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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Whitby Lit Fest
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251109T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251109T183000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T145204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250802T201313Z
UID:478-1762707600-1762713000@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Sir Alan Ayckbourn in conversation with Kate Fenton
DESCRIPTION:One of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights is interviewed by festival patron\, the former BBC Radio 4 producer\, Kate Fenton. \nAs funny in person as his plays\, and as penetrating about human nature\, this conversation promises a fascinating insight into his craft\, his global success\, and why as a Londoner – he chose Scarborough to be home. \nThe Olivier and Tony Award winning playwright has written 91 full-length plays\, many of which have been produced in London’s West End and New York as well as around the world. His plays have been translated into more than 35 languages. \nAs an acclaimed director\, Sir Alan has worked extensively in the West End and at the National Theatre. He was the Artistic Director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre\, Scarborough\, from 1972 to 2009. \nNow in his 66th year as a playwright\, Sir Alan continues to write and premiere work from his home in Scarborough\, where he remains closely associated with the Stephen Joseph Theatre. His latest work\, Earth Angel\, will premiere there this September. \nBuy Tickets \n\n			\n				\n			\n				\n				©Tony Bartholomew
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/sir-alan-ayckbourn-in-conversation-with-kate-fenton/
LOCATION:Eighteen91\, Brunswick Street\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Headliners,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Sir-Alan-AyckbournLIbrary_01-©-Tony-Bartholomew-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251109T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251109T163000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T144740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T151141Z
UID:474-1762700400-1762705800@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Let Me In: The Brontës in Bricks and Mortar: Sharon Wright\, Ann Dinsdale and Julie Akhurst
DESCRIPTION:Between wild walks\, Charlotte\, Emily\, and Anne Brontë spent most of their lives indoors\, their imaginations firing behind firmly-closed doors. \nTwo expert writers\, Sharon Wright and Ann Dinsdale\, went on a very personal journey around Britain and Ireland\, enjoying privileged access to private houses\, that shaped and inspired the Brontë sisters and their writing. \nEchoing Cathy’s ghost in Wuthering Heights\, Ann and Sharon ask to be let in – and invite you on an eye-opening odyssey that combines the surprising Bronte history of key houses with their sometimes glorious\, sometimes heartbreaking\, always fascinating afterlives. They’ll also delve into the strong local Brontë connections with Scarborough\, Filey\, and Bridlington. \nAnn Dinsdale\, Principal Curator of the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth\, is an expert on the world-class Brontë collection. Sharon Wright is an award-winning journalist and author of the Amazon #1 bestselling biography of Maria Branwell Brontë. \nThey are interviewed by former journalist\, Julie Akhurst\, who lived in Ponden Hall – the ancient farmhouse on the moors thought to inspire Wuthering Heights. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/let-me-in-the-brontes-in-bricks-and-mortar-sharon-wright-ann-dinsdale-and-julie-akhurst/
LOCATION:Whitby Mission & Seafarers Centre\, Haggersgate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3PP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/LET-ME-IN-Dinsdale-and-Wright-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251109T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251109T143000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T132220Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T133530Z
UID:467-1762693200-1762698600@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Walking on Egg Shells: Belinda Bauer and Steve Mosby
