Durham Book Festival Commissions
Letters from the World
We invited five acclaimed international authors to write letters to the people of Durham on the same day in August 2022.
Dawn Chorus: a collective sound poem
In spring 2021 poet Linda France and sound artist Christo Wallers launched an open call for lines to Dawn Chorus, a collective sound poem for the beginning of the world.
Ideas for Positive Change
Ideas for Positive Change is a new series of short talks, presented by Durham University academics. Inspired by the success of New Ideas for the New Normal in 2020, a range of world-class researchers return to Durham Book Festival to explore how we might build a more positive future.
Sleep Stories
Sleep Stories is a three-part podcast series, mixing science with story, which is inspired by the contemporary sleep crisis.
Lucie Brownlee: Writing from the Inside
6 April 2022 by
Writer Lucie Brownlee writes about her experience working with a group of female prisoners in the region.
Murder, Mystery and Mayhem: Durham City Guided Walk
Take a walk around Durham and hear how crimes gone by have been recorded through the written word. Discover how the city and its hinterland have provided a backdrop and been incorporated into crime fiction and writing.
Carbon, Climate and Renewal: A Self-Guided Walk of the Durham Heritage Coast
Set off on this newly commissioned self-guided literary walk and discover Durham’s beautiful Heritage Coast!
Disability and the Politics of Visibility
Disability and the Politics of Visibility is a series of commissioned talks by five vital and exciting disabled artists at the forefront of thinking and writing.
Half Way There – The Unsung
The Unsung is a brand new sci-fi/historic genre mash-up radio performance, written and directed by Vici Wreford-Sinnott with co-creators Mandy Colleran, Caroline Parker, Cheryl Martin and Jacqueline Phillips.
Growing Home: A Film by Jodie Russian-Red
Growing Home is a literary film which unpicks the connections between memories, emotion, and gardening from the female perspective.
Counter Culture: A Film from Louise Powell
Counter Culture tells the tales of working-class life which you’re unlikely to find in bookshops or theatres. Featuring pieces written by eight working-class writers first published in Kit de Waal’s acclaimed Common People anthology.
A Literary Pilgrimage of Durham: Guided Walk
Celebrate fact and fiction inspired by, associated with, and written about Durham. Hear stories of ancient scribes, poets, prize winning authors, political discourse, and folklore; and see Durham from a new perspective.
