Thursday 19 November 2026 · 10:00am
Seaside Sleuth
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Jess Kidd interviewed by Kate Fenton Read More
Whitby Lit Fest 2026 Programme
Please browse our programme below. Use the filtering options to refine by date, price or venue.
Need help or more information?
- Most talks will begin promptly at the advertised time and last between 45 minutes and an hour, with time allocated afterwards for Q&A and signings, where these are taking place. There are a few exceptions, click here for details.
- If you have specific accessibility requirements and are unsure whether a venue will be able to accommodate your needs please click here to complete our accessibility requirements form.
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Thursday 19 November 2026 · 10:30am
The Wirefolk of Whitby
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Emma Stothard and Tim Kelly Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 12:00pm
Different Minds, Deadly Mysteries
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Sarah Hilary and Matt Baker in conversation Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 1:30pm
Queens of Goth
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Laura Purcell in conversation with Amanda Mason Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 1:30pm
Show, Not Tell
Whitby Library, Windsor Terrace, Whitby, YO21 1EY
Writing Workshop with Julie Noble Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 3:00pm
The Golden Hours - The Cazalet Chronicles: A Literary Legacy
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Louisa Young interviewed by Kate Fenton Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 3:00pm
ALL ABOARD! Tales from a Yorkshire Steam Railway
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Paul ‘Piglet’ Middleton - Interviewer to be confirmed Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 5:00pm
A Deadly Dance
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Mark Billingham interviewed by Luca Veste Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Caught in the Sticky Resin of a Poem
Jet Black Jewel Hotel & Cafe Bar, 10 Skinner Street, Whitby, YO21 3AH
Jenny Hill with Bob Butterfield Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Proper: Si King
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Interviewed by Kate Fenton Read More
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 8:30pm
Zaffar Kunial: One of Britain’s Most Exciting Poetic Voices
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Award-winning poet Zaffar Kunial comes to Whitby Lit Fest for a captivating celebration of language, identity and place. Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 10:00am
Out of Colditz
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
David Lascelles interviewed by Kate Fenton Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:00am
Valley Press: A Poet’s Journey – INDUSTRY DAY
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Jamie McGarry and Charlotte Oliver Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:30am
It’s me, it’s Cathy!
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Essie Fox and Jess Kidd, chaired by Amanda Mason Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:30am
From Dickens to Depp: Bringing Dickens to the Screen
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Lucinda Hawksley and James Clarke Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:30am
Greta Scacchi: My Life in Books
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Greta Scacchi in conversation with Peter Guttridge Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 12:30pm
Inside Independent Publishing – INDUSTRY DAY
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Chris Hamilton-Emery, R.A. Marno and Christiana Spens Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 1:00pm
Entitled: The Royal Biographer Who Took Down a Prince
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Andrew Lownie interviewed by Kate Fenton Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 2:00pm
HarperNorth – How to Get into Publishing
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Do you want to get into publishing, either as an author or working in the industry itself? Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 2:30pm
What the Dickens?
