FAMILY EVENTS
LET’S GET LIT: FAMILY – WED 1 NOV
Step into a world where imagination knows no bounds, where stories come to life with every twist and turn of the tale. Guided by our experienced storyteller, children will use the captivating objects from The Story Suitcase to weave their own unique story adventures.
THE BEE HUB 10am-12noon. £5 per child
LET’S GET LIT: BABIES – WED 1 NOV
Using the magic of stories we will explore the many ways we can bring books to life through storytelling and sensory play to get our little ones ready for the big adventure of life. These relaxed sessions are a chance for bonding time, memory making and connecting with other parents.
THE BEE HUB 1pm-2pm. £5 per child
LEEDS LIBRARIES STORY BUS – THU 2 NOV
Using the magic of stories we will explore the many ways we can bring books to life through storytelling and sensory play to get our little ones ready for the big adventure of life. These relaxed sessions are a chance for bonding time, memory making and connecting with other parents.
WEAVERS YARD AT SUNNY BANK MILLS 10am-4pm . FREE
FAMILY DAY – THU 2 NOV See trumanbooks.co.uk for more info
A packed day of kids activities and workshops with acclaimed authors Tom Palmer ( Foul Play ), Phil Earle ( When The Sky Falls ), Hannah Durkan ( Zeina Starborn ) and Kate Pankhurst ( Fantastically Great Women ). Supported with funding from Leeds Inspired, part of Leeds City Council.
OLD WOOLLEN 10am-3.30pm. £2 per child
SMEATON 300 PRESENTS: KATE PANKHURST - WE ARE ALL ASTRONAUTS – FRI 3 NOV
Meet the young astronaut in training, Luna Scope as she discovers exactly what it takes to become a space explorer. A session fizzing with space facts, female pioneers of STEM and space travel, dressing up and drawing.
THE BOBBIN ROOM AT SUNNY BANK MILLS Doors 1pm/Starts
1.30pm. £2.50 + Booking Fee. Suitable for children aged 5-9
STORYTIME – Tuesdays & Thursdays at 10.30am
Bring your little ones for a session of stories and songs in kids’ corner at Truman Books. Suitable for under-fives.
TRUMAN BOOKS. FREE.
STORY AND RHYME TIME – Every Friday at 1.30pm-2.30pm
A fun session of sharing stories and rhymes in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
FARSLEY LIBRARY. FREE FOR UNDER 5 s
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HENRY NORMAL: COLLECTED POEMS AND OTHER LANDFILL
Writer, poet, TV & film producer and founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival, Henry Normal has been honoured with a BAFTA for services to television, having co-written the Mrs Merton Show and The Royle Family
WED 4 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £15 + BF
A BRIEF HISTORY OF QUEER WOMEN WITH KIRSTY LOEHR
Dispensing with patriarchal “drivel”, Kirsty Loehr presents a little book that packs a big punch against centuries of outrageous straightwashing, reinserting queer women back into history.
TUE 10 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. Doors 6.30pm. Starts 6.45pm. £12
A BIOGRAPHY OF YORKSHIRE WITH RICK BROADBENT
In Now Then , award-winning writer and Times journalist Rick Broadbent goes in search of the soul of England’s biggest county in a portrait that blends social history, memoir, reportage and interviews.
WED 11 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. Doors 6.30pm. Starts 6.45pm. £5
THE FINAL INSTALMENT WITH CHRIS NICKSON
Friend of Truman Books and celebrated author of multiple historical crime fiction series, Chris Nickson , unveils the final book in the Tom Harper series, Rusted Souls .
THU 12 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. Doors 6.30pm. Starts 6.45pm. £5
ENCHANTING BEGINNINGS: PROMOTING LITERACY THROUGH CREATIVE STORYTELLING
Join Stories with Liv for an immersive workshop dedicated to nurturing the magic of literacy and storytelling in early education. Includes exclusive access to the Enabling Learning Environment curated by the Leeds for Learning team.
SAT 14 OCT - SCRAP AT SUNNY BANK MILLS. 10am – 12.30pm. £15
THE MICK RONSON STORY – BOOK TOUR
Authors Rupert Creed & Garry Burnett present an evening of stories, archive photos and film clips portraying the life and music of Bowie’s essential sideman: the stunning guitarist, song arranger and producer Mick Ronson.
