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

24 August 2026

Unexpected staff shortages in ambulance services are costing lives, with patients significantly more likely to die within 24 hours when ambulance workers are off sick, according to new research.

News

18 August 2026

Sir Michael Caine has lent his voice to a research project exploring how technology can help combat harmful deepfakes.

News

17 August 2026

A forgotten landscape that once drew world-leading botanists to North Yorkshire could hold the key to restoring lost wildlife, according to new research.

News

13 August 2026

Only 13 low-and middle-income countries offer smokers the full support needed to help them quit, leaving around 1.3 billion people without access to effective care, according to a new study.

News

12 August 2026

Professor Luke Mackinder is to undertake a 10-year project to unlock the secrets of how algae capture half of global carbon dioxide in a bid to combat climate change.

Read more news