Details of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival have been announced:

Enjoy a host of literary events at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival this May.

Join us this Spring, for City of Literature
Part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival
8th - 19th May

Spring is in the air, and so is festival season! We're excited to be able to share with you our UNESCO City of Literature programme curated for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

With events including Sarah Waters, SJ Watson, Pussy Riot activist Masha Gessen, Rose Tremain, Mark Cocker and Caroline Criado-Perez there's an event (or two!) for everyone.

For readings, masterclasses, debates and more, see below, and buy your tickets today.

Extraordinary Words & People

Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry

Writing Families - The Gothic Imagination
Friday 8th May, 7.30pm, Norwich Playhouse, £12
"One of the best storytellers alive today" (The Independent on Sunday); Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith author, Sarah Waters kicks off this year's City of Literature programme in fine gothic style. She's joined by Sarah Perry - author of After Me Comes the Flood, winner of the East Anglian Book Awards and "a dazzling new talent" (The Telegraph).
Together they'll dissect their shared passion for the gothic, discuss how they harness creative inspiration, and consider the 'families' of writers that help great art to flourish. Hear both writers read, answer your questions and be ready to embrace your gothic imagination for a stimulating and inspiring evening with two masters of their craft.
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Caroline Lucas

On Parliament, Activism and Change
Monday 18th May, 7.30pm, Hostry, Norwich Cathedral, £8
Why are we so poorly governed? What can we do about it? Join the UK's only (?!) Green MP Caroline Lucas for an evening on activism and change. Reading from her new book Honourable Friends? she will delve behind the scenes of the corridors of power. An illuminating and informative evening assured. Includes Q&A and book signing.
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Tracey Thorn

Naked at the Albert Hall: The Inside Story of Singing
Tuesday 19th May, 7.30pm, The Adnams Spiegeltent, £12
Former front-woman of Everything But the Girl, Tracey Thorn certainly has some tales to tell. From Dusty Springfield to George Eliot, from autotune to X-Factor Thorn brings wit and sharp observation to her insider's look at the exhilarating joy and occasional heartache of singing.
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Writing Rambles: Two Exclusive Masterclasses

The Art of Seeing: A Day Course in Wild Writing

With Mark Cocker
Saturday 16th May, 10am - 4pm, Blackwater Carr, £120 (£200 for both Writing Rambles) Limited spaces.
Join celebrated author and naturalist Mark Cocker on his private marsh, Blackwater Carr, as he helps you to see, hear and experience the world around you. Explore how to turn these fleeting encounters into words.
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Lines in the Sand: A Day Course in Nature Writing by the Sea

With Patrick Barkham
Sunday 17th May, 10am - 4pm,Holkham Sands, £120 (£200 for both Writing Rambles) Limited spaces.
Let Badgerlands author, Patrick Barkham, help you to explore ways of finding your own voice to describe what you see, harness moments of inspiration and discover sights sounds, scents and textures in the magnificent Holkham beach and nature reserve's varied landscape.
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Literary Festival in a Weekend: Day I

Saturday 16th May

Human/Nature - It's Our World, We Want it Back! A Literary Festival in a Day

Saturday 16th May, from 3.30pm, The Hostry, Norwich Cathedral, £30 for day ticket
Meet writers who fight for their beliefs, battle against astounding odds and equip others to stand their ground.
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How to Speak Money with John Lanchester
3.30pm, £8 (60 minutes running time, no interval)
Does the language of economics make you want to jump off a fiscal cliff? Join the bestselling author of Capital, and Whoops!, John Lanchester, as he empowers you to decode the world and words of the economic elite. Knowledge is power - join us!
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The Honours with Tim Clare
5pm, £8 (60 minutes running time, no interval)
Dive into a world of darkness and humour as the ever-engaging Tim Clare launches his new work, The Honours, a YA/Adult crossover work, be plunged into the dark world of 1930s monsters, in this signature Tim Clare event.
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The Tooth & Claw Debate: Raptors
Featuring Mark Avery, Jake Fiennes and Robin Page. Chaired by Mark Cocker
6.30pm, £10 (60 minutes running time, no interval)
Raptors: majestic and awe-inspiring, or voracious predators destroying game reserves and livelihoods? Expect strong emotions on both sides as we debate illegal raptor poisoning and shooting. With a panel representing a range of opinions, this is a Question Time for nature lovers that may leave some feathers ruffled!
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Masha Gessen: The Harriet Martineau Lecture
8pm, £10 (75 minutes running time, no interval)
Pussy Riot activist, journalist, author and at one time probably the only openly gay person in Russia. Join this remarkable woman on the first night of her European tour, for a celebration of freedom of expression, investigative journalism and taking a stand.
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Literary Festival in a Weekend: Day II

Sunday 17th May

Human/Nature - Stories About Us A Literary Festival in a Day

Sunday 17th May, from 12.15pm, The Hostry, Norwich Cathedral, £37 for day ticket
Revel in the creation of the written word, the power it can have, and the ways it can divide us.
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Second Life with SJ Watson
12.15pm, The Hostry, £8
SJ Watson introduces his new novel, Second Life - a psychological thriller full of twists and turns. Hot on the heels of the international phenomena Before I Go to Sleep - made into a film starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. Expect an hour of suspense and intrigue. Get a taste of the event with this SJ Watson interview on BBC Radio 4's Open Book.
Followed by Q&A and book signing.
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Do it Like a Woman... And Change the World
with Caroline Criado-Perez
2pm, The Hostry, £8
Come and hear from one of our generation's most vocal and tenacious campaigners, and celebrate the world's pioneering women. Caroline Criado-Perez is the woman who took on the Bank of England, twitter and the criminal justice system.
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The Thomas Browne Affair with Hugh Aldersey-Williams
3.30pm, The Hostry, £8
Loved by W G Sebald and Virginia Woolf, dive into the world of Thomas Browne: Norwich's own polymath and word-inventor! With only Shakespeare cataloguing more words, Browne was a force to be reckoned with, and a fascinating man. Discover his story.
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Writing Families with Rose Tremain & Neel Mukherjee
5.45pm, The Hostry, £10
Orange and Whitbread winner Rose Tremain joins the Booker shortlisted Neel Mukherjee to explore writer relationships and the delicate art of writing the family. Find out about the way that writers work together and support one another, plus discover more about the creative process.
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The National Conversation: Amazon & The Civil War for Books
7.30pm, The Hostry, £10
Featuring Erica Wagner, Andrew O'Hagan, Isabelle Grey & Ellah Wakatama Allfrey.
There is a civil war raging in the literary world, and it centres on Amazon. Join the debate on this volatile subject, hear the ideas from both sides, and try to decide - can the competing visions for literature peacefully co-exist in a healthy artistic marketplace? Or are the only options win, or die?
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You may also enjoy...

UK Premiere
A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing
by Eimear McBride. Adapted for the stage, and directed by Annie Ryan
Tuesday 12th - Saturday 16th May, from 7.30pm, Norwich Playhouse, £15
Multi-award winning local writer Eimear McBride's sensational debut A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing takes to the stage in this adaptation from Annie Ryan, from celebrated Dublin theatre company The Corn Exchange.
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