One of Britain’s biggest authors, a legendary spoken-word night and five days of conversations, ideas and stories all in the same week? Brighton Book Festival is back this June, bringing everyone from Zadie Smith to legendary spoken-word night Jawdance to venues across the city.
Founded in 2021 by Carolynn Bain (Afrori Books) and Ruth Wainwright (The Feminist Bookshop, RIP), the festival’s aim was “making marginalised mainstream”. Five years on, that mission still shapes a programme that mixes big-name authors with workshops, spoken word, poetry and emerging voices.
The headline-grabber this year is undoubtedly acclaimed novelist Zadie Smith, who’ll be in Brighton on Wednesday 17th June discussing her new book Dead and Alive. It’s a rare chance to hear from one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary writers, especially in Brighton, so this is one to jump on quickly if you want a ticket.
But if it’s sold out or if you’re after something with a bit more energy than a traditional author talk, we’d point you straight towards Jawdance.
The long-running London spoken-word night is teaming up with the festival for a special one-off event, bringing together poets and fresh voices (with slam champ Keith Jarrett headlining) for what promises to be one of the most electric evenings of the week. If you’ve never been to a Jawdance event before, you’re in for poetry that feels more like live music – bold, passionate, political, and often funny.
Elsewhere in the programme, there are events exploring stories of home, the challenges of getting books on screen, love as resistance, open-mic opportunities for emerging writers, outdoor group reading sessions, poetry workshops with Brighton spoken-word artist and activist Aflo The Poet, creative writing sessions, and much more.
What we particularly like about Brighton Book Festival is that it doesn’t feel like a festival just for people who already spend their weekends buried in hardbacks. Literature is at the heart of it, but so is activism, performance, community and big conversations about who gets to tell stories and whose voices get heard.
So if your idea of a literary festival still involves quietly nodding in a cold unloved hall while someone reads from chapter three in a snooze-inducing monotone, think again.
17th – 21st June; various times and venues; various prices
brightonbookfestival.co.uk
