Morley Literature Festival set to launch

The headline names for the festival include former Joy Divison and New Order member Peter Hook, BBC 6 Music presenter Stuart Maconie, best-selling crime novelist Val McDermid and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, who will all be taking their turns on the main stage of Morley Town Hall during the event.

Also appearing at different venues across Morley and Leeds from this Saturday until October 14 will be Newsnight presenter Gavin Esler, ITV royal correspondent Tim Ewart and former Inspiral Carpets frontman Tom Hingley.

The extended 10-day programme will also include talks, workshops, music, art and family events.

For this year’s festival the winner of the 2008 Northern Art Prize, Paul Rooney, will create a new video piece to be screened from an empty shop window in the town centre, blurring elements of fact and fiction relating to the history of Morley.

There will also be a few unusual things to look out for around the town centre in the shape of five new pieces of temporary public signage which have been created by a group of local artists. They may, or may not, look like familiar pieces of street furniture so if you’re findiing it difficult to spot them pick up an arts trail leaflet from around town to help track them all down.

Some of the first events on Saturday will include acclaimed Scottish writer AL Kennedy speaking at a tie-in event in Waterstones in Leeds and science fiction writers Adam Christopher, Samit Basu and Justina Robson at Morley Town Hall discussing the cross-over between sci-fi and superhero fiction

Ending the first day will be former Joy Divison bassist Peter Hook who will be in conversation with Guardian music journalist Dave Simpson talking about Unknown Pleasures, his memoir of his time in the legendary Manchester band.

The musical theme continues the next day with Tom Hingley, former frontman of the Inspiral Carpets, who will be at St Peter’s Church in Rooms Lane, Morley to talk about Carpet Burns, his book about the band’s rise to fame in the late 80s and early 90s. He’ll also be performing songs as part of the event.

The Morley Literary Lunch will this year take place on Monday, October 8 at the Village Hotel in Tingley and guest speaker will be ITN royal correspondent Tim Ewart who will be discussing the Queen’s reign during her Jubilee year.

To see the full Morley Literature Festival programme, and to book tickets, go to www.morleyliteraturefestival.co.uk, or call 0844 8482706.

You can also follow the festival on Twitter @morleylitfest or find it on Facebook.