Events

Tag: HuddLitFest26

Online: The Grieving Body – an interview

An online interview with Mary-Frances O’Connor, author of The Grieving Body: How the Stress of Loss Can Be an Opportunity for Healing.

Watch free on the HuddLitFest YouTube channel from Friday 15 May.

The follow-up to celebrated grief expert, neuroscientist, and psychologist Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor’s The Grieving Brain focuses on the impact of grief – and life’s other major stressors – on the human body.

Coping with death and grief is one of the most painful human experiences. While we can speak to the psychological and emotional ramifications of loss and sorrow, we often overlook its impact on our physical bodies. Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor specialises in the study of grief, and in The Grieving Body she shares vital scientific research, revealing imperative new insights on its profound physiological impact. As she did in The Grieving Brain, O’Connor combines illuminating studies and personal stories to explore the toll loss takes on our cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems and the larger implications for our long-term well-being.

Research-backed, warm, and empathetic, The Grieving Body is an essential, hopeful read for those experiencing loss as well as their supportive friends and family.

ONLINE: Renaturing – an interview

An online interview with James Canton, author of Renaturing: Small Ways to Wild the World.

Watch free on the HuddLitFest YouTube channel from Friday 8 May.

Twenty years ago, James Canton moved from London to the English countryside. Behind his farm labourer’s cottage was a small field with a ‘for sale’ sign. At first it was a site for family picnics and cricket matches with friends, but James knew that the two-acre patch of earth held more potential – as a place for nature to return and flourish.

Here is the story of how, over a number of years, he undertook a project to ‘rewild’ the field: digging a pond, forging meadowlands, creating habitats for birds and insects, encouraging flowers and plants that support pollinators and wildlife. Eventually what was once just a grassy space was again buzzing with life.

The process raised some interesting questions. Rewilding is about bringing a large landscape back to a natural, self-sustaining state. But that wasn’t possible on the scale of a field, a garden or a window box. What if we rethought the term? What if we aimed for ‘renaturing’ instead? Even on the smallest of scales we can create habitats to support a greater diversity of nature. A single window box planted with pollinator-friendly flowers can provide a mini-habitat to support honeybees; a tower block with a window box on every balcony becomes an acre of bee-friendly ecosystem.

Renaturing shows how the concept of rewilding can be adopted by us all. We can all make positive change, however large or small. We can all be involved in caring for and restoring the natural world.

James Canton James Canton is Director of Wild Writing at the University of Essex. He is the author of Grounded: A Journey into the Landscapes of Our Ancestors (2023), The Oak Papers (2020), Ancient Wonderings: Journeys into Prehistoric Britain (2017) and Out of Essex: Re-Imagining a Literary Landscape (2013), which was inspired by his rural wanderings in East Anglia. He has written for the Guardian, reviews for the TLS and Caught by the River, and is a regular on television and radio.

@jamescanton | @jrcanton1 | jamescanton.co.uk

Image c. Lawrence Cawley

A Celebration of the Huddersfield Ukrainian Community

An evening celebrating the local Ukrainian community with song, dance and an illustrated talk.  

 

Michael Drapan, author of Home from Home, will deliver an illustrated talk on the 70-year history of the émigré Ukrainian community in Huddersfield. This will be followed by traditional folk songs and ballads from the Huddersfield Ukrainian Singing Troupe and traditional folk dance from Zolota Kalyna Dance Ensemble.  

 

Home from Home tells the history of the émigré Ukrainian community based in Huddersfield from 1948 to 2018. At a time when Ukraine heroically endures an unprovoked and destructive invasion by Russian forces, this history aids understanding of historic hostilities, from the traumatic era of enforced slave labour under the Third Reich, battles on the Eastern Front and survival in frightful camps during the bloody years of the Second World War. Then, from the late 1940s, the establishment of Ukrainian Clubs to preserve Ukrainian history, language, and traditions in the UK.  

 

Michael Drapan is a senior committee member of AUGB (Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain) Huddersfield. A retired headteacher, he currently works as a University Examination Invigilator and Kirklees Council Interpreter for Ukrainian refugees.  

 

Thursday 14 May 

7pm-8pm 

Free (booking recommended) 

The Cellar, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street, Huddersfield HD1 2SP 

Age guidance: 11+ 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/the-cellar 

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

Stories, Food & Rhythms of the African-Caribbean Diaspora – POSTPONED

POSTPONED – we regret to announce that this event has been postponed. We hope to reschedule for October 2026, more information to follow soon.

