A POPULAR literary festival is taking place at the end of the this month.

After the cancellation of last year's event, the 2021 festival is back, but with fewer events.

The Ilminster Literary Festival 2021 starts with a literary festival quiz on October 31, hosted by Linda Vijeh, at Donyatt Village Hall.

Ilminster Literary Festival then runs from Wednesday, November 10, until Sunday, November 14.

On Wednesday, November 10, the festival will include:

  • Tessa Boase, The Woman Who Saved the Birds, via Zoom at 11am. Tickets cost £5.
  • Stephen Moss, Britain's Favourite Birds, at Monks Yard at 2.45pm. Tickets cost £8.
  • Tim Mirfin, An Opera Singer's Life, at Ilminster Arts Centre at 7.15pm. Tickets cost £10.

On Thursday, November 11, you can enjoy:

  • Alan Johnson, In My Life – A Musical Memoir (PT II) plus
  • The Late Train to Gipsy Hill, at Warehouse Theatre at 11.45am. Tickets cost £10.
  • Barry Venning, Giles: The Life, Times, and Cartoons of a National Treasure, at Warehouse Theatre at 2.45pm. Tickets cost £7.
  • John Crockford Crawley, Potty Parsons, at Ilminster Arts Centre at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7.

On Friday, November 12, guests include:

  • Abigail Ballinger, Secret Gardens of Somerset, at Monks Yard at 11.30am. Tickets cost £5.
  • Caroline Newark, Arts Centre Readers’ Group Q&A, at Ilminster Arts Centre at 2pm. Tickets cost £3.
  • Dr Lucy Pollock, The Book About Getting Older, at Monks Yard at 2pm. Tickets cost £8.
  • Andrew Lownie, The Duke of Windsor, Traitor King, at Warehouse Theatre at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £8.

On Saturday, November 13, you can enjoy talks from:

  • Helen Fry, MI9: A History of the Secret Service for Escape and Evasion in World War Two, at Warehouse Theatre at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £8.
  • Brian Freeland, Around the World in 80 plays / 50 years of Seaside Entertainment, at Ilminster Arts Centre at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10.

And on Sunday, November 14, the final event will be a show performed by Ilminster Entertainments Society - Tone Clusters – by Joyce Carol Oates,which is a one act play directed by Valda Dagnell. The show will be at the Warehouse Theatre at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £10.

Ilminster Literary Festival patrons include Alan Johnson and Alice Temperley MBE. It is supported by Ilminster Town Council, South Somerset District Council, The Ilminster Educational Foundation, Tesco Stores, The Gooch Charitable Trust, Friends of ILF and has numerous community sponsors.