Welcome to LitFest 2026!

As we make our way through a windy and rainy January, it's a good time to look forward, spot the small signs of Spring approaching, and hear some LitFest news - keep the weekend of 12/13/14 June free and watch out for news of our "Roots and Routes" themed Festival!

Literally Free!
Our initiative to provide places for young adult readers to swap books has its first YA book-swap location at The JHF Youth Charity. Founded in 2012, JHF connects passionate mentors with young people in North Somerset, empowering them to reach their full potential.
Sarah Standen at JHF was delighted to take delivery of the first of our book-swap boxes and an initial supply of books. “We absolutely love it and it looks like it was made specially for that space!” she said, “having the little library at the JHF office is such a gift for the young people we support. It creates a simple, welcoming way for them to explore new stories and encourage a love of reading. We’re really grateful to Clevedon Lit Fest for helping us make reading more accessible and inviting.”
One of the young people visiting JHF came to have a look and ended up borrowing two of the books, saying, “I love it. I think having these books will really cheer me up.”
Our heartiest thanks to Jeff Lightly, our Treasurer, and the Men's Shed for their work on the book 'houses' and also to Clevedon Community Bookshop for their donation of Young Adult fiction.
We are especially pleased to be launching this project as the National Year of Reading 2026 begins!
We have two other places ready to receive our book-swap 'houses' and are seeking other spaces, so do get in touch if you are interested in supporting reading for young adults in this way.

Phonebox makeover!
Clevedon Civic Society have passed on the ‘ownership’ of the phone box by Salthouse Fields to Clevedon LitFest and they wholeheartedly support our idea to use the box as an Information Hub for all things cultural in Clevedon.
This will include LitFest events, Curzon Cinema and Arts and The Theatre Shop, plus Community Centre productions and all other fun activities around the town.
Rob Bethell has repaired the door hinge, and a small team of volunteers are awaiting a dry and not too cold day to rub the paintwork down, undercoat, and paint a colourful design on the outside. Simple shelving will be installed to store brochures and flyers.
The box will be left unlocked and usage will be monitored, including watching out for any signs of damage.
Let us know if you would like to be involved in this project.

Writing prompts...
Judy Darley is one of the judges of our 2025 Flash Fiction Award and, as a writer, she is constantly on the lookout anything that might lead to a story idea. From an overheard snippet of conversation to a glimpse of something that ignites her curiosity, the world is teeming with imaginative possibilities.
Flash fiction allows you to dip your toe into a writing river. At less than 500 words in the Clevedon LitFest Flash Fiction Award, this compact form asks you to create a condensed story in little more than a handful of paragraphs.
Judy has provided us with some writing prompts and you can find these by using the Info dropdown menu...

How to join the Poets' Walk audio app...
You can enjoy Poets' Walk in a new way, by listening to poems by contemporary local poets as you walk into 'sound pools' along the walk. This is the result of a project developed by Martin Rieser and Ralph Hoyte, that includes a book of the poems. We have some copies of the book to sell - email enquiries@clevedonlitfest.org.uk, plus it is available at local bookshops and online.Find out about how to join the walk here

The winners of our Flash Fiction Award 2025, announced in October at the Celebration of the Book.

Left to right: Cath Humphris (Honourable Mention) and Chris Swingler (Third Prize winner), Trustee Paul Truan and judges Jackie Hales and Judy Darley

Overall winner: Cathy Eberle's “Destination”
Second Prize: “Secrets My Doll Will Never Tell You” by Rosie Mowatt
Third Prize: “Defining Serena” by Chris Swingler
Honourable Mention: “Getting away from it all” by Cath Humphris
PDF of all winning entries here

Adam White, announced the winners of our 2025 Motorcitysixty poetry competition at the Curzon in June 2025.
Winner: Dennis Johnstone, with his poem “Dance in the Light” (video link)
Runner-up: Tom Stockley (AKA TS Idiot)
North Somerset resident award: Ruth Davies

You can buy your copy of the Anthology of all winning and commended poems for £6 (+ postage/packing if not collected), and we will be selling these, along with other publications, at our events.
Email enquiries@clevedonlitfest.org.uk for details of how to order.

Publications and prints for sale - another way to support Clevedon LitFest
We are delighted to be able to offer a small number of prints (see below for print options) for sale, by the wonderful Doris Hatt, artist, socialist and activist, who lived in Clevedon.
A3 prints £25 (details of any postage/delivery costs on enquiry).

Publications for sale:
Doris Hatt: Revolutionary Artist by Adrian Webb, Christopher Stone, Denys J Wilcox & Stephen Lisney. £8
Outrage: How the struggle for women's suffrage came to Clevedon by Andrew Linington. Background and history around October 2024 Show of Strength's Theatre's performances. £3
An Anthology of winning and commended poems motorcitysixty poetry competition 2025. £6
Poets' Walk edited by Martin Rieser and Ralph Hoyte. A collection of contemporary poems by local poets, inspired by the poems of Coleridge and Tennyson. Also available on the Poets Walk Audio App. £12