 

Join us for an evening of sharing stories, food and music of the African-Caribbean Diaspora.  

 

Featuring:  

  • Contributions from local writers and storytellers 
  • A short film about the impact of Hurricane Beryl on the island of Carriacou, created by local musician and producer Nigel Cudjoe (Savvy) of Saving Grace Music 
  • Music from local performers including the Huddersfield Community Gospel Choir, DJ and dancing 
  • Free buffet included in the ticket price 

 

Friday 15 May 

6pm-10pm 

Huddersfield Mission, 3-13 Lord Street HD1 1QA 

£7.50 advance, £10 on the door (includes free buffet), free ticket for essential carers accompanying a ticket holder.

Age guidance: 18+ 

 
Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

HuddLitFest 20th Birthday Party

Join us for a free party to celebrate 20 years of the Festival. All welcome – there will be cake!  

 

Plus members of Culture Collective will be on hand to chat about creative opportunities in the region. 

 

Friday 8 May 

5pm-7pm 

Amped, 29 Zetland St HD1 2RD 

Free (booking recommended) 

Age guidance: 16+  

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

ONLINE: Stu Hennigan – Keshed

PLEASE NOTE: this event will now be an online event, to be released on our YouTube channel shortly.

Yorkshire writer, poet and musician Stu Hennigan talks about his dark, complex, and visceral debut novel Keshed, an unflinching character study exploring class, belonging, fatherhood and conflicting ideals of modern masculinity. (Note: strong language and adult themes)

In the derelict shell of what was once his family home, a dying man surveys the wreckage of his former life and drinks himself senseless, haunted by the chain of events that led him there. At heart, Keshed is the story of a relationship struggling to cope with the impossible pressures of raising a child under late-stage capitalism; but it’s also a love letter to the working-class north, from the grinding poverty of Thatcher’s ’80s to the present day. 

Stu will be interviewed by author Simon Crump.  

“Stu Hennigan is one of my favourite writers. His voice is unmistakable and always compelling. Keshed, in its presentation of class and fatherhood, displays verve, fearlessness and total commitment to its characters and their world. It’s brutal and beautiful.”
Wendy Erskine, author of The Benefactors 

Stu Hennigan is a writer, poet and musician from the north of England. His book Ghost Signs (Bluemoose, 2022) was shortlisted for best non-fiction at the Books Are My Bag Awards and Best Political Book By A Non-Parliamentarian at the Parliamentary Book Awards in 2022/3. His short fiction, essays, poetry, criticism and articles have been published widely in print and online. Keshed is his first novel.  

20/20 Writing Competition & Launch

Scroll down for information on the live event

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition – the standard was incredibly high. Congratulations to the 10 shorlisted entrants, the 20 longlisted entrants, and to the highly commended entries.

To read all the Longlisted entries, click HERE.

Shortlist

The 1o shortlisted entries are:

A Negative Image by Alison Deering

All for Her by Kaitlyn Young

East by Elodie A Roy

He Doesn’t Have a Grave by Kate Venables

ShutEye by Jayne West

Squirrel and the Squid by Estelle Hargreaves

Strawberry Picking by Elizabeth Barratt-Golding

The Cancelling by Gemma Wilson

The Funeral Procession by Pauline Braisher

The Valley by Sue Wright

 

Longlist

To read all the Longlisted entries, click HERE.

The 20 longlisted entries are:

A Father’s Son by Terry Lowell

A Negative Image by Alison Deering

All for Her by Kaitlyn Young

Dull Gary by Robin Tones

East by Elodie A Roy

EveryBodies by Dawn Hemming

He Doesn’t Have a Grave by Kate Venables

Killing Two Birds with One Stone by Amanda Barton

Not a Child by Jane Mooney

ShutEye by Jayne West

Sixteen by Lauren Foster

Squirrel and the Squid by Estelle Hargreaves

Strawberry Picking by Elizabeth Barratt-Golding

The Black Soap by Ella Ononugbo

The Cancelling by Gemma Wilson

The Funeral Procession by Pauline Braisher

The Inside-Out World by Tim Taylor

The Stumpery Project by Jo Regan

The Valley by Sue Wright

Travelling Spectrums by Neil Clarkson

 

Highly commended

Dark Secrets Dangerous Lies by Sheila Frampton

Have I Forgiven You by David John Ward

In Pursuit of Justice by Virginia Crow

Mill Town Meltdown by Lloyd Rivett

Mr Spoon by Irish Hable

The Society of Time Travelling Artists Against Evil by Daniel Joseph Day

Vertigo by Laura Christine Price

 

About the Competition and Event

At HuddLitFest, we love to champion new and developing writers. To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are inviting writers aged 16+ to submit an extract of up to 500 words from an unpublished novel, short story or non-fiction work they have written.  

