Whatever your age, there are powerful writers and thinkers to encounter across this edition of Brighton Festival. From bold new fiction and poetry to urgent conversations shaping the world around us, the literature programme invites you to spend time with storytellers such as Joelle Taylor, Philippa Perry or Andi Osho, whose work open up fresh ways of seeing.
The 2026 Literature and Words programme includes:
Selina Nwulu: Black Climates
Sat 16 May, 8.15pm
Selina Nwulu, former Young People’s Laureate for London, joins us with her book, Black Climates: Notes on Race, Our Environment, and Visions for Equitable Futures, which uses her poetic and skilful voice to directly address Black British readers who have been previously ignored in mainstream environmental conversations.
Andi Osho & Dorothy Koomson: At All Costs
Thu 14 May 2026, 7.30pm
We mark the release of Andi Osho’s Most Wanted and Dorothy Koomson’s The Quiet Girls, as they speak to radio presenter and host Fee Mak about what happens when characters take matters into their own hands.
Raymond Antrobus: The Quiet Ear
Sat 16 May, 6pm
Raymond discusses his memoir, The Quiet Ear, setting his story alongside those of other D/deaf cultural figures – from painters to silent film stars, poets to performers – the inspiring models of D/deaf creativity he did not have growing up.
BSL interpreted
STATUS FLO
Mon 18 May, 8pm
Co-programmed by Brighton Dome and our host AFLO. the poet, this edition features two headline acts - T.S. Eliot Prize winner Joelle Taylor and award-winning writer Yomi ?ode - plus two local storytellers - Kae and Scarlett Fae - alongside AFLO., bringing double the poetry, double the energy, and a stage full of some of the most compelling voices in contemporary spoken word. Expect urgent, moving performances that speak to identity, community, and hope.
Feminism for a World on Fire
Thu 21 May, 7pm
We bring together three incredible writers, Natasha Walter (Living Dolls: the Return of Sexism, Feminism for a World on Fire), Shahed Ezaydi (The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women) and N.S. Nuseibeh (Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman) to discuss the idea of a more thriving, intersectional and connected feminism.
New Writers: Rebecca Perry, Manish Chauhan & Jon Doyle
Sat 16 May 2026, 1pm
Find out what it’s like to put your first novel into the world. Discover three debut novelists at Brighton Festival as they present their new books with readings and discussion.
Explore the full
2026 Literature and Words programme at Brighton Festival