SUN 15 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £14 + BF
AN EVENING WITH ADRIAN EDMONDSON
Discover the story behind Adrian Edmondson’s journey to coming a British comedy legend in this riotous evening of storytelling celebrating the release of his upcoming memoir, Beserker!
WED 18 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. Entry + Book £28. Entry only £20
A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
The award-winning Dyad Productions return with a twenty-first century take on Virginia Woolf ’s celebrated pre-TED talk. ★★★★★ “ Intelligently adapted, beautifully performed… entrancing” – BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE.
SUN 22 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £14 + BF
WORKSHOP – GHOST STORY WRITING: AN INTRODUCTION
Gothic writer and theatre-maker Adam Z Robinson ( The Book of Darkness & Light , The Ghost Story Book Club podcast) guides you through the fundamentals of writing chilling ghostly tales of terror.
MON 23 OCT - THE BOBBIN ROOM, SUNNY BANK MILLS. Doors 6pm. Workshop 6.30 – 9.30pm. £15 + BF
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE GREENHAM PIONEERS WITH REBECCA MORDEN
Co-authored with Kate Kerrow , Rebecca Morden ’s book Out of the Darkness: Greenham Voices celebrates the Greenham Women’s Peace Camp - the largest and most effective woman-led protest since the Suffrage campaign.
MON 23 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. Doors 6.30pm. Starts 6.45pm. £5
GHOSTS OF TODAY: GOTHIC FICTION IN 2023
Panel event with writers of contemporary Gothic fiction: Andrew Michael Hurley ( Starve Acre , soon to be a film with Matt Smith), Kirsty Logan ( Now She Is A Witch , The Unfamiliar ), Lauren Owen ( The Quick , Small Angels ). Hosted by Adam Z Robinson ( The Book of Darkness & Light ).
TUE 24 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £8 + BF
GENRE BENDING WITH CAROLINE BOND & LINDA GREEN
Writing in one genre is not enough for authors Caroline Bond (The Day We Left ) and Linda Green ( In Little Stars ). This illuminating conversation reveals how their books are positioned for different markets, and how publishers and readers view a change of direction.
WED 25 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. Doors 6.30pm. Starts 6.45pm. £5
A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS: CANDLE-LIT GHOST STORIES FOR HALLOWEEN
Lost Hearts and A Warning To The Curious – two spine-chillers by MR James , performed by Robert Lloyd Parry , who appeared as the author in Mark
Gatiss ’s BBC2 documentary MR James: Ghost Writer
THU 26 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £13 + BF
WRITING AND PUBLISHING SHORT STORIES WITH TOM CONAGHAN
Join the editor of Scratch Books , as he talks about what makes an accomplished short story, which magazines and journals to submit to, and how to approach agents and publishers with a collection.
SUN 29 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. Doors 5pm. Starts 5.30pm. £10
AN EVENING WITH PATERSON JOSEPH
Paterson Joseph is a beloved British actor, who has appeared in Vigil , Noughts and Crosses , Peep Show and many more. Here he talks about his debut novel, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho
TUE 31 OCT - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. Entry + Book £28. Entry only £20
QUANTUM SAUCE: SCIENCE + ART + BEER = MIND EXPANSION!
Quantum Sauce does Farsley Gothic. Three experts speak for 30 mins each: including Prof Ruth Robins ( “I wants to make your flesh creep..” - Haunting The Victorians ), Dr Jim Leary ( Footmarks: An Archaeology of Movement ); and Prof Karl Sprachen ( The Rise & Rise of Alternate Subcultures in Leeds ).
WED 1 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £6 + BF
AN EVENING WITH LUCY COOKE (SPRINGWATCH)
The award-winning TV presenter and producer introduces her book Bitch: A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal . “A dazzling, funny and elegantly angry demolition of our preconceptions about female behaviour and sex in the animal kingdom.” – THE OBSERVER
SAT 4 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £13.50 + BF
SMEATON 300 PRESENTS
ROMA AGRAWAL: NUTS AND BOLTS
Award winning Shard engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal discussing her new book Nuts and Bolts , about 7 humble inventions that have made an extraordinary contribution to the world around us.
MON 6 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £8 + BF
WRITERS’ OPEN MIC NIGHT
A relaxed evening celebrating and sharing local writing. Whether you are a budding poet, novelist or experienced published writer, we want to hear from you. Writers are invited to read a 5 minute taster of their work.
