The Festival Calendar

Leeds Writing
Festival 2026.

Date

Saturday, 5 September 2026

Time

9:00 AM – 5:45 PM BST

Venue

Leeds Trinity University, LS18 5HD

Ticket Price

£25.00

About the Festival

A full day for serious writers.

The Leeds Writing Festival is dedicated to aspiring and established writers in the North of England. Bringing together expert authors, literary agents, and publishing professionals for a day of workshops, seminars, and meaningful connections.

Whether you're refining your debut novel, exploring self-publishing, or navigating the route to a literary agent — there is a session for every stage of your journey.

Book Your Place — £115

Early bird price · Ends 30 March 2026

What's Included

  • One-to-One Book Doctor Session

    3,000-word manuscript review with a professional editor.

  • Expert-Led Workshops & Seminars

    Full day of concurrent sessions across fiction, non-fiction, and publishing.

  • First 500 Writing Competition Entry

    Automatic entry into our flagship short fiction competition.

  • Hot Lunch & Refreshments

    Catered lunch plus tea and coffee throughout the day.

  • Networking with Industry Professionals

    Meet writers, agents, and publishers from across the North of England.

Programme

The Day Schedule.

Morning

9:00 AM

Doors Open & Registration

9:30 – 10:00 AM

Opening Address

Caroline Bond

Session 1  ·  10:10 – 11:10 AM

The Critical Eye

Sally Hart

Historical Fiction

Roger Webster

11:10 – 11:40 AM

Break & Author Book Signings

Session 2  ·  11:40 AM – 12:40 PM

Does Genre Matter?

Caroline Bond

Self-Publishing with Troubador

Troubador Publishing

12:40 – 2:00 PM

Lunch Break & Networking

Afternoon

Session 3  ·  2:00 – 3:30 PM

Love Your Villains

Philippa East

Psychic Distance

Anne Corlett

What Publishers Want

Laura Williams

3:30 – 4:00 PM

Break & Author Book Signings

Session 4  ·  4:00 – 5:15 PM

Big Picture Editing

Emma Tallon

YA & Children's Writing

Jaye Sarasin

Show and Tell

Christie Newport

5:20 – 5:50 PM

Final Address & Competition Winner

Jaye Sarasin, Roger Webster & Caroline Bond

Speakers & Book Doctors

The Faculty.

Speaker Presenting a session
Book Doctor One-to-one manuscript sessions
Caroline Bond

Caroline Bond

Author & Opening Speaker

Sessions

Opening Address · Does Genre Matter?

Speaker Book Doctor
Sally Hart

Sally Hart

Author

Sessions

The Critical Eye

Speaker Book Doctor
Roger Webster

Roger Webster

Author

Sessions

Historical Fiction · Final Address

Speaker Book Doctor
Philippa East

Philippa East

Author

Sessions

Love Your Villains

Speaker Book Doctor
Anne Corlett

Anne Corlett

Author

Sessions

Psychic Distance

Speaker Book Doctor
Laura Williams

Laura Williams

Literary Agent

Sessions

What Publishers Want

Speaker
Emma Tallon

Emma Tallon

Author

Sessions

Big Picture Editing

Speaker Book Doctor
Jaye Sarasin

Jaye Sarasin

Author

Sessions

YA & Children's Writing · Final Address

Speaker Book Doctor
Christie Newport

Christie Newport

Author

Sessions

Show and Tell

Speaker Book Doctor
Troubador Publishing
Session 2 · Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing with Troubador

Troubador Publishing, the UK's leading self-publishing service, will be presenting an overview of the self-publishing journey — from manuscript to market. Whether you're curious about hybrid publishing or ready to take control of your book, this session will guide you through your options.

Speaker

Venue

Leeds Trinity University

Brownberrie Lane, Leeds, LS18 5HD, United Kingdom

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