Dorchester Literary Festival 2026

Monday, September 28th, 2026 Dorchester Literary Festival 2026

Now in a twelfth year of literary celebrations, the Dorchester Literary Festival returns to the centre of town, bringing together book lovers and authors from around the world for talks and discussions in a relaxed and beautiful setting. Here’s what to expect, who to go and see, and the full itinerary so you have plenty of time to plan your visit to the biggest book festival in Dorchester.

For a full list of everything happening at the Dorchester Literary Festival, scroll down to the end of the blog for all the information on events, timings and where to book.

The Literary Event

When: 17th to 24th October
Where: Mostly happening at The Dorford Centre, with a couple of events at other locations. Please check the main listing for more information.
Time: Running throughout the day. Check timings of individual events below.

What is The Dorchester Literary Festival?

Founded by writers Janet Gleeson and Paul Atterbury, the festival has spent twelve years bringing leading authors to Dorchester and giving readers the chance to hear them talk about their work. Tracy Chevalier is patron, and past guests include Robert Harris, Val McDermid, Julian Fellowes and Victoria Hislop, with the last two returning again this year.

The 2026 programme runs across eight days and covers a wide spread of subjects. Historians, novelists, broadcasters, naturalists, politicians and memoirists all take a turn, with talks starting mid morning and the final session of the day wrapping up around seven. Most run for an hour, so there’s room to fit in two or three, wander into town for lunch, then head back for the evening talk.

Nearly everything happens at The Dorford Centre on Bridport Road, a few minutes from the top of town. A handful of events sit outside the main venue, including a literary walk around Dorchester with Mark Chutter, taking in Thomas Hardy and William Barnes, and the Dorchester Book Fair, where independent sellers bring antiquarian books, modern first editions, prints and maps, with £1 entry on the door.

Sponsored by many wonderful businesses across Dorchester, with Albert Goodman as the main sponsor, among many other local businesses in Dorchester including Hall & Woodhouse, Abbey Hearing, Agincare and Sculpture by the Lakes (amongst others).

Raising Money For Charity

Along with giving readers and authors a space to connect, another one of the festival’s key missions is to raise money for local charities. Over the years the team has supported Macmillan Cancer Support Dorset, the Alcohol Education Trust, People First Dorset, Dorset Community Foundation, Julia’s House and Dorset School Readers. This year and in the future, the chosen charity is Weldmar Hospicecare, a Dorset charity providing end of life care for adults with a life limiting illness.

The School Programme

Great news for young bookworms! A school programme runs alongside the main events, with authors visiting schools across Dorchester so pupils get their own chance to meet a writer, hear how a book comes together and ask the questions they want answered. Here’s the rundown of the school programme.

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The Rundown of The Readings, Authors and Books

Some of the Authors at the Dorchester Literary Festival 2026

For all details and how to book the readings and events happening at the Dorchester Literary Festival, please visit their official website. For a main overview of what’s on, here’s the list below.

Saturday 17th October

11am–12pm
Putin’s quarter century of self-enrichment, and the legal fight over the money.
Martin Sixsmith – Suing the Kremlin: The battle for Putin’s Billions
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1pm–2pm
The sports broadcaster on falling for open water swimming during lockdown.
Vassos Alexander – Swimmingly
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3pm–4pm
A biographer brings a dramatic royal story up to date with new material.
Andrew Lownie – Entitled
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5pm–6pm
The follow-up to Wild Swans, on her mother, herself and China.
Jung Chang – Fly Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China
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7pm–8pm
Special forces raids behind the lines in the North African desert.
Damien Lewis – Behind Enemy Lines: The Special Forces Heroes Who Changed the Course of WW2
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Sunday 18th October

11am–2pm
A guided walk through Dorchester’s literary history, Hardy and Barnes included.
Literary Walk with Mark Chutter
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Monday 19th October

10:30am–11:30am
A geologist blends deep time science with traditional stories.
Anjana Khatwa – The Whispers of Rock
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12pm–1pm
Five decades of safari writing on Africa’s wildlife.
Brian Jackman – Lion Song: A Portrait of Wild Africa
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2pm–3pm
Eight ideas for intuition and inner power.

