Find out more about the Heritage Hub’s Celebration of Heritage: le.ac.uk/research/nat...
Browse the full Literary Leicprogramme here: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
All events are FREE. No booking is required for the Celebration of Heritage, but please reserve a ticket for Lit Leic events.
Plus you can step back in time and rediscover the stories that shaped your childhood with Literary Leicester’s ‘Classics from my Childhood’ workshops at 1.00pm and 2.30pm, hosted in collaboration with the University’s Special Collections.
We are also introducing an exciting new feature for 2026: The University Heritage Discovery Zone. Journey from the origins of life on Earth to cutting-edge space research, explore ancient diet and medicine and try your hand at life‑saving skills.
With hands-on activities ranging from leathercraft and weaving to Morris dancing and our archaeological dig pit, there is something for everyone. Our friendly Heritage Hub Ambassadors will be on hand throughout the day to help you make the most of your visit.
This year, more than 50 organisations from across the region will join us. Come along to explore local museum collections, hear fascinating stories of the rich history and heritage of our city and region and find out what’s happening at upcoming festivals and heritage events.
Then, head over to Leic campus, for the Heritage Hub’s 2026 Celebration of Heritage! Between 12.00pm-4.00pm you can meet our students & staff, explore our campus, discover our remarkable collections & learn about world leading research that shapes our understanding of the past, present & future.
Literary Leicester x UoL Heritage Hub!
Literary Leic is teaming up with the Heritage Hub’s Celebration of Heritage to offer a fun-packed programme on 21 March! Start your day at the Uni of Leic’s Botanic Gardens with the family-friendly ‘Maths With A Story’ in collaboration with #LetterboxClub.
Grab your free ticket here: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
@uniofleicester #LitLeics26
Join us Thurs 19 March, 5.00pm-6.00pm, when our esteemed panel of book prize judges - author of My Name is Leon Kit de Waal, former Sunday Times Lit Editor Andrew Holgate, former Booker judge Elleke Boehmer, & Leic Institute for Advanced Studies Director Clare Anderson – will pull back the curtain!
🏆️📚️ Judging Major Book Prizes📚️🏆️
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to judging major book prizes?
(Kit de Waal photo by Sarah M. Lee)
#WorldBookDay #GoAllIn #LitLeics26
Image credit: Aidan Rhode, courtesy of First Story (@firststory_uk)
Plus, on Saturday 21 March, 10.30am-12.00pm, ‘Maths With A Story: A Letterbox Club Kids’ Event’ is taking place at the Botanic Gardens in Oadby! www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
You can also join the waiting list to see Dame Jacqueline Wilson on 30 April: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
✨️🍎 Hurrah for World Book Day! 🐛✨️
Why not celebrate by booking tickets for one of our free, fabulous events aimed at kids and families?!
On Friday 20 March, 1.30pm-2.30pm, we’ll be inspired by the First Story Young Writers’ Showcase featuring local schools: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
Farhana, Manish, and Mr Shay will be in conversation at #LitLeics26, exploring place, identity, and what it means to write the city of Leicester.
🗓️ Fri 20 March 2026 ⏰️ 3.00pm-4.00pm📍Attenborough Arts Centre
Book your FREE tickets: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
Farhana Shaikh is a writer and publisher born in Leicester, devoted to championing regional and diverse voices through her work as editor of The Asian Writer, manager of indie press, Dahlia Books, and host of Leicester-based writing competitions. Find out more: pukaarmagazine.com/flying-the-f...
Mr Shay, Leicester’s first Poet Laureate, has also celebrated Leicester’s famous Belgrave Road in his poem ‘Golden Mile’, capturing the vibrancy of the city. Hear him perform ‘Golden Mile’ here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCMZ....
He recently published his debut novel, Belgrave Road, a coming-of-age story set against the background of the city’s Golden Mile, dubbed ‘a powerful portrait of the lived realities of immigrants in Britain, and of love as home, hope and destiny.’ (Guardian)
✏️ Write Leicester 🎆
We’re thrilled to welcome 3 fantastic Leicester authors for our Write Leicester panel at Literary Leicester 26! Originally from Leicester, Manish Chauhan is a finance lawyer & acclaimed short fiction writer
Image: Matt Preston, Flickr, Diwali Leicester (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Her murder mystery musical movie, The Mystery of Mr E, is available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
Grab your FREE ticket and join us on 18 March, 6:30-7:30PM: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
#LitLeics26
Sophie Hannah's books have sold more than five million copies in 51 countries. She's the author of the new series of Hercule Poirot mystery novels, and winner of the UK National Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year prize in 2013, and the Dagger in the Library Award for her body of work in 2023.
🔍️ Sophie Hannah: Poirot and Me🕵️♂️
We’re excited to welcome Sophie Hannah to the University of Leicester as part of Literary Leicester 2026!
Grab your FREE ticket and join us on 19 March, 2.00-3.00PM: www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
#ClimateChange #LitLeics26
Pearce has written fourteen books on a wide-range of environmental issues, including A Trillion Trees in 2021, Fallout, and When the Rivers Run Dry. He has just published Despite it All: A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls, which explores how nature is finding ways to thrive in unexpected places.
🌸 Despite it All: A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls with Fred Pearce🌳
On 19 March, we’re welcoming award-winning journalist Fred Pearce to the University of Leicester for Literary Leicester 2026!
Ahead of the release of her new memoir, Doughty will be in conversation with our own Kit de Waal, reflecting on her life in writing.
Grab your FREE ticket and join us on 18 March, 8.00-9.00PM:
www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
#LitLeics26
Doughty has published ten other novels, including 2019’s ‘utterly mesmerizing’ Platform Seven and 2023’s ‘intriguing… slow burning thriller’ (Sunday Express), A Bird in Winter. She is also a noted screenwriter and cultural critic.
✒️ Louise Doughty: A Life in Writing 🍎
We’re thrilled to welcome Louise Doughty to the University of Leicester as part of Literary Leicester 2026! Born in Melton Mowbray Leicestershire, Doughty is best-known for her number one bestselling novel, Apple Tree Yard, adapted into a major BBC mini-series
🐞🐴 CLASSICS FROM MY CHILDHOOD🐴 🐞
Join the Special Collections team for an enchanting journey through rare books , featuring beloved classics such as Black Beauty
🗓️ Sat 21 March ⏰️ 13.00–14.00 & 14.30–15.30 📍 David Wilson Library
🎟️ www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
#GoAllIn2026
🚲️ RIDE LEICESTER 🚲️
This bike tour will take you to the homes and local haunts of five major writers who lived in the city.
🗓️ Sat 21 March ⏰️ 11.00–13.00
🎟️ www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
#GoAllIn2026 #NationalYearofReading2026
➗️🌟 MATHS WITH A STORY🌟➗️
Come and join us for a wonderful workshop with children’s author Professor Rose Griffiths. Play our games and change the rules or design your own game.
🗓️ Sat 21 March ⏰️ 10.30–12.00📍Beaumont Hall Botanic Gardens, Oadby
🎟️ www.tickettailor.com/events/liter...
#GoAllIn2026