All set for 2023 Monty Lit Fest!

A star-studded line-up mixed with a strong local flavour will be on show this weekend for the three-day Monty Lit Fest that gets underway in Montgomery tomorrow (Friday). 

The town will be celebrating writing from Wales, the Borders and beyond, bringing together a stellar line-up of literary talent for book-lovers to enjoy.

A busy weekend will reach a fantastic finale on Sunday when rugby legend, Nigel Owens MBE (pictured), will be in conversation with MyWelshpool co-founder David Williams in the town’s church, a new bigger venue after the original sold out in days.

The final few tickets for that event are still available, but tickets are still on offer across the sessions, along with season tickets to pick and choose when you like.

Among the 20 brilliant authors featured over the weekend include top crime and thriller writer, Clare Mackintosh, and Frieda Hughes talking about her new book George: A Magpie Memoir;

As always, local authors will be much in evidence, including Machynlleth’s Mike Parker, Welshpool’s Rebecca Wragg Sykes, Ludlow’s Annie Garthwaite – and more. 

So, whether you’re into crime fiction or poetry; history or geography; rock music, rugby or beer, the festival looks to have something for everyone, including a workshop for aspiring writers and a series of sessions that explore the future of farming, nature and the rural communities that are so close to our hearts.

Organisers are encouraging visitors to make a day or weekend of it in the historic town, with a whole host of free community events from a poetry-themed art exhibition and children’s storytelling to street food and music and everything else that Montgomery has to offer.

Festival Co-Chair, Sarah Corser, said: “I can’t wait to hear from all the brilliant writers we’ve assembled for this year’s Monty Lit Fest. Whether you’re an avid reader, an aspiring writer or have never been to a literary festival before, we’d love you to join us. The whole community in Montgomery is ready to give everyone a friendly welcome for what promises to be a very special weekend.”

The Festival’s main venue will be Montgomery Town Hall, with other local venues in the town playing a supporting role. 

Festival goers will be able to buy books from not one, but two, bookshops: a pop-up Festival shop run by Oswestry’s Booka, as well as Montgomery’s own Montgomery Bookshop. 

Full programme details are available on the Festival’s website: www.montylitfest.com. 

Tickets are on sale online, or in-person from the Bookshop and the Ivy House Café in Montgomery. You can either buy tickets for individual sessions, or a season ticket for the whole weekend.