Newark Book Festival

Play at the Castle
2024-07-14 10:00 - 16:00 UTC | Newark Castle, Newark Castle, Castlegate, Newark, NG24 1BG
Enjoy an entire day of free family fun in the grounds of Newark Castle. Take part in arts and crafts workshops, be entertained by street theatre, relax with authors and illustrators, and have a go in the sports zone with the Open Doors team from the Palace Theatre.
And don’t forget to look out for our 2024 Trail as created by our schools – all based on play!
Full event programme…
The Book-Ends – Rhubarb Theatre
10am – 10.30am & 11am – 11.30am
The Book-Ends popup to bring their stories to life! With a rickety old book cart and some novel ideas, surprises leap off every page wherever our papery pals roam. Join the book-bonkers buddies as they act out tales of whales, bonkers bears and manic monsters. Be amazed as they twist the fantastic adventures of pathetic pirates, merry musketeers and hairy hairdressers. Full of music, comedy and general silliness!
Storybook Emporium
10am – 4pm, Drop-in crafts
Hop, skip and jump your way over to the Ally Pally Arts “World Famous Story Emporium”, back by popular demand for more story-inspired crafty fun and games!
BookBench Art with Vicky Kuhn
10am – 4pm, Drop-in crafts
A drop-in arts and crafts workshop inspired by the Newark Creates BookBench trail with picturebook illustrator and fabulous BookBench designer, Vicky Kuhn.
Play Tales with Nicky Rafferty
10am – 4pm
Join in with interactive crafty tales with storyteller Nicky Rafferty.
Family Yoga with Peaceful Possums and Emma Oldham
12pm – 12.45pm // 1.30pm – 2.15pm
With storytelling, imagination, music and games, enjoy family yoga sessions with Peaceful Possums Yoga based on The Whale Who Disappeared by Emma Oldham, who is joining in with the fun, too! There will also be a mindful area for children to chill out during the day, including colouring and sensory resources, ideal for children with neurodiversity or young children to have a break.
All events are free and suitable for all ages (including adults!)

Urban Canvas Word Art
2024-07-14 10:00 - 15:00 | Newark Market Place, Newark Royal Market, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Urban Canvas is bringing more interactive and live pavement art to the streets of Newark during the festival this year.
Following their visit to Newark for Rainbow Road, Historical Street Games and 3D Pavement Art in 2023, UK-based pavement artists Philip Battle and Catherine McMahon are back.
Find them at the Literature Village to discover what they are creating for Newark Book Festival and join in with some street art yourself.

New Uses for a Wand - Five Leaves New Poets
2024-07-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Newark Buttermarket, Inspire Buttermarket, First Floor, The Buttermarket, Middlegate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1AL, United Kingdom
Fiona Theokritoff’s book New Uses for a Wand is one of two new titles joining the Five Leaves New Poets series this summer.
The poems highlight how we grow and transform ourselves in life, whatever happens to us. Enjoy hearing Fiona share poems about making pots and maps, even blackberry vinegar at Newark’s Inspire Buttermarket.
Fiona is joined by three other poets from the series, who will also read: Nathan Fidler, Julie Burke and Teresa Forrest. A feast of poetry from Five Leaves!

Morning News
2024-07-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Gannets Bistro, Gannets Bistro, 35 Castle Gate, Newark, NG24 1AZ, United Kingdom
Spend an hour debating the morning’s news over coffee and cake at Gannets Café. Richard and Mary, Festival Board Members and book and news lovers meet monthly to discuss topics from politics to current affairs.
This month, join the Morning News team during the festival dates on Sunday 14th July! This is a favourite regular fringe event for Newark Book Festival locals and all are welcome to join in the debates.
To book your space at the upcoming Morning News events, please email hello@newarkbookfestival.org.uk.

