Bristol Women's Literature Festival

Season

Please note : this season finished in March 2015

See the 2020 programme for Bristol Women's Literature Festival here

The Bristol Women’s Literature Festival aims to celebrate the work of women writers working today and throughout history by bringing together the diverse and exciting talent of women writers, academics and activists to showcase the fantastic literary heritage of women. Organised by feminist writer Siân Norris, the event aims to celebrate the work of women writers in a literary scene that is all too often dominated by male voices.

The fascinating and varied programme features some of the most influential and vibrant female writers working today: award-winning novelist and short story writer Michele Roberts, winner of Faber Young Poet of the Year Helen Mort, writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo, poet and filmmaker Annemarie Jacir, activists and writers Beatrix Campbell and Finn Mackay, and leading academic Professor Helen Hackett.

Tickets: £6.00 - £8.00. See all five events in the Women's Literature Festival season and the Poetry, Prose and Palestine event on Sat 14 March at 18:00 as part of Bristol Palestinian Film Festival for £35.00 full / £30.00 concessions. To book this offer please call Box Office on 0117 927 5100 or visit in person.

Previous screenings & events in this season

Women Writing Today

Bristol Women's Literature Festival

Please note: This event took place in March 2015

Talk

Sarah Lefanu will be talking to novelist and short story writer Michele Roberts, playwright and memoirist Samantha Ellis, five times winner of the Foyles Young Poet award Helen Mort, novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo, and first-time novelist Amy Mason about their work.

Women Writing in Shakespeare's Time

Bristol Women's Literature Festival

Please note: This event took place in March 2015

Talk

Learn about women's contribution to drama in Shakespeare's time from Helen Hackett, Professor of English at UCL. Helen is the author of five books on Renaissance literature - she has special interests in Renaissance women writers and in literary images of Elizabeth I.

The Vagina - A Literary and Cultural History

Bristol Women's Literature Festival

Please note: This event took place in March 2015

Talk

In this talk academic Emma Rees considers why British and US culture has such a problem talking about the female body. She will map the long history of advertising that profits from the taboo of the vagina, reflecting on how writers, artists and filmmakers have been influenced by, or even perpetuate, this ‘shame’.

Women, Feminism and Journalism

Bristol Women's Literature Festival

Please note: This event took place in March 2015

Talk

Feminist activists, writers and journalists, Beatrix Campbell, Finn Mackay, Nimko Ali and Helen Lewis, the deputy editor of the New Statesman, will discuss feminism, writing, the development of the movement and their own careers in this panel discussion.

Paris was a Woman

Bristol Women's Literature Festival

Please note: This was screened in March 2015

Film

A portrait of the creative community of women writers, artists, photographers and editors who flocked to the Left Bank of Paris in the early decades of the 20th century, when Paris was the undisputed cultural capital of the world.

Our Christmas and New Year Opening Hours

Our Christmas and New Year Opening Hours

Bristol Women's Literature Festival