Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival Set To Return With Exciting Line Up.
The Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival is set to return this autumn with a packed programme celebrating the written and spoken word.
The festival will feature 12 events from Tuesday, October 20 to Sunday, November 8, taking place at Tullie, Cakes & Ale Café on Castle Street and The Old Fire Station. The programme will cover fiction, non fiction, poetry and a range of literary topics. The festival will open on October 20 at The Old Fire Station with bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child, who will discuss Chain Reaction, the 31st Jack Reacher thriller.
Another major event will see bestselling and award winning writers Vaseem Khan and Charlie Higson come together to discuss their new books set in the world of James Bond. The pair will explore their different interpretations of 007 and what it is like to add their own work to Ian Fleming’s famous creation.
The festival will also welcome a wide range of other speakers, including award winning photographer Tom McNally, journalist Monisha Rajesh, explorer Charlie Walker, environmentalist Karen Lloyd and historian Alistair Moffat.
Documentary maker Nicola Wilding will appear in conversation with Lake District farmer and author James Rebanks, while author Kirstie Pelling will make her Borderlines debut discussing her Lakes based romantic novel Sink or Swim during a tea and cake event at Cakes & Ale.
Poetry will also have a strong presence, with the popular Borderlines Poetry Open Mic Night returning to Cakes & Ale Café on November 6. The free but ticketed event will give local poets an opportunity to perform their work in a relaxed and supportive environment.
There will also be something for younger audiences, with a new children's event titled Animal Antics With Jake Hope. The session at Tullie will feature animal themed stories and activities designed to engage young children.
A new Gwenda Matthews Talk will also be introduced this year in memory of the festival’s much loved co founder and co programmer, who died in January. Author Sarah Hall will discuss her sixth novel Helm, which won the Lakeland Book of the Year Award.
Borderlines was founded in 2014 and is a not for profit festival run by volunteers. It aims to bring major national and international authors to Carlisle while also showcasing local talent and encouraging creativity within the community.
The festival is supported by Cumberland Council, with event sponsors Eric Hagan Opticians and Architects Plus, alongside partners including Tullie and Carlisle independent bookshop Bookends. Tickets start at £10, with a £2 discount available across all events for people aged under 26. The return of Borderlines is expected to provide another major cultural highlight for Carlisle, bringing authors, readers and book lovers together across the city’s historic quarter.
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