Book your seat for literature festival (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Book your seat for literature festival

AS always the annual Cheltenham Festival of Literature Spring Weekend, which runs from Friday, April 2 to Sunday, April 4, gathers together an amazing selection of the very finest writers, performers, historians, poets and critics.

And the fifth such weekend promises to extend Cheltenham's reputation as the 'most distinguished and diverse of literary carnivals,' (The Independent).

Once again, this year's Spring Weekend manages to mix established festival favourites with the new kids on the literary block. Highlights include:

Rita Marley on life with Bob, at her first ever festival appearance. Raymond Briggs on his legendary career in animation.

Lady Annabel Goldsmith on her extraordinary life, in discussion with historian Andrew Roberts.

Dame Judi Dench, president of the Festival, on her love of Shakespeare. Rageh Omaar on Iraq.

Lynne Truss on the phenomenon that is Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Martin Sixsmith and Michael Shea on spin.

Simon Armitage on the poetry of Ted Hughes.

Great established novelists including Margaret Drabble, Joanne Harris, Frederic Raphael, Gillian Slovo, Alan Hollinghurst and Brian Aldiss and young novelists including Jasper Fforde, Luke Sutherland, Ben Markovits, Niven Govinden and Danny Leigh.

Younger festival-goers will be delighted by the two-day Book It! programme which offers a cornucopia of events to delight and entertain, including appearances from Anne Fine, Paul Jennings and Louise Rennison.

Book your tickets by telephoning 01242 227979 or online at www.cheltenhamfestivals.co.uk