This friendly community based literary festival returns for the third time, with fun for all the family, without breaking the bank. The festival takes place in Ivybridge from October 10– 13 with a wide variety of events, which aim to be affordable for all.

Organiser Alison Huntingford said:

“We wanted to share these events with the whole community, and this means keeping our costs as low as possible so that everyone can join in.”

Many events are free, including all children’s activities, a community play, book launches, open mics and a book fair.

“The authors’ talks and workshops on Saturday October 12 in the Watermark Centre, Ivybridge are also very reasonably priced at £4 per session, with an advice fair for writers costing only £2.

‘‘Would be’ authors are catered for in the morning, with the afternoon devoted to book lovers.’

“Our organisation (The South Hams Authors Network) is entirely non-profit making and aims to support and promote all the talented authors we have in the area. We do not charge fees for membership or meetings.”

Author performance
Author performance (South Hams Literary Festival)

The festival itself promises to be informal and fun, with something for everyone.

There will be a fancy-dress theme on the Saturday when people are encouraged to dress up and enjoy being someone else for the day.

The Mayor of Ivybridge will be there to act as judge, along with David (Fitz) Fitzgerald who will be announcing the short story competition results.

There is a book fair open to everyone that afternoon with competitions and a raffle to take part in, plus lots of stalls to browse.

The aim of the festival is to be approachable and friendly. Some local charities and wellbeing organisations will also be represented.

Alison says: “Some literary festivals can be too academic for most people.

“Whilst we are not ‘dumbing down’, we feel that it shouldn’t be ‘highbrow’, but rather a fun and informative event that people can enjoy.

“There is even a pub quiz on the Sunday.”

Full details of all events with links to ticket booking sites, can be found on the website: https://www.southhamsauthors.co.uk/festival-2024