Dear Festival Friends

Stroud Book Festival 2025 gets underway in just under two weeks’ time on Wednesday 5^th November.

On our opening night at our main venue of Stroud Sub Rooms we present FIREWORDS NIGHT (7.30-9.00pm), a very special, very Stroud event designed to celebrate the power of books and reading and to mark the milestone of our 10^th annual festival.

Ten renowned Stroud authors, including Stroud Book Festival founder Jamila Gavin, Rachel Joyce, Sue Limb, Alice Jolly and John Dougherty will read personal favourite pieces of writing; from Dylan Thomas and E Nesbit to Homer and Thomas Hardy. Closing the evening will be Jessy Lee, reading from her father Laurie’s work.

Also joining us will be Richard Ovenden, the 25^th Bodley’s Librarian at the University of Oxford and the author of “Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack” which was a Times Book of the Year and a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week on publication. He’ll be reminding us of the glories of books and reading and why we should never take them for granted.

All profits from this extravaganza of books and reading event will go to Nailsworth-based national charity Read for Good which works in schools and hospitals across the UK to encourage children in a lifelong love of reading.

We’d love to see you there in support of this excellent cause.

FESTIVAL FINALE: PLAY ON WORDS: PG WODEHOUSE ON BROADWAY

Sunday 9^th November, 8– 9.15pm

After five packed days of events for readers of all ages, Stroud Book Festival 2025 will go out in style with this marvellous musical celebration in song and words of the forgotten Broadway legacy of PG Wodehouse, presented by his step-great grandson, Hal Cazalet, accompanied by pianist Simon Beck.

Now best remembered for his comic novels, Wodehouse wrote with the likes of Jerome Kern, the Gershwin brothers and Cole Porter, helping to define the Broadway musical and pave the way for many who came after him. At one point Wodehouse had five musicals running simultaneously on Broadway, a record that remains unbeaten to this day.

Tickets are still available for many of our 2025 events but some are now close to selling out so please don’t delay!

You can browse the full programme in our printed brochure, or atstroudbookfestival.org.uk where you can click through to buy your tickets online. Or go direct to thesubrooms.co.uk. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 01453 796880, or in-person at the Sub Rooms box office (Tuesday-Saturday, 9-4pm).

We can’t wait to see you!

With love from

The Stroud Book Festival team x

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