Skip to content Accessibility statement

Fiona Mozley to kick off York Literature Festival

News

Posted on Thursday 8 March 2018

Fiona Mozley, a University of York PhD student whose debut novel was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize, will be speaking at the launch of the York Literature Festival on 15 March.

Fiona’s appearance kick starts a 12-day programme of events celebrating the written and spoken word, with a focus on history and historical fiction.

Fiona, who is studying for a PhD in Medieval Studies at the University of York was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for her novel Elmet. The book tells the story of a father and his two children, living in South Yorkshire on the margins of society. The father, a bare-knuckle boxer, builds a house in a copse, but quickly comes into conflict with the landowners.

The festival launch event is a celebration of writers from York and also marks the official opening of the York Centre for Writing at York St John University – where the event will take place.

Highlights

Rob O’Connor, Director of the York Literature Festival, said: “The 2018 programme celebrates the varied history of the beautiful city of York. This year is also the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and we are hosting a number of events including our ‘Monsters’ creative writing competition organised by the Mount School for all school-age children.”

Further highlights of the festival include a book launch with writer and broadcaster Lucy Worsley, a talk exploring the power of mystical tradition with historian and presenter Dr Janina Ramirez ”; and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the UK’s first Muslim Cabinet Minister and author of “The Enemy Within: A Tale of Muslim Britain” who will be speaking about her account of growing up in Britain as a child of immigrants.

The festival launch is on Thursday 15 March from 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm. Tickets cost £8.

Many festival events are free. To download the festival programme visit:www.yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk

Research newsletter

Our monthly research newsletter features a curated mix of news, events, and recent discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up

Explore more news

News

22 April 2026

A University of York researcher has helped identify an East African bat coronavirus capable of entering human cells.

News

22 April 2026

Thousands of schoolchildren across the UK and beyond are being invited to take part in a live online storytelling event from an historic railway carriage with author Michael Morpurgo.

News

16 April 2026

Researchers have redefined what it means to have positive mental health - identifying six essential elements which experts say could bring long-awaited clarity to the field.

News

13 April 2026

The ‘rubbish’ left behind at a deserted medieval village in an isolated area of Yorkshire could hold clues about how societies achieve long-term ‘green’ prosperity, new research suggests.

News

13 April 2026

A specialist physiotherapist has been awarded a national research fellowship to help improve care and support for people living with brain tumours.

Read more news