We are delighted that our annual Crescent Arts – Belfast Book Festival is making a welcome return for 2021 and is running from 10 – 13 June with an online programme of live events for book lovers.
Covering everything from love and politics to Cinderella as a zombie, this year’s festival covers a wide variety of themes – including feminism, grief, family, disability, sexuality, body image, and the care system.
BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac who will be in conversation with writer Wendy Erskine discussing her debut novel ‘Mother, Mother’ which is set in Belfast
Ian McElhinney will be joining literary biographer Roy Foster to explore the work of Seamus Heaney;
Glenn Patterson will be chatting with author Conor O’Callaghan;
Author of the novel Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín, will be joined by Paul McVeigh to read from and discuss the new anthology of Irish fiction, Queer Love
Multi-award winning author and Belfast Book Festival patron Lucy Caldwell joins us to talk about her new collection of short stories;
Two of Northern Ireland’s most respected political journalists, Susan McKay and Amanda Ferguson, come together to discuss Susan’s new book, ‘Northern Protestants: On Shifting Ground’;
And there will be a specially recorded performance from the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, Lemn Sissay, who also joins us for a second event where he will chat with political commentator Alex Kane.
Tickets for all events are now on sale and are priced at either £3 or free!
DERMOT BOLGER 8 June | 13:00 | £5
One of Ireland’s best known writers. His eleven previous novels include The Journey Home, The Family on Paradise Pier, A Second Life and The Fall of Ireland.
Click HERE to find out more.
CARPET BURNS: MY LIFE WITH INSPIRAL CARPETS Mon 8 June | 20:00 | £6/£5
Tom Hingley’s book Carpet Burns: My Life with Inspiral Carpets, is an account of his life as lead singer of Inspiral Carpets. The event includes a live acoustic set from Tom.
Click HERE to find out more.
THE BELFAST BOOK FESTIVAL POETRY SLAM Sat 13 June | 21:30 | £4
Purely Poetry presents:
‘The Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam 2015’.
Open to all poets, we invite you to ‘take the mic’ and enter our annual poetry slam competition. Share your work in front of a live and lively audience, with new readers always welcome.
Click HERE to find out more.
LITERARY LUNCHTIMES: SARA BAUME Wed 10 June | 13:00 | £5
Spill Simmer Falter Wither is Sara Baume`s debut novel. This quietly powerful story is told through the eyes of a man speaking to his only companion, a rescue dog he calls One-Eye.
Click HERE to find out more.
KARIM MISKE: ARAB JAZZ Tues 9 June | 20:30 | £6/£4
With Malachi O’Doherty
In Arab Jazz, his debut novel, Karim Miské demonstrates a sharp eye for character and an evocative sense of place, moving seamlessly between the sensual streets of Paris and the synagogues of New York to reveal the truth behind a horrifying crime.
Click HERE to find out more.
TOM HARTLEY: RESEARCHING PAST LIVES, WRITTEN IN STONE Tues 9 Jun | 18:15 | £6/£4
Local historian Tom Hartley will take you on a journey through the graveyards of Milltown and Belfast City cemeteries and talk about his research into the lives of those buried there: priests and nuns, architects and footballers, businessmen and poets, hurlers and harp makers, British Army soldiers and IRA volunteers.
Click HERE to find out more.
OGGY BOYTCHEV 8 June | 18:15 | £6/£4 | 16+ yrs
Oggy Boytchev, the author of ‘Simpson & I’ has spent his career working as a journalist in the most dangerous places on earth. Oggy will be illustrating his talk with two short films.
Click HERE to find out more.
LITERARY LUNCHTIMES: VOICES FROM SCOTLAND Tues 9 June | 13:00 | £5
The showcase will feature Margaret Montgomery, (“Beauty Tips for Girls”), Kate Tough, (“Head for the Edge, Keep Walking”) and Nicola White, (“In the Rosary Garden”).
Click HERE to find out more.
BRIAN PATTEN: THE ACCESSIBLE MUSE Wed 10 June | 20:30 | £10/£8
One of the UK’s most distinctive and popular poets, Brian Patten has been delivering scrupulously crafted, heartbreakingly honest, funny and uplifting poems for nearly five decades. A master of performance – genuine and generous – his readings are always memorable.
Click HERE to find out more.
LITERARY LUNCHTIMES: KELLY CREIGHTON Thurs 11 June | Ticketed FREE event | 13:00
In conversation with Jan Carson
Belfast Book Festival presents Kelly Creighton in conversation and reading from her debut novel ‘The Bones of It’.
Click HERE to find out more.
HELEN LEDERER: LOSING IT Sat 13 June | 19:00 | £8/£6
Helen Lederer, best known for her role as dippy Catriona in Absolutely Fabulous has published her debut comedy novel: Losing It. Her unique wit and observational humour means that as well as writing and performing her own material, Helen has starred in many top TV comedy and radio shows.
Click HERE to find out more.
LAURENCE DONAGHY: BUILDING BETTER TOYBOXES
Wed 10 Jun | 18:15 | £6/£4
There is a huge and passionate fanfic community out there. In “Building Better Toyboxes” Laurence will talk about his take on fanfic, explore why it has a place in the wider writing world as a springboard for those too intimidated to construct their own worlds, and talk about his own journey from fanfic dabbler to published author.
Click HERE to find out more.