DESCRIPTION:Vera’s Ann Cleeves declared Belinda Bauer’s The Impossible Thing ‘extraordinary.’ Val McDermid said it gifts the ‘pure joy of reading’ and Lee Child declared it ‘solid gold.’ \nLiterary crime writing at its best\, this gloriously gripping novel follows one of the most daring crimes of the century. \n1926. On the towering cliffs of Yorkshire\, men are lowered on ropes to steal the eggs of the sea birds who nest there. The most beautiful are sold for large sums. But when small and hungry Celie Sheppard finds an ‘impossible’ red egg\, it will forever alter the course of her life – and the lives of others. \nOne hundred years later in a remote cottage in Wales\, a carved case containing an incredible scarlet egg goes missing after a robbery\, as the book takes readers on the trail of a priceless collection of eggs lost to history. Until now. \nThis promises an atmospheric author talk\, set amongst Whitby Museum’s own rare egg collection. \nThe CWA Gold Dagger Award winner is in conversation with fellow crime writer\, Steve Mosby. \nThe Leeds author has written ten novels as Steve Mosby\, then\, in 2019 he released a book under the pen name\, Alex North: The Whisper Man. It became a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller\, translated into over 30 languages. \nThe Whisperer Man is being filmed for Netflix starring Robert De Niro\, Michelle Monaghan\, and Adam Scott\, produced by the famed Russo brothers. His fourth Alex North book The Man Made of Smoke is out now. \nBuy Tickets SOLD OUT
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/walking-on-egg-shells-belinda-bauer-and-steve-mosby/
LOCATION:Whitby Museum\, Pannett Park\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction
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ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251109T110000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251109T123000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T131142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T090025Z
UID:465-1762686000-1762691400@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Outrageous: The Mitford Letters: Rob Rinder and Leticia Lentini
DESCRIPTION:The fascination with the Mitford sisters is endless. The glamour. The tragedy. The scandal. Each pursued wildly different paths – communism and fascism – often at a great personal cost. \nRecognised for their beauty\, eccentricity\, conflicting political views\, and sharp intellect\, the six Mitford sisters were undoubtedly the ultimate ‘It Girls’ of the 20th century. \nThey’ve spawned numerous biographies and collected letters\, as well as their own books including Decca and Diana Mitford’s autobiographies and Nancy Mitford’s glittering novels. The sisters are also the subject of a TV biopic – Outrageous – on UKTV\, starring Bessie Carter\, Orla Hill\, Will Attenborough\, James Purefoy\, and Anna Chancellor. \nTV personality\, the barrister and author Rob Rinder\, has long had a slight obsession with the sisters\, as has Leticia Lentini\, who runs the Whitby-based publisher\, Crow Emporium. \nJoin them and Jessica Mitford’s son\, Benjamin Treuhaft\, as they delve into the explosive scandal and heartache. \nBuy Tickets SOLD OUT
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/outrageous-the-mitford-letters-rob-rinder-and-leticia-lentini/
LOCATION:Eighteen91\, Brunswick Street\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Headliners,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rob-rinder-author-photo.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T203000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T115721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250812T181327Z
UID:462-1762628400-1762633800@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Man Behind the Stories: Lee Child in conversation with Rob Rinder
DESCRIPTION:Are you one of the 100 million people in need of an addictive Reacher fix? \nWith a book selling every nine seconds\, famous fans include Tom Cruise (who took Reacher to the big screen)\, Bill Clinton and Stephen King. \nExit Strategy is the 30th Reacher book (now co-written with his brother\, Andrew). \nThe first\, Killing Floor in 1997\, changed the author’s life. Then 40 years-old\, Jim Grant was made redundant from his job at Granada\, and reinvented himself as Lee Child. He spent £3.99 on pencils and paper\, sat down at his kitchen table\, and began to write. \nIt’s the stuff of Hollywood movies\, told in Lee’s first-ever autobiographical collection of essays that puts his writing in a cultural and personal context \nReacher: The Stories Behind the Stories takes us from that first novel scribbled in pencil\, to the advent of the internet and 9/11\, to seeing his books adapted to the big and small screen. \nExamining the story of a man who once put pencil to paper to turn his luck around\, and who made every word count\, is the author\, barrister and TV personality\, Rob Rinder. \nGarrulous and gossipy\, yet thoughtful and heartfelt\, he brings his trademark warmth and wit to gently interrogate one of the world’s leading thriller writers. \nA Holocaust survivor’s grandson\, Strictly Come Dancing contestant\, and regular face on the telly\, Rob began hosting the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder in 2014\, while still a practising barrister. He is also a Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author\, with a series of novels inspired by his experiences as a barrister: The Trial\, The Suspect and The Protest. \nBuy Tickets SOLD OUT
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/the-man-behind-the-stories-lee-child-in-conversation-with-rob-rinder/