Poppy Jamie – The Book of Magical Living: 8 Secrets to Inner Power
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4pm–5pm
Hiking 600 miles along Siberia’s frozen rivers in early 2022.
Charlie Walker – On Thin Ice
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6pm–7pm
The case for fairness as the route through the environmental crisis.
Tony Juniper – Just Earth: How a Fairer World Will Save the Planet
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Tuesday 20th October

10:30am–11:30am
Finding purpose and meaning in the years after midlife.
Frank Tallis – Wise: Finding purpose, meaning and wisdom beyond the midpoint of life
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12pm–1pm

A century of Ukraine told through four generations of one family.
Olia Hercules – Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family History Through War, Exile and Hope
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2pm–3pm
British prisoners at the Nazi POW camp, from a previously untold angle.
David Lascelles – Out of Colditz
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4pm–5pm
Twenty-five years editing British Vogue, with reflections on style and life.
Alexandra Shulman – Black Coffee and Red Lipstick
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6pm–7pm
A global history of the Second World War from 1931 to 1941.
Jonathan Fennell – Collapse: A Global History of the Second World War, 1931-1941
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Wednesday 21st October

10:30am–11:30am
A naturalist on the diversity of Britain’s meadows and downland.
John Wright – Grasslands
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12pm–1pm

How a Beatles film became a record of 1960s Britain.
Samira Ahmed – A Hard Day’s Night
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2pm–3pm
Cycling through all 15 UK national parks.
Simon Parker – The Wild Road Home
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4pm–5pm
Inside the premiership and the Conservative defeat of 2024.
Anthony Seldon – Sunak at 10
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6pm–7pm
The presenter on stand-up, children’s television and stage musicals.
Johnny Ball – Stories That Must Be Told
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Thursday 22nd October

10:30am–11:30am
A 1,000km walk tracing the Western Front, inspired by a fallen soldier’s vision.
Anthony Seldon – The Path of Light
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12pm–1pm
The innovations behind the move from hunter-gatherers to city dwellers.
Jonn Elledge – 31 Inventions that Built Our World
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2pm–3pm
Children caught in the chaos of post-war Greece and the civil war.
Victoria Hislop – The Wine Dark Sea
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4pm–5pm
Poems on memory and the aftermath of events, plus thoughts on writing memoir.
Blake Morrison – Afterburn and On Memoir
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6pm–7pm
The Downton Abbey writer on his early life, acting career and work.
Julian Fellowes – In Conversation: My Life and Work
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Friday 23rd October

10:30am–11:30am
Elizabethan seafarer Thomas Cavendish, from circumnavigation to a doomed final voyage.
Iain Gately – The Queen’s Pirate
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12pm–1pm
Roman and British life from Caesar’s invasion in 55 BC to the fall of the empire.
Ferdinand Addis – Conquest: The Roman Invasion of Britain
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2pm–3pm
The former chancellor on Britain’s low growth and the route out of the problem.
Jeremy Hunt – Can We Be Rich Again?
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4pm–5pm
Cutting through utopian and apocalyptic talk about artificial intelligence.
Dr Eleanor Drage – What If We Got AI Right?
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6pm–7pm
Estranged twin sisters reunite when their mother disappears.
Kathy Lette – The Sisterhood Rules
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Saturday 24th October

10am–4pm
Antiquarian and second-hand books, first editions, prints and maps, £1 entry.
Dorchester Book Fair
Entry £1 on the door or download a complimentary ticket via www.pbfa .org

10:30am–11:30am
Working with worry rather than fighting against worry.
Dr Sian Williams – The Power of Anxiety: How to Ride the Worry Wave
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12pm–1pm
An investigative biography of the politician, built on interviews and reporting.
John Sweeney – The Real Nigel Farage
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2pm–3pm
American history and the contradictions running through the country’s ideals.
Simon Jenkins – A Short History of America: From Tea Party to Trump
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4pm–5pm
The meteorologist on the science behind forecasts and weather’s role in history.
Laura Tobin – Come Rain or Shine
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