Count Magnus - Two Ghost Stories by M R James
2024-07-13 19:30 - 21:10 | Palace Theatre, Palace Theatre, Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
An unmissable evening at Newark’s Palace Theatre with an atmospheric performance based on the supernatural tales by Montague Rhodes James (1862 – 1936), the Master of the English Ghost Story, performed by Robert Lloyd Parry.
The ghost stories of M.R James amuse and terrify as powerfully today as when they were first written over a century ago. Nunkie Theatre Company brings two of these classic spinechillers to life, in this thrilling one-man show of the Count Magnus Ghost Stories.
In Count Magnus, a travel writer’s over-inquisitiveness leads to a diabolical chase from darkest Sweden to rural Essex. Denmark is the setting for Number 13, where a hotel room with the famously unlucky number, conceals a ghastly, baffling secret.
“At first they hear nothing at all. Then they hear someone scream, just as if the most inside part of his soul was twisted out of him.”

Orenda Historical Fiction with Essie Fox & A.J. West
2024-07-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
Two bewitching and bestselling fiction writers come together to share their latest historical titles in an Orenda Historical Fiction event chaired by Dr Tim Rideout.
Victorian gothic novelist Essie Fox will be introducing her “magical, macabre masterpiece” The Fascination.

Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn’t grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father’s quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’.

“Makes skilful use of the tropes of Victorian gothic fiction… a story of society’s outsiders seeking acceptance and redemption ” – Sunday Times Book of the Month
“Brimming with Victorian wonders! ” – Sean Lusk

She will be joined on stage by A.J. West and his fiendishly clever novel The Betrayal of Thomas True set in Georgian London.

“Fierce, funny, and fabulous; this is an important and deeply moving story. Highly recommended” – Jonathan Harvey
“Heartbreaking, beautiful, lyrical … I was captivated” – Catriona Ward

Olympic Moments with John Goodbody
2024-07-13 15:30 - 16:30 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Dive into the thrilling world of the Olympics ahead of the Paris 2024 Summer Games with John Goodbody, award winning sports journalist at The Times and Sunday Times.
John will be sharing some of the iconic Olympic Moments featured in his latest publication and joining us on stage at Newark Town Hall during Newark Book Festival 2024.
The book itself, with striking, full-colour photography, rarely seen archival images and sensational reporting on the action, The Times Olympic Moments showcases the moments of heroism, triumph and controversy that continue to make the Games the centrepiece of the global sporting calendar. Featuring the most stunning records, fiercest rivalries and most dramatic upsets, these instants have changed the course of sporting history and captivated generations of fans along the way.
John Goodbody will talk through some of the 100 iconic moments from the history of the global sporting competition, including:
• Jesse Owens defies Nazi racism, Berlin, 1936
• The ‘blood in the water’ match, Melbourne, 1956
• Cassius Clay bursts onto the scene, Rome, 1960
• The ‘Fosbury flop’ revolutionises high jump, Mexico City, 1968
• Terror and tragedy as hostages killed, Munich, 1972
• Seb Coe vs Steve Ovett in middle-distance rivalry, Moscow, 1980
• Five in a row for Redgrave, Sydney, 2000
• Ennis the star of ‘Super Saturday’, London, 2012
• Simmonds surges to victory, London, 2012
• Phelps becomes the greatest Olympian, Rio de Janeiro, 2016
Interview by author Andrew Bannister.

Exploring the Universe with Fantastic Numbers
2024-07-13 14:45 - 15:45 | Byron Room, Upstairs, Newark Palace Theatre, Appleton Gate, Newark, NG24 1JY., United Kingdom
Leading theoretical physicist Antonio Padilla and astrophysicist Emma Chapman take us on a cosmic tour of the subjects that inspired their popular science books and YouTube videos: the most extraordinary numbers in physics, and how they help us explore the universe in both time and space.

