THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL HAPPEN
Our authors, our chairs, our sponsors, our many individual supporters, our audiences, our digital partners MMOUK… It has been a labour of love, and we absolutely couldn’t have done it without you. You can watch many of our events again – just click below. Thank you.
EXPLORE THE FESTIVAL
WHAT’S ON
GET INVOLVED
We are always delighted to hear from anyone who can lend their support to our Festival, by volunteering, donating their time or money, or simply by following us on social media.
ABOUT STROUD BOOK FESTIVAL
Stroud Book Festival celebrates all things books. Headed up by a team of local authors, literary and cultural professionals, and with Ian McEwan as patron, the festival presents a creative programme of high-quality, entertaining and thought-provoking events to engage this vibrant local community. Stroud Book Festival contributes to the town’s thriving cultural landscape, making sure books are fully represented.
ALL AROUND STROUD
This year, Stroud Book Festival will be online only.
We look forward to working with our fabulous venues in 2021.
LATEST NEWS & UPDATES
2022 Festival Dates & The Laurie Lee Writing Prize
Dear Friends, Welcome to the first Stroud Book Festival News of 2022. Though we may have gone a little quiet since our 2021 Festival last November, we have been busy behind the scenes. Following a few team changes, we are now forging ahead with the 2022 Festival. We have set our 2022 dates and look…
Memoir: The Power of Telling the Truth by Jess Wheeler
Growing up, I had very little knowledge of how broad a genre non-fiction truly is. In school, I learned that non-fiction books were travel guides and celebrity biographies. It wasn’t until I took a life writing module at university whilst studying for my Creative Writing and Publishing degree that I began to understand the power behind…
A Letter To My Younger Self by Shelby Gibbs
At 7 I wanted to be an author. At 12 I wanted to be a lawyer. At 16 I was clueless and at 18 I was sure I’d be a book editor. Truth be told, I’m not all that good at storytelling, debating, or proofreading…
Welcome to our 2021 Programme!
Dear readers of Stroud and beyond! The sixth annual Stroud Book Festival is almost here, and we are thrilled to share our 2021 Festival brochure with you! For 2021, we have created a new Festival strapline – A Celebration of Stories, Ideas and Community for Readers of All Ages – to encapsulate the ethos behind…
Bailey Paints, Books and Me by Christy Blanch
Our latest Blog from Christy Blanch of Bailey Paints
First Names announced: Mary Portas, Sir Michael Morpurgo, Kate Mosse, Hassan Akkad & more!
We are delighted to announce the first names for Stroud Book Festival 2021!
Heartfelt Thanks to Arts Council England
We are very grateful to again receive a Project Grant from the Arts Council England, particularly with the universally challenging conditions of COVID-19. We can’t wait to bring our programme of events to venues in Stroud this November. This grant also allows us to create digital versions of some of our events, for those who…
Stroud Book Festival shortlisted for SoGlos Event of the Year!
We are absolutely over the moon to be shortlisted for the SoGlos Event of the Year 2021! The winner will be decided by a public vote, which will close on Friday 17 September. There are so many wonderful events in Gloucestershire, many worthy winners, well done everyone! We would be so grateful to get your…
The Big Reveal: Meet our Stroud Book Festival Illustration for 2021 by Louise Brice
Joining the extremely talented list of past Stroud Book Festival illustrators is Lucia Leyfield, artist, letterer and creative educator..
Why Stroud has a Book Festival by Caroline Sanderson
As co-director of Stroud Book Festival, the news that Stroud has been named “Best Place to Live” in the UK by The Sunday Times has entirely refocused my mind on the reasons why we have a book festival, just as we announce the 2021 dates for our (everything crossed) live and in-person events from 3-7 November.