Festivals
Hexham Book Festival takes place each spring in venues in and around Hexham, Northumberland. The festival promotes a wide range of events and each year also focuses on food and wine events. Visiting writers in recent years have included PD James, AL Kennedy, Barbara Trapido and Patrick Gale.

Durham Book Festival was founded in 1990 and is the region’s longest running annual celebration of books. Co-produced by Durham City Arts and New Writing North, the festival takes place in mid-October and presents a diverse mix of book-related events. Recent highlights have included a Book Fete, a residency from Festival Laureate Simon Armitage and visits from authors including Jonathan Coe, Bill Bryson and Blake Morrison.

The Middlesbrough Literary Festival is run by the library service in Middlesbrough and takes place around June and July each year. The festival presents a varied programme of local authors and activities and in recent years has hosted events with authors such as Sarah Waters.

Live literature
If you like your literature in the form of stand-up poetry, performance shows or more cutting edge, the North East has regular live literature nights. Keep an eye on our front page for listings, as promoters often come and go throughout the year. Ongoing programmes of spoken word events can be found at ARC in Stockton on Tees, which hosts events each season and which is home the North East co-ordinator for Apples and Snakes. A new venue that seems to be experimenting with the form is Washington Arts Centre.

For young readers
Newcastle is home to Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books, the home of year-round exhibitions and a enviable archive of children’s books and illustrations. The venue runs regular events throughout the year and hosts visits from leading children’s authors alongside innovative and special events for young readers – from the very young through to teenagers.

The Northern Children’s Book Fair moves about the North East every year. Managed by library services working together, the event is mammoth and is not to be missed if you have children who are keen readers. The event features visits from illustrators and authors alongside crafts and activities.

Regular events programmes
Many promoters run regular events featuring writers reading from their work and in conversation. Our Listening Post e-bulletin and the front page of this website are the best places to find ongoing information about what’s going on.

Lovely places for readers
The Northern Poetry Library is kept at Morpeth Library and is the largest collection of contemporary poetry in England outside London. It currently contains around 15,000 books with new ones being added all the time. You can join the library even if you don’t live  locally  and it’s a fantastic resource for anyone interested in poetry.

The Literary & Philosophical Society (known as the Lit & Phil) is the largest independent library outside London, housing over 150,000 books. A wide selection of current fiction and non-fiction can be found alongside historical collections covering every field of interest. The Lit & Phil is one of the most beautiful buildings in Newcastle in our opinion and the library is a delight to explore. The Lit & Phil also runs regular events and activities that are open to non-members.

Readers who are prone to spending too much money on second-hand books might want to avoid the wonderful Barter Books in Alnwick in Northumberland. Indeed, 'bookshop' hardly seems an adequate description of this store, which  is located in an old railway station full to the gills of second-hand books. Heavy readers can take advantage of the bartering system that allows you to trade in books for credits which will in turn allow you to acquire new ones. There is also a great café in the venue, not to mention a model railway and a famous Famous Writers’ mural.

In Berwick, independently minded readers can enjoy the stock and refreshments at Doolally's Bookshop and Café at the Town House in Marygate. The café is home to one of our book groups and worth a browse if you are in the area.

Keel Row Books on Fenwick Terrace in North Shields is Tyneside’s largest secondhand bookshop. Sprawling over nine rooms (one of which is crammed full of orange Penguin books) the shop is a treasure trove for readers.

In the public realm, many of the region’s libraries have benefited from serious investment over the past five years. Most libraries run events alongside reading groups and reading promotional projects. Check out your local one to see what’s going on.