Teatime at Peggy’s: A Glimpse of Anglo-India. Clare Jenkins & Stephen McClarence
2024-07-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
Enjoy a warm, humorous and evocative afternoon celebrating the eccentric, time-warped and fast-disappearing world of one of India’s most endangered communities. Travel writer Stephen McClarence and radio broadcaster (and former Newark Advertiser journalist) Clare Jenkins share their tales of visits to the Indian railway town Jhansi, and a glimpse of Anglo-India.
For 15 years, journalists Stephen and Clare made regular visits to Jhansi, the Indian railway town that inspired Bhowani Junction, John Masters’ classic 1954 tale of Anglo-Indian life during Partition. There they spent hours ‘down the rabbit hole’ with ‘Aunty Peggy’ – Peggy Cantem – and her colourful cast of friends.
In Peggy’s tiny, crowded ground-floor flat, they would reflect on Anglo-Indian life then and now: the dances (waltzes, foxtrot, jive), May Queen balls (Anglo-Indian women were famed for their beauty), and meals of Mulligatawny soup, toad-in-the-hole and ‘railway lamb curry’.
Those friends included the ladylike Gwen, Lambretta-riding Buddie, Cheryl with her ‘hotchpotch’ ancestry, Winston Churchill-reciting Pastor Rao, Peggy’s loyal maid May, her cook Sheela and auto-rickshaw driver Anish. Conversations covered Monsoon Toad Balls (to find ‘the most hideous-looking man’), moonlight picnics in the jungle, pet mongooses and the British Royal Family.
There are now only 30 Anglo-Indian families left in Jhansi, many officially below the poverty line. Their first language is English, they often dress Western-style and their homes could be in the 1950s Home Counties, were it not for the mounted tiger’s heads alongside the Sacred Heart fridge magnets; the aviaries of parakeets outside, the three plaster flying ducks inside; the pictures of Buckingham Palace embroidered on the antimacassars.
Teatime at Peggy’s, based on a half-hour Radio 4 programme – is an invaluable addition to the history and literature of this vanishing community.

Spies & Thrillers with Tammy Cohen & Nicci French
2024-07-13 13:30 - 14:30 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
A spies and thriller trio event bringing together internationally renowned authors and their latest chilling reads. Tammy Cohen will be introducing her film-inspiring action-thriller Argylle to the Newark Stage alongside her thriller The Wedding Party.
Argylle is a globe-trotting spy thriller that inspired the upcoming action blockbuster Argylle, featuring a star-studded cast including Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Cena, directed by Matthew Vaughn.
“Argylle is an excellent action-thriller.” – Jake Kerridge, The Sunday Telegraph
“The action never lets up for a moment.” – Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail
While the outstanding husband and wife writing team, Nicci French, share snippets of their latest bestseller Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?
When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s 50th birthday party, her kids are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass and there’s still no word from Charlie, her daughter, Etty, and her sons, Niall, Paul and Ollie, all struggle to come to terms with her disappearance. How can anyone just vanish without a trace? She’s loved by all who meet her. But someone wants her gone . . .
‘I defy anyone to see the ending coming’ Cara Hunter, on The Unheard
‘Totally absorbing. Such great plotting and characters, but also so human and full of insights about ordinary life and relationships. That’s what always sets Nicci French’s work apart – it makes the narrative feel so real’ Sabine Durrant, on The Unheard
This event is brought together with a compelling interview by award-winning former journalist and author of All Of Us Are Broken, Fiona Cummins.
It’s been a long time since the Hardwicke family has been on holiday. But thirteen-year-old Galen has wanted to see the wild dolphins at Scotland’s Chanonry Point for as long as she can remember, and lone parent Christine is determined she gets her wish. No one deserves a break more than this family. But the much–needed trip is about to be interrupted…
‘An intelligent, different and moving novel about the causes and effects of brutality, with ravishingly described glimpses of the natural world.’ Literary Review

Play in an Inspiring way!
2024-07-13 12:00 - 16:00 | Newark Buttermarket, Inspire Buttermarket, First Floor, The Buttermarket, Middlegate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1AL, United Kingdom
Join the Inspire Learning and Music teams throughout the day and have a go at playing a musical instrument you’ve never tried before, create your own curious peg doll characters, make your own dressing-up props, and dress up for a sensational selfie in a giant, Inspire photo frame.
You’ll also have the chance to design your own mathematical game or puzzle with their Multiply team and try your hand at balloon modelling with the Joker entertainers, plus choose from bountiful book stalls filling the mezzanine floor.
Location: Inspire Buttermarket, First Floor (above Tambo Lounge)

Saving Hanno Reading & Workshop - Miriam Halahmy
2024-07-13 11:30 - 14:00 | Byron Room, Upstairs, Newark Palace Theatre, Appleton Gate, Newark, NG24 1JY., United Kingdom
Join Miriam Halahmy’s beautiful interactive storytelling of a German Jewish boy who comes to London in 1939 on the Kindertransport and has to save his dog’s life.
This event is split into two: a reading of Miriam’s beautiful story, Saving Hanno, and after a short break, a writing, drama and discussion workshop – where everyone will be given a pet! Suitable for ages 7+.
Saving Hanno Reading
11.30am – 12.30pm
Bring a cash donation and pay what you can for the reading of Saving Hanno.
Writing, Drama & Discussion Workshop
1pm – 2pm

