CovLitFest: Coventry’s New Community Literary Festival Launches This June

Local writers taking part in Cov Lit Fest.

A new community literary festival is taking place in Coventry city centre from 25-27 June 2026 with fun and fascinating book-related activities for all ages in venues across Coventry City Centre, with a strong focus on local authors.

The collage above shows local writers:

l- r Top row: Pippa Virdee, Eleanor Nesbitt, Ann Evans

Middle row: Nicky Downes, Danny Scott, Margaret Mather

Bottom row:  Anna Stephens, Andrea Mbarushimana and Diamond Kayode-Osunlana.

CovLitFest, set up by a small group of volunteers, who wondered why, with both a wealth of literary history and contemporary writers, Coventry didn’t have its own literary festival. Deciding to do something about it, they have created a collaboration of words, ideas and creativity by the community, for the community that will include talks, workshops, readings, children’s activities, a book fair and two poetry open mic nights.

A festival highlight is Beyond Words, taking place at Coventry Cathedral from 10am–2pm on Friday 26 June. The free event will have stalls from local authors and related groups, as well as drop-in creative writing activities for adults, and colouring and reading activities for younger children. As part of its commitment to supporting the National Year of Reading, CovLitFest aims to make literature accessible and enjoyable for all ages.

On Saturday 27 June, Coventry Central Library will host the awards ceremony for the CovLitFest Children’s Poetry Competition, which invited local schoolchildren to write poems inspired by Coventry. Nine prizes, generously donated by Imagineer, will be presented by Coventry Poet Laureate Andrea Mbarushimana and Young Poet Laureate Diamond Kayode-Osunlana. The children’s poems will also be published in a booklet, supported by The National Year of Reading 2026.

The talks and workshops from local authors will also take place on Saturday 27 June at the Central Library and the Priory Visitors’ Centre and range from Coventry’s Literary History to hints and tips on becoming a writer, as well as writing workshops on Building a World and Our Fascination with Murder. Booking is essential via Eventbrite for workshops for which there is a limited capacity and a suggested donation. All other activities are free and you can just turn up. Check the website for more details covlitfest.wordpress.com.

One of the volunteer organisers, local author and poet Alison Manning says: “It started with a question, or rather two, why didn’t Coventry have its own literary festival and how hard could it be to organise one? So, we started one! We are excited to see our dreams that started as a list of ideas come to reality and look forward to seeing people come along and enjoy all the events.”

Here is the full schedule:

Thursday 25 June 2026

From 7.30pm Priory Visitors’ Centre

Fire and Dust Poetry Night: A Coventry-themed CovLitFest special of  Fire&Dust– a (usually monthly) open mic poetry night. It normally happens on the first Thursday of every month, but this is a bonus event!

Friday 26 June 2026

10am- 2pm Coventry Cathedral

Beyond Words: Celebrating Coventry and books, this event will feature stalls from local writers and groups, some informal drop-in writing activities for adults and related activities for children/toddlers too. 

7pm for 7.30pm start Coventry Caribbean Association, Spon Street, CV1 3BB

Vibrations Poetry Night: Open mic poetry night hosted by Dr. G

Saturday 27 June 2026

Priory Visitors’ Centre

10.30am-11.30am Talk: ‘The state hope argued for’: Place in Literature – Eleanor Nesbitt- Discover Coventry’s rich literary heritage, from medieval mystery plays and Lady Godiva to George Eliot, Philip Larkin and beyond.

12 noon-1pm Talk: Visualising the History of the South Asian Diaspora in Coventry – Pippa Virdee- Explore Coventry’s South Asian history through powerful archive images, memories and stories of migration and community.

1.15pm-1.45pm Poetry & Performance – Poetry, mime and moving storytelling from international performer Danny Scott, sharing his inspiring journey from hardship to hope.

2.00-2.45 pm Talk: ‘For the Love of Books’ – Award-winning Coventry author Ann Evans shares her journey to publication, with tips, stories and inspiration for aspiring writers.

3pm-4.30pm Workshop: Our Fascination with Murder -Step into the world of crime fiction. Explore great detectives and create your own in this interactive workshop with local author Nicky Downes.

Central Library                                                   

10.30am – 11.30am: Children’s Book Readings- Enjoy story readings from local children’s authors, Ann Evans & Margaret Mather, in a fun and welcoming family session.

10.30am – 12 noon Workshop:  Build a World – Create your own fantasy world with bestselling author Anna Stephens in this interactive sci-fi and fantasy workshop.

2.00pm - 3.00pm Children’s Craft Activities- Creative, book-inspired crafts and activities for children and families to enjoy together.

3.30pm- 4.15pm Children’s Poetry Competition Award Ceremony- Celebrate young creative talent with Coventry Poet Laureate Andrea Mbarushimana and Young Poet Laureate Diamond Kayode-Osunlana.