A week-long book festival has been launched in Stoke-on-Trent with organisers saying the event is designed to promote reading, support existing literacy work in the city and give local writers a higher profile.
Festival details and aims
The inaugural Stoke Book Festival will run from 3 to 10 October. The programme will feature author talks, practical workshops and live performances, staged across a range of local venues including Stoke Minster and the city’s libraries. The organising team say they want the festival to be accessible to as many people as possible, with a mix of paid, low‑cost and free activities aimed at all ages.
Festival director Simon Drakeford — who is also the community and arts manager at Stoke Minster — said the event was intended to build on literacy work already taking place in the city by bringing authors into Stoke-on-Trent and showcasing the talent that already exists locally.
“Why shouldn’t we have our own book festival, we’ve got a load of homegrown talent, it’s a great place to come,”
The quotation above was given by Simon Drakeford in the programme launch. Library senior staff welcomed the initiative as a way to create opportunities and to put books at the heart of community life.
Local context — attainment and opportunity
Organisers underlined the festival’s broader ambition to help address literacy challenges. Recent data cited by the team shows that only 70% of children in Stoke-on-Trent reach the expected standard in reading by the end of Year 6, compared with 75% nationally. That gap leaves the city as the lowest ranked local authority across the whole of the West Midlands on that measure.
Speakers at the launch described the festival as a way of connecting readers, families, schools and community groups with authors and creative activities, and as an opportunity to spark interest in reading among children and adults alike.
Local authors and community involvement
Local writer Dave Proudlove — known for books rooted in Stoke-on-Trent and reflecting the city’s football and industrial community connections — is among the authors taking part. Festival organisers say they have been encouraged by the level of local interest and the willingness of writers, libraries and churches to host events.
- Dates: 3–10 October
- Venues: Stoke Minster and city libraries, among others
- Programme: author talks, workshops, performances; free and paid events
Library staff described the festival as long‑held aspiration made real. They emphasised the role public libraries play in lifelong learning and in helping to open doors for young people through reading and cultural activity.
Practical information and ambitions
Organisers stress that events will be spread across different venues and price points to encourage broad participation, and that the festival is aimed at fostering a reading culture rather than simply staging book signings. They hope the programme will both support existing literacy initiatives and create new partnerships between schools, libraries, community groups and writers.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Festival dates | 3–10 October |
| Key venues | Stoke Minster; Stoke-on-Trent libraries |
| Main aims | Promote reading; support literacy work; showcase local authors |
The festival is a locally driven project, organised by a small team with a passion for books and community engagement. Its backers argue that, beyond the immediate cultural offerings, a city‑wide festival can contribute to longer‑term improvements in literacy and to a stronger sense of civic pride in Stoke-on-Trent’s creative life.
Further programme details and ticket information are expected to be released by organisers in the coming weeks.
