New Literature Festival Launches in Whitby

Whitby's inaugural literature festival gets underway on Thursday in venues across the town.

The first Whitby Lit Fest is billed as a four-day celebration of Whitby as a literary destination and will see major household names including Lee Child, Miriam Margolyes, Sir Alan Aykbourn, Rob Rinder, Shaun Usher, and Yvette Fielding taking part.

The festival information and welcome hub will be located in Hetty and Betty, home of the Fish and Chips Afternoon Tea after te Owner of Hetty and Betty, Lois Kirtlan, came up with the idea for hosting a book festival.

Lois, who Chairs the Whitby Lit Fest committee, said:

“We believe this is a UK first for a festival HQ to be hosted in a fish and chip restaurant. Whitby itself has a starring role in our festival as a coastal town that has long inspired writers with its dramatic scenery, rich heritage, and atmospheric charm.”

The newly-referred Royal Whitby Hotel has also partnered with the festival, and will accommodate the majority of visiting authors attending. Over 50 authors have booked rooms across the coastal town, and hundreds of visitors are expected.

Michelle Harle, Hotel Manager at The Royal Hotel, said:

“Whitby is awash with literary genius and The Royal hotel plays more than just a small part in that history. Bram Stoker and Lewis Carroll are two names associated with the hotel. The town is also a hot bed for creatives from all walks of life - from Goth to Soul music, Krampus to Pirates, Whitby is alive with the next generation creative talent. November alone holds a Goth Weekend, Ska weekend and the Royal has its first Murder Mystery dining experience.”

The festival also features an array of local authors, poets, and journalists from the North Yorkshire coast and wider Yorkshire region, whose writing is often inspired by the landscape.

Whitby’s literary legacy dates back to the 7th century with Caedmon, the cowherd-turned-poet of Whitby Abbey, whose hymn is said to mark the beginnings of English verse.

Over the centuries, it has welcomed Lewis Carroll, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens and of course Bram Stoker.

Venues across the town are opening their doors to host events including the historic chapel Eighteen91, the Coliseum, Met Lounge, and the Pavilion Theatre, alongside the vintage restaurant Rusty Shears, the alternative shop and venue Crafty Cove, and the Mission and Seafarers Centre.

Whitby Museum will host a number of events, including author Belinda Bauer in a backdrop of its rare egg collection as she discusses her latest thriller that revolves around a rare egg heist, The Impossible Thing. 

The museum will also host a ‘Meet the Curator;’ event to showcase its bird egg collection as part of the festival’s fringe events.

The White Horse and Griffin – the original coaching inn that Charles Dickens stayed in – hosts an author dinner with guest speaker, Lucinda Hawksley – who is the great, great, great granddaughter of Dickens. A historian and author, Lucinda will discuss the remarkable life of her ancestor and his links to Whitby.

Other fringe activities include a literary walking tour, magical story session for children at the Little Fox Bookshop, a ghost walk, and the Fylingdales Folk Choir at Pannett Art Gallery.

There’s also a special talk chaired by the Whitby Lit Fest patron, Kate Fenton, featuring Angela O’Conner – the owner of Holman’s Bookshop and the museum archivist, Rob Williams. Holman’s is Whitby’s oldest bookshop and celebrates its 105th anniversary during the festival.

For younger audiences, there is a dedicated programme for schools to inspire future writers with authors SJ Baker, Kjartan Poskitt, Mike Edwards, Piers Torday and Yvette Fielding, alongside hands-on writing workshops, and a creative writing competition, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.

The Whitby Bookshop on Church Street will manage book signings for authors across the festival as the festival’s official bookshop.

Details of events can be found in the official festival programme, or at https://whitbylitfest.org.uk/events/