Welcome to R:Fest!
A very warm welcome to the third Runnymede International Literary Festival.

Like last year, Royal Holloway, Runnymede Borough Council, and the literature agency, THE SOUTH, the principal festival partners, are working together to bring a programme of literary activities to Runnymede, including a wide range of community events and a three-day festival of national and international writers at Royal Holloway.

The festival includes fiction and poetry workshops, as well as readings by leading poets and writers. As the programme shows, this year’s festival has chosen to focus particularly on poetry. In addition, following on from the success of the conversation with Giles Foden in the first festival and with Hilary Mantel in the second festival, this year’s festival at Royal Holloway begins with ‘An Audience with Francis Wheen’ on 28 February and ends with ‘An Audience with Michael Palin’ on 5 March. The Community programme also includes a visit by poet Wendy Cope to St George’s College, Addlestone for a public reading on 1 May.