From these, members of our Festival team will select a long list of 20, followed by a shortlist of 10 entries. The longlisted entrants will have their work published on our website and will be allocated free entry to the event. Additionally, the 10 shortlisted finalists will be invited to read their work on the night. The judges on the night – including novelist Simon Crump – will then choose a winner, who will receive a £50 book voucher and two runners-up, who will each receive a £10 book voucher.  

The competition is free to enter and the rules are listed below.  

Important dates: 

Sunday 29 March (midnight) – deadline for entries 

Thursday 2 April – longlisted entrants notified by email and longlist announced 

Tuesday 14 April – shortlist of 10 finalists notified by email and shortlist announced 

Thursday 7 May – Launch at Amped 

Please note: this competition is for prose only, any poetry sent in will not be entered into the competition. Poets can take part in our Open Mic events or apply for a place at our Poetry Slam. 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.  

Rules:  

  1. All submissions must be original work by the entrant, without using AI and which has not been published elsewhere and does not infringe on third-party intellectual property or privacy rights.
  2. Entries must be no more than 500 words. Any words over this amount will not be counted when judging your work. 
  3. Each individual may only enter one piece of writing. 
  4. Entries should be submitted in a 12-point font, double-spaced lines, and ideally sent as a Word doc attachment by email to: [email protected] using the email subject line: 20/20 Competition. The body of your email must include your name and contact phone number. You can also add up to 50 words of biographical details. Entries will be judged anonymously to create the longlist, so your name should not appear anywhere on the Word doc, just the title of your piece. If you do not have access to Word, you can add your entry to the body of your email and it will be passed on to the judges anonymously. 
  5. Your other work can have previously been published or self-published, but your competition entry must be unpublished. You may submit work that you have submitted elsewhere as long as it has not been published by Thursday 7 May
  6. The competition is open to anyone over 16 based in the UK. Ideally you will be available to travel to Huddersfield on Thursday 7 May to perform your work in person on the evening if you are shortlisted. However, we can accept pre-recorded films of you reading your entry, which we will show on a screen on the night, if you are unable to travel due to access issues, neurodiverse conditions or other reasonable circumstances
  7. Entrants must not be team members or Steering Committee members of Huddersfield Literature Festival, or their immediate family members
  8. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into.
  9. The competition is free to enter but if you are able to help towards Festival funds, you can donate £5 or an amount of your choosing through our fundraising page using this link: https://localgiving.org/charity/HLF
  10. Copyright of your work remains with you but the Festival reserves the right to publish your competition extract on the HuddLitFest website and social media. 

Thursday 7 May 

6pm-7.30pm 

Amped, 29 Zetland St, Huddersfield HD1 2RD 

£3, free for 20 shortlisted entrants, free for University of Huddersfield staff and students & for essential carers accompanying a ticket holder 

Age guidance: 16+  

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

 

Book tickets

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

 

Meet Elmer & Storytelling with Spider-Man

Bring your little ones to meet Elmer the Patchwork Elephant – star of one of the most iconic and widely read children’s book series of all time – and enjoy a special storytelling session with Spider-Man! 

 

Kids will love meeting Elmer, with walkabouts from 1.30pm-2pm and from 3pm-3.30pm. Plus an Elmer colouring session with images and pens provided. 

 

Stick around in between Elmer’s walkabouts for Storytelling with Spider-Man. Yes, the friendly neighbourhood star will be here to chat to kids, take selfies and read stories. 

 

Free event – no need to book, just turn up! 

 

Elmer walkabouts: 1.30pm-2pm and from 3pm-3.30pm 

Meet Spider-Man: 1.30pm-3.30pm, with a storytelling session around 2.15pm-2.45pm 

 

If you can’t make this session, Elmer will also be appearing the following day at Waterstones, Kingsgate. For more info see: https://www.huddlitfest.org.uk/event/elmer-at-waterstones/

 

All about Elmer 

Written and illustrated by celebrated children’s author and artist David McKee, the Elmer books have sold over 10 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages since first published by Anderson Press in 1989. Elmer Day is celebrated annually (this year on Saturday 23 May). 

