SOUTHAMPTON’S Festival of Words, 'SO: To Speak', is set to return to the city.

It will showcase the city’s own talents as well as bringing nationally known authors, historians and poets to Southampton.

The popular festival will run for ten days in October and includes more than 60 events.

Organisers Southampton Festivals have received a £30,000 grant from Arts Council England towards the event.

They aim to bring the city alive with theatre, poetry, Spoken Word, comedy, history and author talks, as well as workshops for writers. Taking place over half term, from October 19 to 28, there are also some events for children and young adults.

Charlie Hislop, of Southampton Festivals, told the Daily Echo: “Since we began in 2015, the live literature scene – poetry, storytelling, flash fiction and comedy has really grown, and this year we are able to commission two developing writers to produce new work to perform at the festival. We have also commissioned a new play about Jane Austen as part of the 200 Anniversary, and will be publishing an anthology of local writing after the festival.”

Southampton has always been a home for writers and poets – from Jane Austen to Issac Watts - and stories and legends from Bevis to crime thrillers.

Even today the city is crowded with prize-winning and published authors; published poets and a strong and developing Spoken Word scene.

It is out of this that the SO: To Speak Festival was created, designed to celebrate the huge variety and interest in literature. Everything from spooky book readings in Southampton’s most haunted pub to talks with a blogging busker will be showcased.

Nuffield Theatres Southampton, The Arthouse, Maskers Theatre Company, ArtfulScribe and the Library service are the leading partners in the festival, which will also include open mic sessions and a return of Words in the City, an open performance afternoon which this year will feature a public poetry contest. The full programme for the festival will be announced in two weeks’ time, when tickets will go on sale for some events.