Next Year's Festival

We are already starting to plan next year's Lincoln Book Festival. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail hello@lincolnbookfestival.org

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Flash fiction competition 2019

Our 2019 flash fiction competition will challenge writers to pen short stories on the chosen festival theme in exactly 50 words - no more, no less! Details will be announced in April 2019. Click 'Read more' to find the winning entries from the 2018 competition.

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What to expect at Lincoln Book Festival

Lincoln Book Festival has history at its heart, celebrating the finest history writing and historical fiction in one of England's great heritage cities.

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Lincoln Book Festival: History at its Heart

Lincoln Book Festival connects audiences of all ages and interests with some of the UK’s best-loved historians and authors of historical fiction. Like the historic English cathedral city in which it is set, Lincoln Book Festival places history at its heart.

Festival events explore historical themes spanning ancient empires to contemporary culture though intimate talks, readings, discussions and Q&A’s with contributions from acclaimed writers, academics, cultural commentators and public figures.

Recent speakers have included Michael Morpurgo, Tracy Borman, Marcus Chown, David Starkey, Janina Ramirez, Tom Holland, Susan Fletcher, Alison Weir, Diane Setterfield, Andrew Morton, Juliet Barker, Robert Fabbri, Thomas Asbridge and James Runcie.

Lincoln Book Festival 2018: Revolutionary Thinking!

This year’s festival theme was revolution, commemorating the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act which first gave some British women the right to vote. Audiences were invited to explore a potent mix of ‘revolutionary ideas’ down the ages, from the Big Bang to Punk Rock, through a programme of intimate talks with acclaimed writers. The festival ran 22nd-29th September 2018.

Guest authors included Michael Morpurgo, Tracy Borman, Sally Nicholls, Marcus Chown, Maggie Andrews and Janis Lomas as well as a new range of family-friendly fringe events and a return of the popular flash fiction short story competition.

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