LOCATION:Whitby Spa Pavilion Theatre\, West Cliff\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3EN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Headliners,Interviews & Panel Discussions
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ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T183000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T115103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250805T110945Z
UID:459-1762621200-1762626600@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Deadline: Steph McGovern
DESCRIPTION:Your child has been kidnapped. You’re live on television. Going live in 10\, 9\, 8 . . . \nToday is a huge day for TV reporter Rose’s career. A live interview with one of the most powerful men in the country\, on one of the nation’s biggest TV shows. 7\, 6\, 5 . . . \nBut\, when she hears an unfamiliar voice in her ear\, she knows something is very wrong. 4\, 3\, 2 . . . \nHer earpiece has been hacked. She’s live on air in the middle of the interview. They tell her they have kidnapped her family. \nDeadline is the debut crime thriller from the award-winning broadcaster and journalist\, Steph McGovern. Hear the inside story of how the seed of the novel was planted in her early days at the BBC\, and how a real-life stalker informed the novel. \nHailing from Middlesbrough\, Steph began her career as a producer on Radio 4 Today\, before moving to BBC news\, and presenting her own magazine show\, Ch4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch. \nShe’s put in the interview seat by the award-winning author of historical crime fiction\, Anna Mazzola\, who also writes thrillers under the pen name Anna Sharpe. Her most recent historical novel\, The Book of Secrets\, was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year\, 2025. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/deadline-steph-mcgovern/
LOCATION:Eighteen91\, Brunswick Street\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Headliners
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/EDITED-SM-Headshot-02.23-credit-Carolyn-Mendelsohn-2-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T163000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T114604Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T160455Z
UID:456-1762614000-1762619400@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Vampish Tales: Emma Carroll
DESCRIPTION:For readers aged 9+\, bite into vampish powers with a brand-new adventure series following three cousins who discover they’re the descendants of Dracula. The trio combine their vampish powers to form the infamous vampire healing company\, Dracula & Daughters! A tale dangerously close to the heart! \nEmma Carroll is a multi-award winning and bestselling author and the ‘Queen of Historical Fiction’ (BookTrust). \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/vampish-tales-emma-carroll/
LOCATION:Whitby Museum\, Pannett Park\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Gothic Literature,Headliners
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Emma-Carroll.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T163000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T113943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250827T161243Z
UID:453-1762614000-1762619400@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Little Book of Miriam: Miriam Margolyes
DESCRIPTION:Famed for her unfiltered honesty and big heart\, Miriam Margolyes has a huge capacity for kindness\, is outrageously funny\, and her passion and curiosity cannot be dimmed. Qualities that have propelled her to the position of national treasure. \nAn award-winning actress\, Miriam has featured alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo and Juliet)\, played the beloved Professor Sprout (Harry Potter)\, and won a BAFTA for her role in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence. Her stage credits include Dickens’ Women. \nShe has fronted incisive\, award-winning\, and humane documentaries\, including exploring what it means to be Australian. Her appearances on the Graham Norton Show go viral and\, in her eighties\, she was on the cover of Vogue. \nA life-long Dickens aficionado\, her recent Edinburgh Fringe show was Margolyes and Dickens: More Best Bits. She comes to Whitby at the end of a book tour for her latest memoir. \nJoin her for a candid interview with her long-time friend: Dickens’ great\, great\, great granddaughter\, the author\, art historian and broadcaster\, Lucinda Hawksley\, as she discusses her latest book: The Little Book of Miriam\, an A-Z of wit and wisdom. \nBuy Tickets SOLD OUT
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/the-little-book-of-miriam-miriam-margolyes/
LOCATION:Whitby Spa Pavilion Theatre\, West Cliff\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3EN\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Headliners,Interviews & Panel Discussions,Non-Fiction