 

All about Spider-Man 

Superhero Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared as a comic book character published by Marvel Comics. He has since appeared in many other comics and films, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day set for release this year.  

 

Saturday 9 May 

1.30pm-3.30pm 

Amped, 29 Zetland St, HD1 2RD 

Free  (just turn up, no need to book)

Age guidance: all ages 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

The Art of Connection

The Art of Connection brings together photographs, collages and poetry created by children and older adults from across Kirklees. 

 

Over several months, people from different generations worked together to share stories, take photos, make collages and write poems about what connection, belonging and place mean to them. The exhibition showcases the artwork that grew out of those sessions, alongside a live poetry performance by Michelle Scally Clarke, one of the artists on the project. 

 

Visitors are warmly invited to add their own reflections, stories or images, helping to build a wider picture of what it means to feel connected in our communities. 

 

Organiser Chris Chinnock says: “We’re thrilled to be invited back to the Huddersfield Literature Festival for a second year to share this work. Created by Our Creative Connection, the exhibition celebrates everyday lives, shared experiences and the simple power of making things together.” 

 

Chris Chinnock is a Huddersfield-based portrait and commercial photographer. He also delivers workshops for people of all skills and experiences, and runs the social Enterprise Our Creative Connection, which uses photography for social change.  

 

Thursday 7 May 

4pm-5.30pm 

Amped, 29 Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 2RD 

Free (no booking required) 

Age guidance: All ages (U16s should be accompanied by an adult) 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/amped 

 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Vince Cable – Eclipsing the West

In partnership with the University of Huddersfield. Subtitled event.

In this fascinating talk, Vince Cable will discuss what the rise of the Asian superstates means for our future. The international order is crumbling and the Western-dominated world we’ve known for the past 300 years is coming to an end. In his incisive new book, Eclipsing the West: China, India and the forging of a new world, Vince Cable examines the impact of these two countries, which account for more than a third of the world’s population. How will they navigate their growing roles on the world stage and what are the implications for commerce, international law and the fight against climate change?  

Vince Cable is a Visiting Professor at London School of Economics and Political Science and a Distinguished Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute. A former MP, he was leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017-2019, and was UK Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Glasgow and in the 1990s worked as Chief Economist for Shell. His books include The Storm (2009), After the Storm (2015), Open Arms (2017), Money and Power (2021) and The Chinese Conundrum (2022). 

ACCESSIBILITY – This event will have live subtitling by Stagetext to make it more accessible to those who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. See below for travel and parking information. 

Sponsored by  

Tuesday 12 May 

6.15pm-7.15pm 

Diamond Jubilee Lecture Theatre, Charles Sikes Building, University of Huddersfield, Firth Street, Huddersfield HD1 3BN  

£7 (£5), free for University staff and students and for Essential carers accompanying a ticket holder.

Age guidance: 16+ 

Access Guide: https://www.accessable.co.uk/huddersfield-literature-festival/access-guides/charles-sikes-building-diamond-jubilee-lecture-theatre  

Book tickets

 

Access, travel and parking information 

Access: if you have specific access needs or seating preferences, please contact our Admin team at [email protected] with your request.

Concession & Carers: For further information on concession and essential carer tickets, please visit our FAQ’s page. 

Eventbrite note: When purchasing tickets please download the Eventbrite ‘app’ or ‘create an Eventbrite account’. This will facilitate quicker access to your tickets.

 

Public transport The University has its own bus stop by campus. For timetables, tickets and routes visit  the Metro website. 

Transpennine Express provides regular services in and out of Huddersfield, as does National Rail. The University is a 10-minute walk from the train station, or there are taxis outside the station. 

Parking The University’s Firth Street and Wakefield Road car parks will be open for the public to park from 5.30pm on the event date (usual opening time 6pm). Please note: parking is only payable by signing up to the RingGo App, which you can set up ahead of your visit or by phoning an automated service on the day – details for both are on information boards in the car parks. There is no option for cash or contactless card payment at these car parks. 

Alternative parking The Kingsgate Centre car park is open until 11.30pm.  

Blue Badge parking There are a limited number of blue badge parking spaces on the University of Huddersfield campus. For more information, call: 01484 422 288. 

Campus Map – Charles Sikes building is no 9 on the map

University of Huddersfield campus map