WED 8 NOV - FARSLEY LIBRARY. 6.30pm – 8.30pm. Free (please book)
FESTIVE LATE NIGHT SHOPPING
Enjoy a glass of mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas recommendations and plenty of Book Banter!
THU 9 OCT - TRUMAN BOOKS. 6.30pm – 8.30pm. Free
IN CONVERSATION WITH RACHEL REEVES MP
In her passionate, powerful and inspiring book, The Woman Who Made Modern Economics, Rachel Reeves tells the story of the women who have been locked out of the economy and society as a whole.
SUN 12 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 1pm. Starts 2pm. Entry + Book £22. Entry only £14
CRIME NIGHT: THE PSYCHOLOGIST’S VIEW
Panel event with Leona Deakin (psychologist and author of the Dr Augusta Bloom novels) and Lesley McEvoy (Behavioural Analyst, Profiler and Psychotherapist and author of The Murder Mile ). Chaired by JM Hall
SUN 12 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 4.30pm. Starts 5pm. £10 Psychologist’s View + Yorkshire Crime for only £15!
CRIME NIGHT: YORKSHIRE CRIME
A panel with Bella Ellis ( The Brontë Mysteries ), RG BRIDGESTOCK (pen name of Bob Bridgestock and Carol Bridgestock , authors of the DI Jack Dylan novels) and author and Radio 4 drama writer JM HALL ( A Spoonful of Murder ).
SUN 12 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 7.30pm. £10 Psychologist’s View + Yorkshire Crime for only £15!
AN EVENING WITH DR AMIR KHAN
Meet the full-time Bradford GP, bestselling author and resident doctor for ITV’s Lorraine and Good Morning Britain , as he introduces his first novel, How (Not) To Have An Arranged Marriage
TUE 14 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. Entry + Book £22. Entry only £14
TREASURES ON TOUR: FANTASTICAL COLLECTIONS
Peer through portals, be unnerved by the uncanny, frolic with fairies or embark on an epic quest as we explore some of the treasures of Leeds Libraries’ special collections. Suitable for adults and young people.
WED 15 NOV - FARSLEY LIBRARY. 6pm-7pm. Free (please book)
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSOR ALICE ROBERTS
The biological anthropologist, author and broadcaster has presented over a hundred television programmes, and will be speaking about her book Ancestors: A History of Britain Through Burials
THU 16 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 7pm. Starts 8pm. £20 + BF
SMEATON 300 PRESENTS
DR MAGGIE ADERIN-POCOCK - THE ART OF STARGAZING
Space Scientist and Sky at Night presenter Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock takes us on a tour of the constellations with her new book, The Art of Stargazing .
SUN 19 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 1pm. Starts 2pm. £8 + BF
BOOK LOVERS QUIZ NIGHT WITH GARY WIGGLESWORTH
The author of The Book Lover’s Quiz Book will be hosting our very own quiz night to see out the festival with what is sure to be a fun night, including great prizes to be won!
SUN 19 NOV - OLD WOOLLEN. Doors 6pm. Starts 7pm. £10
Welcome to the second edition of the Farsley Literature Festival, brought to you by Truman Books and The Old Woollen, along with our friends from, in and around Farsley.
For more info visit: www.farsleylit.co.uk
TRUMAN BOOKS 95 Town Street, LS28 5HX - trumanbooks.co.uk
/TrumanBooks @TrumanBooksLeeds @TrumanBooks
OLD WOOLLEN Sunny Bank Mills, 83 - 85 Town Street, LS28 5UJ
oldwoollen.co.uk /oldwoollen @oldwoollen @oldwoollen
SUNNY BANK MILLS 83 - 85 Town Street, LS28 5UJ - sunnybankmills.co.uk
Home to a number of Farsley Lit Fest venues, including: THE BOBBIN ROOM, SCRAP
CREATIVE REUSE PROJECT and THE WEAVERS YARD
/sunnybankmillsgallery @sunnybankmills @sunnybankmills
FARSLEY LIBRARY Old Road, LS28 5DH
To book tickets for library events visit: ticketsource.co.uk/leedslibraryevents
THE BEE HUB Unit 13e, Springfield Mills, Bagley Lane, LS28 5LY thebeehub.co.uk /TheBeeHub2020 TheBeeHub20
Smeaton300 is an original idea by Foxglove, enabled by Leeds City Council in partnership with LEEDS2023. Supported by National Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Bruntwood, Burberry and Scottish Power Foundation.