An Interview with Joseph Knox
2024-07-13 11:15 - 12:15 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Launching his brand new title Imposter Syndrome, Bestseller Joseph Knox brings his scandalously entertaining true crime story to the Newark Town Hall Ballroom stage in an interview with Dr Tim Rideout.
Lynch, a burned out con-artist, arrives, broke, in London, trying not to dwell on the mistakes that got him there. When he bumps into Bobbie, a rehab-bound heiress – and when she briefly mistakes him for her missing brother – Lynch senses the opportunity, as well as the danger…
Hailed a ‘‘truly immersive: complex, disturbing, unexpectedly funny and very smart’ read by Laura Wilson, from The Guardian.
‘One of the most unafraid contemporary crime writers.’ – Helen Fields
‘You always get beautiful prose and a crackling plot from Mr Knox.’ – Imran Mahmood

Shed of Stories
2024-07-13 10:15 - 16:00 | Newark Market Place, Newark Royal Market, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Capture the words and stories as they tumble out of a mysterious shed and onto the cobblestones of Newark Market Place. You’ll be leaving with wonderful tunes stuck in your head, magical words in your minds, and surrounded by laughter in this family-friendly story space packed with books and toys for all to enjoy.
Storytelling sessions take place:
10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 1:15, 2:15 and 3:15.

This Rock is Mine - Alice McKinley
2024-07-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Beanblock, Beanblock, Unit 24, 15 St Marks Place, St Marks Lane,, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1XS
Joining us for our Summer Reading Challenge event this year is picture-book illustrator Alice McKinley with This Rock is Mine.
Alice will read the heartwarming tale about a quarrel between two hilariously stubborn frogs and a rock they are both claiming to be theirs, before live drawing and teaching kids (and adults alike) to draw their own amphibian friend.
Suitable for children aged 3 – 7 years.

Brian Clough The Lost Tapes - Marcus Alton
2024-07-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
Hear from Nottinghamshire author Marcus Alton as he shares his own stories and exclusive archive recordings in this new tribute to the footballing legend Brian Clough. Marcus will recall classic Cloughie tales and describe how one of the ‘Lost Tapes’ included his first ever interview with Brian – a recording he thought had been lost forever.
Lifting the lid on a treasure trove of Clough stories and quotes following the publication of his latest book, Brian Clough The Lost Tapes.

Kids VS Adults Poetry Workshop with Joseph Coelho
2024-07-13 09:30 - 10:30 | Inspire, Newark Buttermarket (upstairs)
In this fun and interactive workshop, where kids and adults go head to head, children’s author and poet Joseph Coelho gives you the tools and inspiration to write poetry about any topic!
Suitable for children aged 7 – 11 years & their grown ups.

Battle of the Genres
2024-07-13 09:30 - 10:30 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
An epic battle between Crime, Vikings and Legends, Teen Humour and Romance, umpired by Dr Tim Rideout.

Jo Callaghan brings her hotly anticipated and intricately plotted follow-up, Leave No Trace to the battle while multi-million bestselling author, co-creator and screenwriter Holly Smale adds Harriet Manners from her teen rom com book and No.1 Worldwide Netflix series, Geek Girl into the ring, as well as her time travelling counterpart from Cassandra in Reverse.
Giles Kristian throws in the Viking worlds from The Rise of Sigurd trilogies and reimagined island history from Lancelot, Camelot and Arthur. And to finish off our battle we are delighted to welcome Sunday Times bestselling and award winning Rowan Coleman the screenwriter and author of sixteen novels including The Memory Book, Runaway Wife, and her latest title From Now Until Forever.

An Evening with Tom Cox
2024-07-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Cat-lover and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Good, The Bad and The Furry, Tom Cox, discusses his folklore-influenced first novel Villager, and brand new book 1983.
Inspired by his childhood growing up in Nottinghamshire, in this second novel we meet eight year old Benji and his eccentric family, living in a mining village among the spoil heaps and chip shops of industrialisation.
An enthusiast of rambling, wildlife, psychedelic rock, local history, and golf; in his own words Tom can “talk for Britain” so with Dr Tim Rideout asking the questions, this is sure to be a fascinating interview!

