Upcoming Events

This year’s opening luncheon will be held in the recently refurbished, Fowey Harbour Hotel, commencing with a drinks reception followed by a two-course lunch and coffee. We are delighted to welcome our guest speaker, international bestselling author Diane Setterfield.

We are delighted to welcome bestselling author Diane Setterfield to the Festival to discuss her long-awaited, spellbinding new novel, Once Upon a River. Diane’s 2006 novel, The Thirteenth Tale, adapted for television starring Olivia Colman and Vanessa Redgrave, was a gothic masterpiece and her new novel is just as fascinating and haunting.

Patrick Gale’s novels have gained him an incredible following of committed readers and his 2017 drama for the BBC, Man in an Orange Shirt, attracted thousands more, winning the International Emmy Award for Best Movie/Mini-series in 2018.

While primarily known as a writer of novels and short stories, Daphne du Maurier was also an accomplished playwright. Her work for the theatre includes September Tide, The Years Between, and a stage adaptation of Rebecca.

Virginia Baily’s latest book, her follow-up to The Sunday Times bestselling Early One Morning, is a sweeping, absorbing novel by one of the most gifted, humane and perceptive storytellers at work today.

Authors have long been inspired by Cornwall, perhaps because the Duchy's past is so distinctive. In today’s talk author and freelance journalist Sue Kittow, and historian and novelist Steph Haxton team up to explore walking the borders between 'now' and 'then'.

If anyone knows the meaning of happily, ever, after, it must be number one best selling fiction author, Katie Fforde. With her 25th novel just published, A Rose Petal Summer, she will be in conversation today with Veronica Henry.

Catherine Alliott is the author of fifteen bestselling novels and is one of Britain's best-loved women's fiction authors. Her latest novel, A Cornish Summer, follows the story of Flora, who has the chance to escape her everyday life in London for the shady lanes and secluded coves of Cornwall, and to finally get over the love of her life.

This year sees two of Daphne du Maurier’s novels celebrate significant anniversaries. The House on the Strand (1969), one of Daphne’s best-loved Cornish novels, is 50 and The Parasites (1949), a lesser-known novel based on the theatrical background of the du Maurier family, is 70.

Nina Allan is a bestselling novelist and short story writer whose books receive high acclaim and have won several prizes, including the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel, the Novella Award and the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire for Best Translated Work.

Dr Laura Varnam is known at the Festival as a du Maurier expert but in her day job she teaches Medieval Literature at University College, Oxford. Over the past few years, Laura has entertained festival-goers with tales from Geoffrey Chaucer and the Anglo-Saxon poet of Beowulf.

Veronica Henry talks to two writers about the inspiration behind their intriguing debuts. Rebecca Reid is a well-known journalist whose first thriller is Perfect Liars: Sixteen years ago, three best friends did something unspeakable at boarding school.