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Miriam-Margolyes-1-c.-Carole-Barghi-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T140000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T153000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T113039Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251004T170257Z
UID:448-1762610400-1762615800@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Forgotten Women of History Fight Back: Anna Mazzola\, Liz Hyder\, and Donna Moore
DESCRIPTION:Join three powerhouse authors for a journey through time and place\, and delve into the stories that reclaim women from the footnote of history – with a thrilling vengeance. \nAnna Mazzola is the award-winning writer of historical\, Gothic and crime fiction. She also writes thrillers under the pen name Anna Sharpe. Her most recent historical novel\, The Book of Secrets\, was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year\, 2025. A dark tale\, inspired by real events that took place in 17th century Italy\, it delves into the moral rights and wrongs of self-defensive murder in a male-dominated society. \nLiz Hyder’s adult debut\, The Gifts was the award-winning historical novel set in 1840 following four women who extraordinarily sprout wings in an age defined by men. Her next novel\, The Illusions\, inspired by real-life illusionists\, is an astonishing story of women and talent\, magic\, and power. \nDonna Moore’s The Devil’s Draper is a historical crime novel set in Glasgow in 1920 following an intrepid trio of women on a perilous journey. Where women’s voices are often silenced\, this thrilling tale weaves together crime\, justice\, and the fight for equality. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/forgotten-women-of-history-fight-back-anna-mazzola-liz-hyder-and-donna-moore/
LOCATION:Whitby Mission & Seafarers Centre\, Haggersgate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3PP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Mazzola-Anna-by-Andy-Lo-Po-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T133000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T150000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T110158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T160455Z
UID:439-1762608600-1762614000@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Life on Magrs? Paul Magrs
DESCRIPTION:Whitby takes centre stage with cult writer Paul Magrs – known for his writings around Doctor Who. \nPaul’s Brenda and Effie Mystery series of novels merge comedy\, fantasy\, high art\, and popular culture. Who knew that from the annals of Mary Shelley’s Gothic seminal work Frankenstein Brenda’s story would arise? \nRunning a BnB in Whitby\, Brenda is a middle-aged spinster living a life of fry-ups\, perfectly sized soaps in every bathroom\, and oh\, solving spooky supernatural mysteries on the side with her best friend Effie – who runs the junk shop next door. \nAs a creation of Dr Frankenstein\, Brenda’s character grapples with profound themes of identity\, humanity\, and womanhood\, asking what it means to be human. \nPaul Magrs (the ‘g’ in Magrs is silent btw – pronounced ‘Mars’) writes fiction for adults\, Young Adults\, and children in a variety of genres. The production company Free@Last TV has optioned the Brenda and Effie Mystery novels for TV. \nPaul will be in conversation with the crime writer Gavin Collinson\, best known The Hitchcock Murders\, the Marc Novak trilogy and more recently\, his Moriarty series of thrillers which place the Napoleon of Crime in a contemporary setting. \nAs a cultural historian he’s specialised in screen adaptions of Victorian literature\, focussing on Dracula and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He’s written extensively for the BBC\, the British Film Institute and Hammer Films. \nAway from the world of Gothic horror Gavin also shares Magrs Doctor Who links; Gavin has written for Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality (featuring David Tennant and Adjoa Andoh)\, and Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (featuring Jodie Whittaker and Ingrid Oliver). \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/life-on-magrs-paul-magrs/
LOCATION:Eighteen91\, Brunswick Street\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Gothic Literature
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Magrs-author-photo-25.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T110000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T123000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T095739Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251004T170129Z
UID:433-1762599600-1762605000@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Upon A White Horse: Peter Ross
