Sturminster Newton has played host to three notable writers, Thomas Hardy, William Barnes and Robert Young. Their writing captured the way of life in the Blackmore Vale and each made a significant contribution to English Literature.
The Sturminster Newton Literary Festival draws on this impressive cultural legacy and celebrates the life and works of our three writers. The festival is much more than a journey back to simpler times; it’s also an opportunity to showcase some of our best Dorset and Wessex fiction and non-fiction writers and to encourage the next generation of writers.
Our presenters have connections to Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, and Somerset, reflecting the Wessex footprint.
Speaking at Sturminster Newton Literary Festival
We welcome suggestions about speakers for future literary festivals and are always delighted to hear from new writers. In the past we have welcomed award winning writers, people with an international writing reputation, and those publishing their first book. Sturminster Newton Literary Festival has three areas of focus:
– historic writers associated with the town (Thomas Hardy, Willam Barnes, Robert Young, and Douglas Adams)
– contemporary writers with a Dorset and wider Wessex connection
– aspiring writers from Dorset and Wessex
If your work does not fall into the above categories it is unlikely we would prioritise it for the festival as our resources are limited.
Information for writers and publicists
Sturminster Newton is a small literary festival, although we are growing in size each year. We’re not Hay on Wye or Edinburgh so don’t have the audience sizes those festivals see but we find some writers prefer a smaller more interactive crowd. Although we are a non-profit organisation and have limited funding, we value the contribution our writers and interviewers make so offer a fixed fee and support travel expenses. All talks are confirmed with a letter of agreement.
We appreciate it if writers and publicists have an engaging title and theme for their talk, and especially if the book is recently published. In the past we have worked in partnership with organisations in the town to include literary afternoon teas, a fashion show, and a murder mystery event so we’re always up for discussing options beyond a straight talk. We also appreciate shared publicity on social media and websites, and marketing material from writers.
We (sadly) don’t have an indie bookshop in Sturminster Newton so work with a neighbouring town’s bookseller to source books for signing. Alternatively, writers can bring their supplies to sell independently.
Programme planning takes place from October to January each year so we can publicise the festival widely and ensure marketing material is distributed to a wide audience.
If you are interested in speaking at a future Sturminster Newton Literary Festival, send a query to info@sturlitfest.com in the first instance.