Dear Festival Friends

It’s our first newsletter for a while but this edition brings with it some exciting news.

HOLLIE McNISH
We’re thrilled to announce that our 2026 Stroud Book Festival guest poet will be the one and only Hollie McNish.
Joining us at Stroud Sub Rooms on Friday 6th November, 8.30-9.30pm, Hollie is a hugely popular and widely acclaimed poet. The author of six collections, she was the first poet to record at Abbey Road Studios and won the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry for her poetic parenting memoir, “Nobody Told Me”.
Expect strong language, adult content and much worldly wisdom as Hollie shares poems from her latest acclaimed collection, “Virgin”
Tickets will go on sale next week via the Sub Rooms website. Priced at £14 (including booking fee), they will be on general sale from Friday 8th May (a day or two earlier for Sub Rooms Patrons and Members). Please note this event includes adult content and is therefore recommended for ages 14+.
To find out more and to book, please click here.
We much look forward to seeing you there!

THE LAURIE LEE PRIZE FOR WRITING
This year’s Laurie Lee Prize for Writing is now open for entries. Free to enter, the Prize is open to unpublished writers currently resident in Gloucestershire, and to those who were born in the county. The criteria also permit entries from anyone studying (at school or university) or working in Gloucestershire.
The theme for this year’s Prize is BEGINNINGS, and submitted writing on that theme can be fiction, non-fiction or poetry.

Two prizes will be awarded. The first to a writer aged 21 or over who will receive prize money of £1000. The second will go to a writer aged between 16-20 years (1st place: £500, 2nd place: £300, 3rd place: £200).
The closing dates for entries for both awards is Wednesday 15th July.

Please visit the Stroud Book Festival website for full details of eligibility criteria and how to enter: www.stroudbookfestival.org.uk/about-the-laurie-lee-prize

PLAY ON STROUD
We love our fellow festivals so we were excited to hear that Stroud will once again have a theatre festival this year. Play On Stroud takes place from 9-11 October 2026, at Lansdown Hall and the Cotswold Playhouse, bringing professional theatre productions to Stroud for a weekend celebration of live performance. Featuring plays, children’s shows, discussions and workshops this annual festival aims to offer a platform for distinctive voices and ensure people of all ages can experience exciting theatre.

To find out more, please visit the Play On Stroud website – playonstroud.com – and follow the festival on social media (Instagram: @playonstroud & Facebook: Play On Stroud).

Thank you for reading. And don’t miss our next newsletter at the end of May when we will announcing a hugely exciting one-off Stroud Book Festival event in October. Please save the date for Saturday 10th October (morning)…..you might kick yourself if you don’t.
In the meantime, a reminder that you can watch a whole array of our past events for a cheap as chips £10 a year. Just click on the Watch Previous Events button at the top of our website home page here.