DESCRIPTION:Join award-winning author Peter Ross (Tomb with a View\, Steeplechasing) in discussion about his latest book Upon A White Horse\, a celebration of landscape and people – and all that is beautiful\, strange\, and old. \nThe prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland are places of wonder and wondering. Who made these structures? What did they mean to them? And what do they mean to us now? A journey from midwinter at Stonehenge to midsummer at Sycamore Gap. \nAlong the way encountering bog bodies in Dublin\, a wooden goddess in Edinburgh and a chalk giant in Dorset. These objects and structures speak of the long human story. They offer the comfort of recognition and the pleasure of mystery. There is something about ancient places that fills a hollow in our souls. \nPeter is interviewed by Leticia Lentini\, founder of the local publisher\, The Crow Emporium Press. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/upon-a-white-horse-peter-ross/
LOCATION:Coliseum Centre\, Victoria Place\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1EZ\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Peter-Ross-c-James-Ross-2.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251108T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251108T113000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250802T092020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250805T111220Z
UID:418-1762596000-1762601400@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Great Expectations: Barbara Havelocke and Lucinda Hawksley
DESCRIPTION:Great Expectations meets Killing Eve. \nDubbed ‘gloriously Gothic’ (Daily Mail)\, Estella’s Revenge reimagines the story of Charles Dickens’ Miss Havisham – the world’s most famous jilted bride. Long fascinated with Miss Havisham’s daughter\, Estella\, Barbara asks the question: What kind of emotionally-scarred adult would Estella become? \nA journalist\, Barbara has interviewed victims and perpetrators of crime\, which informs her fiction. Estella’s Revenge is the first in her new historical thriller series; she has written six bestselling psychological thrillers under her real name\, Barbara Copperthwaite. \nBarbara Havelock\nWho better than to darkly explore the matter than Dicken’s great\, great\, great granddaughter herself – author\, art historian and broadcaster\, Lucinda Hawksley. For the past decade\, Lucinda has been a Patron of the Charles Dickens Museum. Her books include Victorian Christmas\, Dickens and Travel\, and Charles Dickens and his Circle. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/great-expectations-barbara-havelocke-and-lucinda-hawksley/
LOCATION:Whitby Museum\, Pannett Park\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Lucinda-Hawksely-photo-credit-Michael-Paler.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251107T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251107T183000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T165021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251031T174808Z
UID:414-1762534800-1762540200@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Scream Queen: Yvette Fielding
DESCRIPTION:From the rollercoaster ride of being Blue Peter’s youngest ever presenter to the rather unusual job of ‘ghost hunter\,’ real-life Ghostbuster Yvette Fielding has Whitby spooked. \nThe coastal town is the setting of her latest children’s book The Vampire of Whitby and the place she told the Yorkshire Post she’d like to retire to. The former presenter of TV’s Most Haunted\, Yvette’s memoir is fittingly titled\, Scream Queen. \nShaking a blinking torch\, going into a dark cellar\, and stepping into the fog\, writer Gavin Collinson shines a light on the TV personality and author in what promises to be an entertaining\, and enlightening\, interview. \nGavin Collinson is a crime writer best known for The Hitchcock Murders\, the Marc Novak trilogy and more recently\, his Moriarty series of thrillers which place the Napoleon of Crime in a contemporary setting. \nAs a cultural historian he’s specialised in screen adaptions of Victorian literature\, focussing on Dracula and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He’s written extensively for the BBC\, the British Film Institute and Hammer Films\, and you can read many of his features at www.hammerfilms.com/blogs/news including pieces on Dracula(1958)\, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and the history of Hammer Films\, including its movies inspired by the novels of Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley. \nAway from the world of Gothic horror he’s written Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality (featuring David Tennant and Adjoa Andoh)\, Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (featuring Jodie Whittaker and Ingrid Oliver) and the stage play\,Samson Fox: The Man Who Captured Sunlight which premiered at the Harrogate Royal Hall in 2022. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/scream-queen-yvette-fielding/
LOCATION:Eighteen91\, Brunswick Street\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RB\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Gothic Literature,Headliners
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Yvette_copyright_IanThraves2-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251107T160000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251107T173000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T163913Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251105T140836Z
