2022 

In advance of the 2022 festival, Leeds Lit Fest teamed up with The State of the Arts for a wide-ranging discussion in which key figures involved in this year's festival  explored the growing role of literature in Leeds’ cultural landscape and what impact the festival will have.

Coordinated by Molly Magrath of Leeds Library, the discussion features Jack Simpson of Hyde Park Book Club, Poppy Jennings from Leeds Poetry Festival, author Dan Coxon, Amanda Truman of Truman Books and Zoe Turner from Comma Press.

The 2022 festival also included five podcasts broadcast live from The Leeds Library. 

Leeds' Independent Booksellers panel discussion 

Stephen May discusses his new book Sell Us The Rope 

Gerald Dickens on his grandfather Charles Dickens and his Dickens Double Bill

Peter Hain discusses his new book A Pretoria Boy

Rebecca Mordan discusses Scary Little Girls and Greenham Common

2020

Five Writer Profiles Podcasts were released in advance of the Festival in March 2020. Each featured a writer working in Leeds and was recorded on location somewhere in the city. In response to their surroundings in that moment, writers talk about the relationship between their own writing and the idea of place.

The series features Malika Booker, Boff Whalley, Rommi Smith (photo by Lizzie Coombes), Seni Seneviratne  and James Nash.

Five further podcasts were recorded during the Festival itself and feature writers leading sessions in the ‘Inspiring the City’ workshop series which include Michael Stewart (Introduction to Screenwriting), Barney Bardsley (Writing Memoir), Clare Fisher (Writing Fiction), Gill Lambert (Writing Poetry), and James Oddy (Writing Non-Fiction).

Each podcast features the writer talking about their preparation for the workshops they led in a range of venues around the city, their own experience in the form, as well as interviews with, and writing by, workshop participants.

All the podcasts are available here as well as various podcast apps. The podcasts are produced by Chapel FM.

Listen and download

Leeds Lit Launch Party 2020 with Peepal Tree Press
Here's your chance to listen to our launch event again

Episode 1: Malika Booker explores Chapeltown

Episode 2: Boff Whalley treks the Otley Chevin

Episode 3: Rommi Smith goes yondering in Kirkgate Market

Episode 4: Seni Seneviratne conjures her family's past in Holbeck

Episode 5:  James Nash strolls through the Tiled Hall at Leeds Art Gallery

Episode 6: Michael Stewart: Introduction to Screenwriting Workshop

Episode 7: Clare Fisher: Fiction Writing Workshop

Episode 8: Barney Bardsley: Memoir Writing Workshop

Episode 9: Gill Lambert: Poetry Workshop

Episode 10: James Oddy: Non-Fiction Writing Workshop