Folk Games - Ivan Brett
2024-07-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
The Floor is Lava, What’s the Time Mr Wolf?, Duck Duck Goose, Hide and Seek… how many others can you name from your childhood?
Folk Games, just like folk music and folklore, gain life from being passed from person to person. Hear from author, Ivan Brett, bestselling author of The Floor is Lava (and 99 more games for everyone, everywhere) and star of BBC’s The Traitors, to continue that chain.
Ivan will be getting you to think about the many games you would have played as a child, and some that you may have learnt to play by your parents and grandparents, and may even get you on your feet for a game of The Floor is Lava, too!
Having been brought up thinking he had been born in a bike shop, we are sure this is going to be a thrilling and entertaining afternoon with the master of misunderstandings and mistakes which have crafted his life so far!

My My! Abba Through the Ages - Giles Smith
2024-07-12 15:00 - 16:00 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Can you quite believe it has been 50 years since ABBA’s phenomenal Eurovision win with Waterloo?
Join journalist, spoof memoir and ghost writer of eight Sunday Times bestsellers, Giles Smith as he shares the story of ABBA told through a selection of their greatest hits in an interview with Dr Tim Rideout at Newark Town Hall.
April 6th 2024 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo (the song, not the battle) – a seminal moment in pop history which saw Swedish sensation ABBA burst on to the international music scene by winning the Eurovision song contest. How is it that half a century later this seventies Eurovision act is bigger than ever – reaching listeners of all ages and spinning off into musicals, museums and holograms? Giles Smith, writer and music fan, sets out to find out why.
It’s a book about growing old, and the things that never do. And it’s a book about fashion, snobbery, authenticity, critical judgement, the passage of time – and the triumphant ability of truly great pop music to transcend all of those things forever. But it’s also a book about the development of one of pop’s greatest and best-loved albums, and an unabashed tribute to the power of a major-to-minor modulation and a well-placed glissando.
My My! is a celebration of ABBA through the ages. It’s one fan’s way of saying: thank you for the music.

The Lost Paths - Jack Cornish
2024-07-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
As Head of Paths at the Ramblers, Jack Cornish is on a mission to rediscover the parts of our ancient network of footpaths that have been lost or forgotten.
The Lost Paths – A History of How We Walk from Here to There is the story of how our modern network reveals the way our ancestors interacted with their surroundings and retrace their footsteps through history.
Having spent five years walking across Britain exploring our millennia-old system of pathways, Jack will share his experiences in an interview with Dr Tim Rideout at Newark Town Hall‘s Ballroom.

Crime Fiction Panel: Kate Rhodes & Victoria Dowd
2024-07-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
Two acclaimed crime writers discuss their work and inspiration and celebrate their latest publications in an interview with crime awards judge and panellist Alex Hawley.
Kate Rhodes introduces the seventh novel in her windswept Scilly Isles series, Hangman Island, which follows on from Hell Bay, Ruin Beach, Burnt Island, Pulpit Rock, The Devil’s Table and Brutal Tide. Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths, this new crime novel is a gripping new locked-island mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the bitter end.
‘A vividly realised protagonist whose complex and harrowing history rivals the central crime storyline’ Sophie Hannah, Daily Express
‘An enjoyable whodunit in classic, quasi-realistic style’ Literary Review, on Hell Bay
Victoria Dowd presents the latest in her bestselling Smart Woman’s Mystery Series: Murder Most Cold.
This event is brought together by Alex (AJ) Hawley – former blogger, come interview writer and his debut book charts his rise from his bedroom to becoming the judge of multiple crime awards and he is now a regular panellist throughout the festival season, specialising in the crime genre.

