The 10-day festival kicks off on 23 March with a line-up of 50+ outdoor, digital and venue-based events, showcasing emerging artists as well as major writers and performers
National treasure Celia Imrie and celebrated poet Linton Kwesi Johnson will headline this year’s Huddersfield Literature Festival (Hudd Lit Fest), which takes place from 23 March to 2 April 2023. The Festival theme is ‘Music’ to tie-in with the Kirklees Year of Music 2023.
The stellar line-up continues with million-bestselling Yorkshire novelists Milly Johnson and Linda Green, actor and novelist Paterson Joseph and one of the stars of frontline politics Lisa Nandy.
Poetry is strongly featured this year with performances from Patience Agbabi, Jason Allen-Paisant, Helen Mort and Attila the Stockbroker. Locally based poets include Poetry Slam host Rose Condo, workshop tutor Sharena Lee Satti, and Chérie Taylor Battiste, who is working with the soul pioneer Omar Lyefook to present a multi-arts performance at the Festival launch. Further music events include a performance from Balbir Singh Dance Company, plus one of the UK’s foremost rock critics John Aizlewood on his new book, Radiohead: Life in a Glasshouse.
Crime fiction is represented by Penny Batchelor and Nell Pattison, who will be joining forces for a Hybrid event made even more accessible by live subtitling and BSL. Creative workshops will sit alongside an Ask the Agent and Editor event, discussion topics will feature writers such as Jeffrey Boakye and the annual showcase of LGBTQ+ talent, Polari, will return with Paul Burston and Joelle Taylor. There will also be a host of free family events, including rap workshops and an Inclusive Sensory Station Session for SEND families.
Online events include a chat with legendary record producer-turned brain scientist, Helen Rogers, best known for her work with Prince, and a partnership event with MACFEST on Muslim Women Travellers.
The Festival will partner with a range of local organisations for further events and activities, including &Piano Music Festival, Aspire, Cosmia Festival, Dark Horse Theatre, S2R, Serendipity Writers Group, The Holocaust Centre at the University of Huddersfield and Woven Festival. It is also supporting the West Yorkshire Poetry Week and Young Poet Laureate initiative, which launches the same week as the Festival.
This year’s Schools Programme has been significantly expanded, with a special event featuring CBeebies’ George Webster and a wide range of assemblies, workshops and author talks.
Festival Director Michelle Hodgson said: “We’re proud to once again champion a diverse and representative range of talent at the Festival, from leading actors to novelists and poets. We have already voiced our commitment to the #KeepFestivalsHybrid initiative, and this year we are working with Kirklees Local TV to increase our hybrid and online provision, to broaden our reach and promote accessibility.”
Having recently won the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism award at the 2022 Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards, the Festival prides itself on its ongoing work to make the event as inclusive and accessible as possible, through digital accessibility, access guides to key venues, steward training, subtitling and representative programming.
The Festival is supported by funding from the Arts Council, Kirklees Year of Music 2023, the University of Huddersfield and a number of sponsors.
Events now are available to book and many are free or low cost. Audiences can find out what’s on and browse the festival programme at www.huddlitfest.org.uk
