Online for now, but we’ll be back bigger and better!

Organisers of the Monty Lit Fest have vowed to come back bigger and better in person next year, as they prepare to host three days of literary delights and fun online for the 2021 version from Thursday.

The line-up for the June 10-12 event has been published, and it all gets underway on Thursday with renowned writer and fiendish quizmaster Marcus Berkmann’s Big Pub Quiz Night.

Celebrating publication of his brand-new Berkmann’s Pop Miscellany, Marcus is inviting both teams and individuals to take part for “an evening of brain-bending literary fun”.  

On Friday, the winner of the Welsh Book of the Year, Ifan Morgan Jones, will discuss, in Welsh his steampunk classic, Babel, with fellow author, Myfanwy Alexander.

And on Saturday, a trip into the past will explore why we find fiction based on real or imagined historical events so compelling. Hope Adams, author of Dangerous Women, Lissa Evans, author of Crooked Heart, Old Baggage, and the upcoming V for Victory, and Alix Nathan, author of The Warlow Experiment and July’s Sea Change will be time travel guides into the world of the historically-based novel. 

Festival Chair, Sarah Morris, said: “The literary world has proved to be remarkably resilient – and important – during the pandemic and, as we emerge from lockdown, Monty Lit Fest is delighted to share with you just a taste of what the Festival has in store as we plan for an even bigger and brighter future.

“We appreciate all of the support we’ve received over the last year, and look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible for this year’s online events.”

All 2021 sessions will be held via Zoom, starting at 7.30pm. They’re free, but voluntary contributions (via https://ko-fi.com/montylitfest) are appreciated and will help ensure a bumper festival in 2022 and beyond. 

For full programme details and to register for those Zoom links, visit https://montylitfest.com/monty-lit-fest-2021/2021-programme/. 

The event’s local bookshop partners are Oswestry’s Booka Bookshop and Eaves & Lord in Montgomery.

Save the date: 

The event said it will be back “bigger and better than ever in 2022” from June 10-12 in Montgomery.