Ninth Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival 8th-11th October

Features UK launch of 'A Time of Witches' by US author

The ninth Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival will be held at venues across the town centre from Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th October with its biggest and boldest programme yet to celebrate the National Year of Reading.

It features the UK launch for bestselling US author Madeline Martin's latest novel 'A Time of Witches' and highlights one of Bury St Edmunds remarkable daughters, novelist Ouida.

For the first time, the festival also includes a dedicated food programme curated by Suffolk food writer Nicola Miller, which celebrates Bury St Edmunds' reputation as the Foodie Capital of Suffolk pairing the town's literary identity with its culinary culture. The town's tour guides have also developed a special 90-minute walk taking in local sites of literary note, while local historian, author and tour guide Adrian Tindall will present a fascinating history about the town centre Atheneum.

Bringing Bury St Edmunds darker side to life on the festival opening day, 8th October, Madeline Martin will be talking about her gripping new novel 'A Time of Witches'. England's largest witch trial held in Bury St Edmunds in 1645, and that of two widows in 1662, greatly influenced the infamous 1692-93 Salem trials due to their complete documentation and spectral evidence. Her talk is a forerunner to the new witchcraft exhibition opening at the town centre Moyse's Hall Museum on Halloween, 31st October, which will include a permanent display of the victims' names.

A long overdue celebration of one of Bury St Edmund's daughters, Ouida – born Maria Louise Ramé in the town in 1839, will be presented by Lynn Whitehead on 9th October. 'A Little Scandal is an excellent thing' will talk about how she became one of the most famous and scandalous novelists of the Victorian age, adored by millions and mocked by critics who were too stuffy to appreciate her genius.

Other bestselling authors appearing at the festival include Rachel Joyce, Sarah Winman, Abi Dare, Captain Corelli's Mandolin author Louis de Bernières, Nussaibah Younis, thriller writers Lesley Kara and TM Logan, Monique Roffey, and Damian Barr. Panel discussions will introduce fresh voices alongside recognisable names, exploring diverse subjects like family life, modern love, football fiction, the life of Marilyn Monroe and romantasy.

The programme includes a Festival of Nature in partnership with Suffolk Wildlife Trust bringing nature writing and environmental storytelling to the forefront with writers like Michael J Warren, Stephen Rutt and Robert Ashton. There will also be literary workshops, film screenings and an extensive programme of free events for children and young people.

To view the full programme and book tickets, visit www.burylitfest.co.uk. Author events are from £10 with discounts for those attending multiple events. For where to stay and other things to see and do visit www.burystedmundsandbeyond.co.uk.

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July 2026