The Birmingham Book Festival would like to thank everyone for their help, support and enthusiasm in 2008.

Some of the highlights of 2008 included Kate Adie’s funny and heart warming descriptions of her life’s work and our perceptions of work and of danger, Will Self’s enigmatic reading from his latest work, Liver, Louis de Bernieres and Ilone Antonius Jones presenting a unique fusion of fiction and folk music and events to make your mind spin, including Ray Tallis, Julian Baggini and Kenan Malik.

We were especially proud to host A C Grayling’s lecture : The Good Reader and The World, (commissioned by us in partnership with Core Skills Development Partnership), an event which challenged the very heart of what and why we read. It was also our great honour to welcome Carol Ann Duffy to Birmingham to a huge audience and particularly electric reading, spurred on in no small part by the recent controversy over (and support for) her poem, Education for Leisure.

Every event is meaningful and enjoyable, of course, and we could mention each and every one for its unique appeal and success. Whether you have enjoyed this year’s Festival or have not yet been to one of our events, we hope to see you next year for what we are sure will be another round of fascinating and significant literary moments.

In Summer 2009 the listings for the 2009 Festival will appear here. Until then, if you would like to join our mailing list or contact us about something specific, you can do so via this site or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Festival Team.