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Elly Griffiths interviewed by Lucinda Hawksley Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 2:30pm
A Trio of Poets: Good Things Come in Threes
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Prof John Whale, Rachel Bower, and Matt Howard Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 3:00pm
Writing Workshop: Thrutopia with Kate Evans
Whitby Library, Windsor Terrace, Whitby, YO21 1EY
What future are you imagining? Thrutopia is a new and developing genre, part of the Cli-Fi stable, which imagines a more sustainable future Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 5:00pm
From Page to Screen
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Matt Baker, David Quantick & Louise Wilder Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 5:00pm
Sleepers in the Snow
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Joanne Harris interviewed by Robert Edgar Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 7:00pm
The Weight of Angels
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
John Boyne interviewed by Steph McGovern Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 7:00pm
The North Sea: A Seaside Pilgrimage
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Alistair Moffat Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 9:00pm
An evening with poet Harry Gallagher & folk duo Miggins Fiddle
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Join widely published poet Harry and his friends Miggins Fiddle for what promises to be a wonderful evening of poetry, stories and music. Read More
Friday 20 November 2026 · 9:00pm
Sweet Dreams: Night Baby
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Lucie McKnight Hardy with Amanda Mason, chaired by Rob Edgar Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 10:00am
Lifeboat at the End of the World
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Dominic Gregory interviewed by Ceri Oakes and Emma Ryan of The Whitby Anchor. Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 10:30am
Children’s Writing Competition featuring Corinne Bailey Rae
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Celebrate the creativity of Whitby’s young writers as we reveal the winners of our Children’s Writing Competition, open to local schoolchild Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 11:00am
Story Sleuthing: Theresa Tomlinson in conversation with Julie Noble
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
What happens when writers turn historical detective and uncover the stories hiding in plain sight? Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 11:30am
The Metal Detectorists
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Eleanor Bruce and Lucilla Gray in conversation with Gabby Richardson Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 11:30am
Daffodil Days
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Helen Bain interviewed by Claire Malcolm Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 1:00pm
A Brief History of the Coast in 100 Objects
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Sally Coulthard in conversation with Kate Fenton Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 1:00pm
Hugh Bonneville: Rory Sparkes and the Spy Who Loved Tea
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Family event, ages 7+ Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 1:00pm
Bolder Not Older
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Nicky Hambleton Jones interviewed by Suzy Walker Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2:00pm
Shooting Time: Ian Macdonald – North by North East
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Renowned North East photographer Ian Macdonald has spent more than 50 years documenting the people, landscapes and industries of the region, Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2:30pm
There’s Been a Murder, Pet
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Ann Cleeves interviewed by Alison Graham Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2:30pm
Young Adult: Dark Hearts & Dangerous Heroines
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Naomi Kelsey and Heather Askwith Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 3:30pm
Michael Gambon: The Authorised Biography
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Jasper Rees and Greta Scaachi, chaired by Peter Guttridge Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 3:30pm
Working-Class Podcast: Wuthering Heights
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Claire Malcolm, Richard Benson & Ali Naushahi Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 5:00pm
We’ve Always Been Here: The North Yorkshire Edition with Suzanne Elvidge &
Jet Black Jewel Hotel & Cafe Bar, 10 Skinner Street, Whitby, YO21 3AH
Queer history is North Yorkshire history – and some of its stories are stranger, more moving and more surprising than you might imagine. Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 5:00pm
Riding the Wave
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Dr Sian Williams interviewed by Suzy Walker Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Complicit
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Peter Oborne and Alex Thomson Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Crime, Courts and Cold Nerves
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Louise Minchin and Jo Murray in conversation with Lucinda Hawksley Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Eftwyrd: Rebirth
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
An Anglo-Saxon Epic Bob Beagrie with Russ Jenkins Read More
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 8:30pm
Open Mic Night: An evening of poetry
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Compere - Bob Beagrie Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 10:30am
Patron Spotlight - Rob Shearman with Simon Murgatoyd
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
For the first year, the festival’s Honorary Patron, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, has selected a writer to feature in a Patron Spotlight event. Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 10:30am
Gloam - Jack Mackay
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Not all monsters come out at night... Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 11:30am
Full Circle
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Peter Oborne’s Full Circle: A History of Cricket co-authored with Richard Heller, a sweeping global history exploring cricket's evolution. Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 11:30am
The Land of Mist and Magic
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Philip Parker in conversation Sarah Clegg Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 12:00pm
Yorkshire’s Amazing Dinosaur Coast
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Roger Osborne & James McKay Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 1:00pm
‘Flight’ by The Hull to Scarborough Line
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
How should we live, in a world where disillusion and exploitation seem paramount? Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 1:30pm
A Road Less Travelled
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Ben Aitken and Tom Sykes Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 1:30pm
Raiders of the Lost Archive - Simon Murgatroyd
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
What happens when a priceless piece of cultural history disappears? Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 3:00pm
Still Running After All These Tears
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Lisa Jackson in conversation with Suzy Walker Read More
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 3:00pm
Elementary, My Dear
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Jack Anderson and Martin Edwards Read More