Organised by East Riding Libraries, SpringFest is part of the larger Festival of Words programme and is dedicated to celebrating both local and northern voices.
Returning after a successful year in 2025, this year’s SpringFest will run from Friday, 5 March until Sunday, 8 March, giving regional authors a platform to share their work and develop their skillset.
Opening the author talks for 2026 will be ‘The Sea Stone Sisters’ with Eleanor Buchanan at Willerby Library. Taking place at 7pm on Thursday, 5 March, Eleanor Buchanan will discuss her new novel, a sweeping dual‑timeline story following four sisters scattered across the world.
On Friday, 6 March there will be the opportunity to join Matt Weslowski in the writing workshop ‘Atmosphere in Horror.’ Those who come along will learn the secrets of building a perfect atmosphere to grip a reader, this workshop will be at the Pocela Centre, Pocklington at 2pm until 3.30pm.
Later, on Friday, 6 March, from 7.30pm authors who form The Northern Weird Project will visit Pocklington Pocela Centre to discuss their pocket-sized novellas. Set in the North and incorporating eerie and uncanny incidents, it’s a must see for fans of anything creepy.
Genevieve Cogman will visit Beverley Reference on Saturday, 7 March at 2pm. The author will be discussing her Scarlett Revolution trilogy: a historical‑fantasy reimagining of The Scarlet Pimpernel, enriched with magic, political intrigue, and a powerful vampiric aristocracy.
Also on the 7 March, Alex Bennett will host a papercraft workshop in Beverley Library Activity Room, where visitors can learn the basics of making pop-up books and create their own dynamic adventure story.
To close off the day at Beverley Library, Heba Al-Wasity will invite you to step into the haunting world of Weavingshaw, where a young woman’s desperate bargain drags her into a moorland estate alive with secrets, shadows, and the dead. The event starts at 5pm.
New for this year are a series of one-shot Dungeons & Dragons games and a communal game of Blood on the Clocktower, hosted by The Game Shack, Beverley. There will also be two D&D campaigns to choose from. For ages 12+, no experience required, all rules will be explained.
Sunday, 8 March sees Mark Grimes, A.K.A The Pie Eating Man, visit North Bridlington Library. He will bring a special version of his successful podcast to SpringFest, talking to a local author about the benefits of reading and writing for mental health. FREE tickets are available to watch the podcast live in the library. This event will also be livestreamed on our social media channels.
Afterwards, Join Alex North, author of dark, spine‑tingling thrillers that have captivated readers worldwide, in conversation with Nick Quantrill. Alex North's first novel, The Whisper Man, was a Sunday Times, New York Times and international bestseller and is currently being adapted for a film starring Robert DeNiro. This event will take place at 2pm.
The last event of SpringFest events is a talk with J.D. Brinkworth, the writing duo behind The Pie & Mash Detective Agency, a fresh and delightfully funny new entry in the world of cosy crime, in conversation with JM Hall. This event takes place at 4pm.
Councillor Nick Coultish, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said: ‘’I am very happy to see the return of SpringFest to the East Riding.
“The popular festival promises an exciting line-up with a variety of talks, activities and events for everyone to get involved in. I hope residents will come along and enjoy this varied and fascinating programme.”
Tickets are on sale now and range from £3 - £6. Unless otherwise specified, all events require pre-booking.
For more information, to see the full programme of events and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.eryc.link/SpringFest26
