The Books on Tyne Literary Festival, a.k.a. the Newcastle Book Festival, is convening a literary gathering in Newcastle upon Tyne, one of northern Britain’s most unique and characterful cultural communities, for non-Brits out there. Cradle of the legendary Geordie dialect, Tyneside is also the nursery of British literary talents like Basil Bunting and Tom Pickard.

“After a successful Festival last year, we have been working hard to produce an even bigger and better programme of events for as many people as possible to enjoy,” runs the Festival’s introduction. “With a general theme of “On the Edge”, we have brought together writers from the North East and from further afield to talk about and read from their work – whether it is crime fiction, comedy, poetry, literary fiction, biography, history or nature. There will also be discussions, book forums, lectures and music in the mix.”

Some highlights look to be the Friday afternoon session “At Your Peril with Dr Gail-Nina Anderson: The bizarre world of Gothic Literature and bibliomania explored,” followed by a talk by Tartarus Press’s Ray Russell on book collecting in the genre. Jenny Uglow will also be launching her latest book In These Times, Living in Britain through Napoleon’s Wars, 1793-1815, in just one of the many book launches, panels and readings, while for writers, there are events and discussions on topics such as “I’m a Writer, get me published!” and “The Perils and Pitfalls of Publishing in the Digital Age.”

Further details are available at the Festival website. Already under way, it runs until Sunday November 30th, and for anyone already up that far north, it’s recommended.

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