Jersey Festival of Words

This autumn’s Jersey Festival of Words promises an exceptional line-up of fiction events, bringing some of Britain’s most celebrated authors to the island for a series of intimate and thought-provoking conversations.

First off is a headline double act of two giants of British crime writing, Mark Billingham and Peter James, who take to the stage together at the Freedom Centre on Wednesday 23 September (8–9pm). Both recipients of the prestigious Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement in crime writing, the pair will lift the lid on their craft – from where dark ideas are born to how a perfect twist is constructed – in what promises to be a sharp, witty and occasionally grisly evening of conversation, laced with insider stories and gallows humour.

The following evening, Thursday 24 September, the Freedom Centre welcomes Patrick Gale, one of the UK’s most admired and compassionate storytellers, as he discusses his powerful new standalone novel, Love Lane (8–9pm). Revisiting characters from his Costa-shortlisted A Place Called Winter, the book weaves a rich and moving story spanning the rural plains of Canada, 1950s Liverpool and Yorkshire — a searing portrayal of escape, entrapment and what home and family can truly mean. Patrick will be in conversation with fellow author and Festival Patron Cathy Rentzenbrink.

Also on the programme is novelist Anna Stothard, appearing at Jersey Library on Friday 18 September (6:30–7:30pm) to discuss her gripping new novel Follow Her. For six months, Stothard worked as a telephone psychic — despite being, by her own admission, not remotely psychic — and brings those startling insights to a story of a young woman drawn into an online wellness community that becomes a modern cult. Exploring belief, online influence and the psychic tricks of the trade, Anna will be in conversation with fellow novelist Sophie Cousens.

Now in its eleventh year, Jersey Festival of Words runs from 18–27 September and will feature over 90 events. As well as the Freedom Centre, this year’s festival will take place at the Arts Centre, Jersey Library, Capital House, 16 New Street, Millennium Park plus other venues.