Bookmaking & Journaling Workshop
2024-07-12 11:00 - 12:30 | Learning Space, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
To celebrate the launch of the Newark Creates BookBench Trail, Open Doors are hosting a free creative session of bookmaking and journaling workshop.
Join Creative Arts Officer Milly in the Learning Centre at Newark’s National Civil War Centre to make your own scrap-paper book and explore the art of journaling. Get some creative inspiration to help you pen your next masterpiece!
Suitable for adults and children aged 9+. Young people under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Beyond the Blue
2024-07-12 10:30 - 11:30 | Tudor Hall, National Civil War Centre, National Civil War Centre, 14 Appleton Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1JY
Following on from their visit to Newark Book Festival last year and a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe with their production of ‘Broken Instruments’, singer/songwriters Nina Blaszczyk & Phil Baggaley return this year with a new project BEYOND THE BLUE.
This lovely concert is interspersed with beautiful poetry, with Echoes of the best acoustic traditions, bringing you a collection of poignant and beautiful original songs, inspired by the words of the much loved, best-selling poet DONNA ASHWORTH.

Storytime with Frances Stickley
2024-07-12 10:30 - 11:15 | Beanblock, Beanblock, Unit 24, 15 St Marks Place, St Marks Lane,, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1XS
Bring your favourite bear and join Frances Stickley for a whistle-stop tour of stories across winter wonderland, rolling waves and dusty deserts in What Will You Dream of Tonight? Meet Cat and Mouse in their cartoon caper Not a Cat in Sight. Dance and wiggle as we move like superheroes, pirates and aliens in What Will You Be? Until finally, all the way back home, again, we tuck our teddy bears up tight for one last sleepy story with A Bear called Blue. Book your Newark Book Festival tickets to the fantastic Friday morning storytime with Frances Stickley at BeanBlock Café.

Play With Your Food - Ally Pally Arts Story Emporium
2024-07-12 10:00 - 15:30 | Newark Market Place, Newark Royal Market, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Join Ally Pally Arts at the Literature Village within Newark Market Place at their fictional food market stall and get creative playing with your food!
They’re stocking up on stolen tarts, escapee gingerbread men, giant turnips, porridge (hot, cold and just right) and golden eggs, and they would love you to help them magic up a stall jam-packed with more made-up menus, delicious delicacies and gruesome goodies from your favourite stories.
Just bring yourselves and your wonderful imaginations and we craft up a feast fit for a fairytale. Suitable for all ages, this “sticky hands” free creative workshop is perfect for the home-educated community.
No need to book tickets! Just turn up and let your imaginations run wild at the Story Emporium this summer.

Poetry Workshop with Joseph Coelho
2024-07-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
Children’s author, poet and Waterstone’s Children Laureate 2022-24, Joseph Coelho shares his tips, tricks and engaging ways to start writing poetry in this fun and interactive school event.
Suitable for children aged 7-11 years.
To book your place please email: hello@newarkbookfestival.org.uk

An Interview with Mark Billingham & Abir Mukherjee
2024-07-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Newark Town Hall, Newark Town Hall, Market Place, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 1DU
In an interview with fellow crime writer, and co-founder of the Hull Noir Crime Writing Festival, Nick Quantrill, enjoy hearing from two crime writers at the top of their game.
On stage at Newark Town Hall, we are joined by the author of 22 Sunday Times bestsellers, Mark Billingham. Mark will introduce his twisty and witty follow-up detective novel The Wrong Hands, about an unconventional Detective Declan Miller who has a problem. Still desperate to solve the murder of his wife, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands.
‘Mark Billingham gets better and better’ Michael Connelly
‘A literary superstar’ Mail on Sunday
The award-winning author of the bestselling Sam Wyndham crime novels set in 1920s India, Abir Mukherjee, is also taking to the stage, introducing his exciting new book Hunted. On the run from the authorities, the two parents featured in Abir’s newest publication are thrown together in a race against time to save their kids and stop a catastrophe that will derail the country’s future forever… You can’t save your kids. But can you stop them?
‘HUNTED is a phenomenal achievement’ The Times
‘A pretty much flawless thriller’ LEE CHILD

Wine & Words
2024-07-11 16:00 - 18:00
Join local poets Fiona Theokritoff and Jane Wyles for an afternoon of poetry, wine and afternoon tea at Newark’s newest tea room.
Fiona and Jane will perform an entertaining mix of their poems and renditions of some well-loved works of art. You’ll also have the chance to contribute to the Newark Book Festival poem for 2024!
Tickets include a welcome drink and afternoon tea. Doors open at 3.30pm for a 4pm start.