UID:410-1762531200-1762536600@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Red Hot Crime Writers: Abir Mukherjee and Vaseem Khan
DESCRIPTION:The name’s Khan\, Vaseem Khan. Move over Bond\, and hello\, Q. \nAuthor of two award-winning crime series set in India\, the Baby Ganesh Agency series and the Malabar House historical crime novels\, Vaseem brings a new James Bond spin-off featuring Ian Flemming’s most beloved of characters. \nQuantum of Menace sees Q ousted from his job developing gadgets for 00 agents and back in his sleepy hometown. When his childhood friend\, renowned quantum computer scientist Peter Napier dies in mysterious circumstances\, Q feels compelled to investigate… \nThe Burning Grounds is the next thrilling novel from Abir Mukherjee\, author of the British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year 2025\, Hunted. \nIn the Burning Ghats of Calcutta\, a renowned patron of the arts is found murdered. Enter Detective Sam Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee\, who need to put their differences aside to solve the case\, as they’re thrust into the glamorous world of Indian cinema. \nExpect a criminally good\, and thrillingly entertaining chat from Vaseem and Abir – hosts of the Red-Hot Chilli Writers podcast on Spotify. \nBuy Tickets SOLD OUT
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/red-hot-crime-writers-abir-mukherjee-and-vaseem-khan/
LOCATION:Hetty & Betty\, 7 Baxtergate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1BW\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Vaseem-Khan-2022d-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251107T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251107T163000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T160916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T160455Z
UID:403-1762527600-1762533000@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Gothic Tales: Essie Fox in conversation with Amanda Mason
DESCRIPTION:Essie Fox’s debut novel\, The Somnambulist\, was selected for the Channel 4 Book Club. Her latest novel Dangerous: A Lord Byron Mystery has been declared ‘A magnificent gothic tale of scandal\, secrets and murder’ by Janice Hallett. \nSet in Venice and drawing on real events from Byron’s life it follows the story of a novel called The Vampyre\, which is published under Byron’s name. Rumours begin as local women are found dead with wounds to their throats. Haunted by whispering campaigns and the scandals of his past\, Byron is forced to play detective and discover who is really behind the heinous crimes. \nAmanda Mason was born and brought up in Whitby. Her debut novel The Wayward Girls is a dark and captivating story of sisterhood and family secrets. Her second\, The Hiding Place\, a chilling ghost story about mothers and daughters was declared the ‘perfect modern ghost story’ and a ‘supernatural tour-de-force’ (Daily Mail). \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/gothic-tales-essie-fox-in-conversation-with-amanda-mason/
LOCATION:Whitby Museum\, Pannett Park\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Gothic Literature,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Essie-Fox-headshot-for-Whitby-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251107T123000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251107T140000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T152639Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251004T165814Z
UID:390-1762518600-1762524000@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Ghost Lake: Wendy Pratt
DESCRIPTION:Poet Wendy Pratt lives on the North Yorkshire coast\, a place that inspires her to write about nature as refuge\, and landscape as connection – as we walk on the land our ancestors did. \nShe talks about her 2024 memoir The Ghost Lake\, a powerful exploration of grief and belonging\, was described as ‘remarkable’ (Observer)\, ‘deeply profound’ (The Times)\, and brave and luminous. \n \nHer poetry collections include Blackbird Singing at Dusk and When I Think of My Body as a Horse. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/the-ghost-lake-wendy-pratt/
LOCATION:Whitby Museum\, Pannett Park\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Wendy-Pratt_c-James-Thackeray-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251107T120000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251107T133000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T153718Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T091234Z
UID:393-1762516800-1762522200@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Filling a Heart-Shaped Hole: The Romance Panel: Rowan Coleman\, Jess Kitching\, Jenna Warren
