Bridport Literary Festival

19/08/2025

Just a day and a bit to get your application in. Don't miss out on the opportunity to win a fantastic bursary for university studies this year!

** CLOSING DATE - 21 AUGUST! **
Bridport Literary Festival invites students in Year 13 at the Colfox-Beaminster sixth-form, who are planning to go to university this year, to apply for the Bridlit Bursary which will allow two successful candidates £3,000 a year for each year of their three-year degree course. Also available to young people at other schools, providing they are from Bridport, and those who've been on a gap year. Full details here - the closing date is 21 August, so still time to put a good application together. £9k each could make a massive difference!
https://www.bridlit.com/bursaries/

15/08/2025

Ta-da!
Pick up a brochure from Bridport Tourist Information Centre and other outlets or download one online. A week of great events starts here: https://www.bridlit.com/whats-on/

13/08/2025

Won't be long now! Programmes will soon be available at all the usual venues for you to peruse and make your choices. Tickets go on general sale on 29 August at Bridport Tourist Information Centre.
Keep an eye on our website https://www.bridlit.com/ for the full list of events, which will be uploaded soon.
But it's no secret that it’s another star-studded line-up for the 21st BridLit, with speakers and books to suit all tastes, in venues in and around the town from 2 to 8 November.
Bestselling novelist Andrew O’Hagan, foreign correspondent Lyse Doucet in conversation with Lindsey Hilsum, Slow Horses creator Mick Herron in conversation with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, actor Martin Clunes, broadcaster John Suchet on Beethoven, historian Tracy Borman and retail guru Mary Portas join politicians, gardeners, poets, nature writers, biographers, artists, children’s authors and young people for BridLit.

29/07/2025

** CLOSING DATE - 21 AUGUST! **
Bridport Literary Festival invites students in Year 13 at the Colfox-Beaminster sixth-form, who are planning to go to university this year, to apply for the Bridlit Bursary which will allow two successful candidates £3,000 a year for each year of their three-year degree course. Also available to young people at other schools, providing they are from Bridport, and those who've been on a gap year. Full details here - the closing date is 21 August, so still time to put a good application together. £9k each could make a massive difference!
https://www.bridlit.com/bursaries/

18/07/2025

BridLit runs from Sunday 2nd to Saturday 8th November. Tickets will be on sale for Friends priority booking on Friday 15th August, and for general sales on Friday 29th. If you’d like to become a Friend and have early access, please go online:
https://www.bridlit.com/become-a-friend/

16/07/2025

Calling all Year 13 students (or gap year students) from Bridport or studying at Bridport-Beaminster joint sixth form who intend to go to university this autumn:
Our Bridlit Bursary provides two young people £3,000 A YEAR for EACH YEAR of their THREE-YEAR degree course.
CLOSING DATE: 21st August 2025
SHORTLIST INTERVIEWS: 2nd September 2025
Full details on our website: https://www.bridlit.com/bursaries/

11/07/2025

We are delighted to announce that Adrian Turpin OBE, currently creative and strategic director of the Wigtown Book Festival in south-west Scotland, will be taking on the role of Director of Bridport Literary Festival on 1 January 2026.
Adrian leaves Wigtown after nearly 20 years having established it as one of the most successful literary festivals in the UK.
For more information, visit our website: https://www.bridlit.com/bridport-literary-festival-appoints-adrian-turpin-as-new-festival-director/

07/07/2025

In this month's Marshwood Vale Magazine, science communicator and presenter of the award-winning documentary Beavers Without Borders, Sophie Pavelle talks to Dr Sam Rose about environmental change and restoration.
'Rewilding is about trust in one another as advocates and custodians, but placing trust in nature, that it can achieve balance and sustain it—if we let it.'
Sophie will be at BridLit this year in November. Her new book, To Have or To Hold, is published by Bloomsbury Wildlife. ISBN 9781399412162

Seagrass habitats declined by over 70% of their former range across the British Isles—their loss accelerated by coastal disturbance and disease. But thanks to organisations like Project Seagrass, effectively ‘rewilding’ lost seagrass meadows across the country, these meadows and the thousands ...

04/07/2025

From Air Traffic Control to Open Water...
In the latest Marshwood Vale Magazine, Emma Simpson talks to Fergus Byrne about her journey through grief, illness, and the liberation of wild swimming.
'Perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of open water swimming for Emma is the ‘unique liberation that happens in water, and how open water swimming is a liberation from the pornification of the human body.’ In this environment, she finds ‘no judgment, no criticism, just understanding and acceptance and kindness.’
Emma will be at BridLit in November.

The turning point in Emma’s journey came with her discovery of open water swimming. Although she had never been a swimmer, an initial opportunity to swim during a holiday with her children in Swanage, Dorset, was revelatory.

23/06/2025

Bridport fans of Tracy Chevalier loved our first event last week Bridport Electric Palace. They were first to hear an announcement of another well-loved writer coming to see us in October.
Photo by Christopher Middleton.

In our first event since the sudden death of director Tanya Bruce-Lockhart in April, award-winning author Tracy Chevalier brought her novel, The Glassmaker, to life last week She was in conversation with local writer Jo Willett at The Electric Palace, Bridport, and it was almost a full house, even o...

20/06/2025

We had the absolute pleasure of hosting Tracy Chevalier yesterday Bridport Electric Palace in conversation with Jo Willet - a lovely start to our 2025 festival programme! Look out for another very special event later in the year before the festival week in November. Photography by Christopher Middleton.

13/04/2025

A lovely tribute to Tanya by writer David Burnett, with Margery Hookings.

TANYA BRUCE-LOCKHART – Festival Director The 21st Bridport Literary Festival is scheduled for Sunday 2nd - Saturday 8th November 2025. This year, we again bring you an exciting and varied programme which takes place at venues all across town and as always, we hope there is something to appeal to