This week sees the launch of LoveReading LitFest - a brand new, digitally native, subscription-based books and literature festival, teaming up Lockdown LitFest with the UK’s biggest and best-known book recommendation brand LoveReading. The first interviews, each 30 minutes long and available to view as soon as subscribers sign up, include: a chat with international bestselling author of Find You FirstLinwood Barclay; an introduction to debut author of the critically-acclaimed We Are All Birds Of Uganda, Hafsa Zayan, and a welcome to the mean streets of Montevideo with award-winning Uruguayan crime novelist Mercedes Rosende and translator Tim Gutteridge.

Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival goes virtual from March 24-28 with panel discussions, tribute readings, music and more. The line-up includes Academy, Pulitzer, and Tony Award-winner John Patrick Shanley and jazz cocktail hour with Joel Dinerstein who gives a guided happy-hour tour with his new book. Jazz: A Quick Immersion along with music from the likes of Billlie Holiday, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong.

The Leeds Literary Festival is now on (2-7 March 2021) with sessions from Monique Roffey, crime writerPeter Jamesand a celebration of the life of novelist Andrea Levy, with contributions from family and friends.

Kazuo Ishiguro is in conversation at The International Literature Festival, Dublin on 12 March. Read more on that here. 

Wimbledon BookFest has announced a new plan of activity for 2021 with two summer Festivals on Wimbledon Common. The ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Sunset’ Festivals will be held in June (9-13 June) and September (15-19 September) and each will take place over 5 days on Wimbledon Common. Wimbledon BookFest was one of the few live literary festivals to take place last year and hopes to return to its 10-day October model in Autumn 2022. The programmes for the Sunrise and Sunset Festivals will be announced in May.  Events will be filmed and relayed digitally www.wimbledonbookfest.org

Cambridge Literary Festival has a host of entertaining events for children to be broadcast over Sunday 28th – Wednesday 31st March and then available to watch throughout the Easter holidays until Sunday 11th April.  A Festival Pass provides access to all events for just £15, including Julia Donaldson author of The Gruffalo, with her new book The Hospital Dog, Smriti Halls with Not That Pet, and, addressing lockdown for little ones, Eion McLaughlin & Polly Dunbar presenting the adorable Hedgehog and Tortoise in While We Can’t Hug.

Calabash International Literary Festivalhas regretfully announced that it will not be returning until 27-29 May 2022