A fascinating day of talks, conversations and readings by authors and poets in various genres on the theme of Mysterious Ways

Our Autumn 2026 event will be on the theme of "Mysterious Ways", approached from many different angles, from classic fiction and poetry to contemporary novels and verse, plus a short story written especially for the occasion by Festival favourite Mark Rutterford.

Here is the list of speakers (you can find more about each of them in the Line Up section below):

Lesley Bootiman

Gerard Boyce

Lucienne Boyce

Jayne Chard

Annie Elliot

Judy Heminsley

Nicola Kelsall

Josephine Lay

Nigel Messenger

Caroline Mills

Hugh O'Connell

Philip Ringland

Mark Rutterford

Peter Salanieks

Trevor Stubbs

Fiona Walker

Debbie Young

(Header photos are from last September's event.)

The event will be chaired by HULF Founder and Director Debbie Young, who will combine this fascinating line-up into a coherent whole.

VENUE

We hope that by the end of September, the beautiful ancient parish church of St Mary the Virgin, will still be comfortably warm after our exceptionally hot summer, but please bring extra layers just in case. Seating is on antique wooden church pews, so feel free to bring a cushion.

Free parking available in the adjacent field. Please leave the hardstanding in front of the church free for those with limited mobility.

REFRESHMENTS

Tea, coffee and cake are included in the ticket price of £10. A small booking charge will be added at the time of booking to cover administration costs. Please book early to avoid disappointment - and to make sure we have enough cake for everyone! Feel free to bring your own refreshments if you prefer.

BOOK SALES

A £2 book voucher is included with the ticket, valid at the event. All our speakers give their time for free, so please make the most of your voucher to support them by buying their books. A book stall manned by the authors will be open before and after the talks and during the breaks.

Description supplied by the event organiser.