DESCRIPTION:Get ready for a swooningly-good panel…The Sunday Times bestselling author Rowan Coleman (who lives down the road in Scarborough) has written many award-winning novels. She’ll discuss her latest\, Never Tear Us Apart\, a spellbinding tale of love\, strength and sacrifice set during World War Two on the island of Malta\, as well as her Scarborough/Whitby set Romcom\, The Good Boy. \nOriginally from Bradford Jess Kitching now lives in Australia. She brings to Whitby her new novel – a poignant\, life-affirming love story\, The Life Experiment. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Matt Haig\, it follows the lives of two people whose lives are turned upside down when they enter an experiment that predicts when they will die. \nThey’re joined by Jenna Warren\, bookshop owner and author from Saltburn\, whose second novel The Hometown Bookshop is an uplifting tale of friendship and connection. It tells the tale of actress Charlotte who has it all: a starring role in a West End show\, a glittering social life\, and an equally high-flying boyfriend. But when her perfect existence abruptly falls apart\, she retreats to her hometown on the North Yorkshire coast\, finding a summer job in the local bookshop. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/filling-a-heart-shaped-hole-the-romance-panel-rowan-coleman-jess-kitching-jenna-warren/
LOCATION:Whitby Mission & Seafarers Centre\, Haggersgate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3PP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/life_experiment_never_tear_us_apart.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251106T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251106T163000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T130656Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T160455Z
UID:350-1762441200-1762446600@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:New Blood: Stoker’s Undying Legacy: Gavin Collinson\, Amanda Mason\, and Leticia Lentini
DESCRIPTION:Bram Stoker’s legacy on the world is immense\, from literature to TV and film. Join author and cultural historian\, Gavin Collinson\, who worked on the BBC’s 1977 version of Dracula\, and more recently has written extensively for the BBC\, BFI\, and Hammer Films on gothic horror. A crime writer\, his latest is his Moriarty series of books. Gavin has also written for BBC’s Doctor Who. \nLocal lass and Whitby author Amanda Mason was born within the sound of the bells of St Mary’s Church\, an inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This Gothic background has nourished a fervent imagination and curious mind creating wonderfully dark and mysterious novels set in Whitby. \nThey’re joined by Leticia Lentini\, founder of the Whitby publishers\, The Crow Emporium\, who recently brought new blood to the classic tale with a bespoke illustrated version of Dracula. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/new-blood-stokers-undying-legacy-gavin-collinson-amanda-mason-and-leticia-lentini/
LOCATION:Whitby Mission & Seafarers Centre\, Haggersgate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3PP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Gothic Literature,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Leticia-Lentini-left-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251106T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251106T153000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T131940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T165457Z
UID:353-1762434000-1762443000@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Horror\, Humour\, and The Hand of Glory: Bob Beagrie and Bob Fischer
DESCRIPTION:The Folklore of Freebrough Hill is a series of short stories spanning 12\,000 years of history. Bob Fischer takes us on a dream-like journey through the folklore attached to Freebrough Hill\, a curious peak located beside the A171 moorland road to Whitby. Travelling from the last Ice Age to present-day North Yorkshire\, Bob weaves a magical tale of Vikings\, Romans\, giants\, demons and even the sleeping knights of the legendary King Arthur. \nBob Beagrie will perform extracts from his new collection of poems\, The Hand of Glory: a biography to an accompanying eerie soundscape composed by Project Lono. The collection has been described as\, “a real rollercoaster of a read full of fireworks – lyrical\, rhythmical\, and bursting with imagery. The Hand of Glory is a fable for our times. (Ann Caldwell) and\, “a fascinating cavalcade of dark humour and social observation.” (Ville Hytönen). \nBuy Tickets SOLD OUT
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/horror-humour-and-the-hand-of-glory-bob-beagrie-and-bob-fischer/
LOCATION:Whitby Museum\, Pannett Park\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1RE\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions,Non-Fiction
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/46223387ml-w1920.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251106T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251106T143000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250923T154342Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T181516Z
