WINCHESTER will be celebrating the world of literature later this month.

The University of Winchester Writers’ Festival welcomes multi-award winning author Meg Rosoff alongside a host of authors, editors and literary agents, for its three-day festival .

They will be joined by four creative writing graduates who return to Winchester to share their stories of success and inspire the next generation of writers.

During the festival, which runs from Friday, June 17 to Sunday, June 19, there will be 17 themed all-day workshops given by leading authors, editors and literary agents, as well as 28 talks, hundreds of one-to-one appointments for transcript reviews, forums, open mic readings and a celebratory dinner.

This year’s Festival brings together around 65 industry professionals to share their expertise with new and emerging creative writers.

“The Festival has gone from strength to strength, and I’m grateful for the ongoing support from our expert speakers,” said Judith Heneghan, Director of the University of Winchester Writers' Festival and Programme Leader for the MA in Writing for Children. “The programme is designed to appeal to writers working in all forms and genres – including script, poetry and non-fiction as well as fantasy, crime, romance, literary fiction, picture books, flash and short stories.

“There's something for every writer – be that inspiration and guidance for a new project, developing work-in-progress, exchanging industry news, or meeting agents and editors with a view to publication. The energy and buzz at the Festival are always infectious!"

Friday’s evening events are free and open to the public. The night begins with a reading by author Stephen Thompson from his novel about the 7/7 bombings, No More Heroes. He is followed by Carnegie-nominated children’s author Helen Dennis who reads from the first novel in her new series, Gemini: River of Ink. There will also be an editor and agent panel discussion and open mic reading to conclude the first night of the Festival.

Saturday’s keynote address comes from multi-award winning author Meg Rosoff.

The rest of the day is packed with a choice of 28 talks, one-to-one appointments, an open forum writers’ surgery hosted by Jane Wenham-Jones and an opportunity to hear a reading by Tania Hershman. The winners of the Festival Writing Competition awards will also be announced in a ceremony open to the public.

Saturday evening’s celebratory three-course Festival Dinner features the former Deputy Director General of the BBC, Mark Byford, as the after dinner speaker.

On Sunday writers seeking new inspiration and ideas will be able to explore a range of workshops focusing on various topics and specialist techniques.

To see the full programme and book a place, visit writersfestival.co.uk