More than 100 authors are set to descend upon the happiest place to live in the UK as Hexham Book Festival returns for the 17th year.
Taking place at venues across the historic market town, the highlight is the vintage Spiegeltent set up in the grounds of Hexham Abbey, which will host family festival StoryLand this year. This year's line-up includes authors, thinkers and politicians as well as performance events.
Val McDermid, best known in our region for writing the Wire in the Blood series which stars Robson Green, will discuss the second book in her Allie Burns series, 1989. Other high profile names appearing include former cabinet minister and Strictly star Ed Balls reflecting on his life in recipes; performance poet Hollie McNish talking sex, politics and a whole range of other subjects; and British/Ethiopian author Lemn Sissay, exploring his childhood in his book My Name is Why .