UID:781-1762434000-1762439400@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:A Dramatic Tale: Dogwood Productions and Going For Independence
DESCRIPTION:A unique collaboration between Whitby’s professional theatre company\, Dogwood Productions and Going For Independence (GFI)\, the Teesside organisation supporting the blind and partially-sighted has led to the creation of a four-part audio drama. \nIt features a young couple\, struggling to run the recently inherited guest house\, Bel View\, in a fictitious resort north of Whitby. Each episode was created by one of GFI’s groups in Redcar\, Darlington\, Hartlepool\, and Stockton\, not only working with experienced writers\, but recording alongside professional actors. This session reunites the writers\, performers\, and group members to tell the story of the project\, plus a playback of the dramas. \n\n			\n				\n			\n			\n				\n			\n		\n\nThe project was made possible through the financial support of Arts Council England via their National Lottery Project Grants programme. \n \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/a-dramatic-tale-dogwood-productions-and-going-for-independence/
LOCATION:Whitby Mission & Seafarers Centre\, Haggersgate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3PP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Dracula, Dickens & Local Interest,Fiction,Poetry & Spoken Word
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Dogwood-Fictional-hotel.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251106T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251106T143000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T123040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251004T165616Z
UID:341-1762434000-1762439400@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:Last Night I Dreamt I Went to Whitby Again: Rebeka Russell and Dr Katherine Cooper
DESCRIPTION:Rebeka Russell set up her independent publishing imprint Manderley Press in 2021. \nIt specialises in literary classics featuring distinctive settings\, taking its name from Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca (‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.’) \nA former editor at Thames & Hudson and the National Gallery\, Rebeka grew up in Whitby\, surrounded by historic houses and architecture. \nShe describes it as a muse to many wonderful authors new and old (think Bram Stoker\, Elizabeth Gaskell\, Storm Jameson\, and Kate Atkinson). \nHer 2026 release is Storm Jameson’s Whitby-inspired novel The Moon is Making. Rebeka talks about her background in publishing in conversation with the writer\, broadcaster and academic\, Dr Katherine Cooper\, who has collaborated on the forthcoming book. \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/last-night-i-dreamt-i-went-to-whitby-again-rebeka-russell-and-dr-katherine-cooper/
LOCATION:Hetty & Betty\, 7 Baxtergate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 1BW\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AdobeStock_7498923961.jpeg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251106T110000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251106T123000
DTSTAMP:20260428T205128
CREATED:20250801T122753Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T085400Z
UID:337-1762426800-1762432200@whitbylitfest.org.uk
SUMMARY:The Shipping Forecast: Rob Stepney and Kathy Biggs
DESCRIPTION:Often described as a litany\, mantra or lullaby\, the practical marine weather forecast has become much-loved for its gentle rhythm and curious wording as a comfort\, a charm\, or fail-safe formula for inducing sleep. \nGood Occasionally Rhyming is a love letter in poetry and prose from Britain’s literary landscape to this iconic radio broadcast\, released for the 100th anniversary of the first BBC Broadcast. It’s co-editor Rob Stepney joins author Kathy Biggs\, with her new literary novel\, Attention All Shipping. \nCompared to Alan Bennett for her fine line between humour and sadness\, Biggs tells the story of Grace\, who lives with her father Jack\, who has dementia. After losing his son to a tragic sea accident\, each night he’s soothed by an old recording of the Shipping Forecast. When a young woman turns up at their farm\, it leads to a journey from the Welsh valleys to Whitby\, which will change all their lives forever. \nWhen you’re feeling lost at sea\, what will it take to guide you home? \nBuy Tickets
URL:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/event/the-shipping-forecast-rob-stepney-and-kathy-biggs/
LOCATION:Whitby Mission & Seafarers Centre\, Haggersgate\, Whitby\, North Yorkshire\, YO21 3PP\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Interviews & Panel Discussions,Nature & Environment
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/rob_kathy_rgb.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Whitby Lit Fest":MAILTO:info@whitbylitfest.org.uk
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END:VCALENDAR