the creator of the popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who appear on television in the series Vera (ITV), Shetland (BBC One) and The Long Call (ITV). The television series and the books on which they are based have become international sensations and have delighted millions of people around the world. In 2022, she was awarded an OBE for services to reading and libraries.
At an evening with Ann Cleves at the Unitarian Church Ullet Road, she will talk about her latest book, The Dark Wives, her eleventh Vera book.
He may have since left Liverpool, but football star Jürgen Klopp will take centre stage at LitFest on Saturday 28 September when bestselling author Anthony Quinn talks to Ragnhild Lund Ansnes at Mossley Hill Church about his recently updated book Klopp: My Liverpool Romance.
The lifelong Liverpool fan has penned an unforgettable love letter to Jurgen Klopp, taking in all the drama of LFC’s troubled but ultimately triumphant 2019-20 season and offering unique insight into one of football’s most charismatic figures.
Quinn’s many novels include Curtain Call – which was renamed The Critic and has been adapted for the big screen, starring Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton, and is due out later this year. His next novel, The Mouthless Dead, is based on the Wallace murder case set in 1930s Liverpool and will be published in March 2025.
There will also be a crime writing seminar in the Liverpool Arts Bar on 28 September, with expert advice from author Catherine Cole, Visiting Professor at LJMU, Carol Cox, Director of the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies, and retired American police detective Heather Panter, Programme Leader of LJMU’s MSc in Policing and Criminal Investigations.
And Patrick Graham will lead a magical free storytelling session for children at Greenbank Park and read from his latest work in progress, a fantasy adventure called House of Almost All Known Things.
On Sunday 29 September, Catherine Cole will be taking part in a writing workshop with Jenny Newman at the Smithdown Social Arts Hub.
Smithdown LitFest is the brainchild of Ian Skillicorn, who runs his own independent publishing company and whose family connections to Smithdown Road stretch back to the 19th century.
The proceeds from ticket sales go to charity – this year it’s called “Smithdown in Bloom”.
Patron Margaret (MK) Murphy says: “I am honoured and delighted to have been invited as Patron of the Smithdown Litfest.”
“The Smithdown Corridor couldn’t be closer to home for me: I was born, grew up and went to school just off Smithdown Road, and made my first forays as a storyteller there. My mother was a nurse at Sefton General Hospital and my father was a taxi driver. Several of my novels are set in Liverpool, mainly in the Toxteth area, and I’ve just started a new series featuring a Detective Sergeant who lives – you guessed it – near Smithdown Road.
“Libraries open up new worlds to people of all ages and walks of life, so it’s fitting that the beautifully restored Carnegie Library in Toxteth will be one of the festival’s venues. And with author talks for all ages, the week-long programme of thought-provoking literary events is a fantastic opportunity to explore the culture and heritage of the area, from Penny Lane to Liverpool 8.
“Smithdown LitFest is for everyone who loves books and for those just beginning their journey as readers. It is for proud locals and for visitors exploring our special corner of south Liverpool.”
The Smithdown LitFest takes place from 24 to 29 September. All details and booking information HERE
