The York Literature Festival is upon us once more. STEPHEN LEWIS looks at some highlights of the week ahead.

WHERE else in the world this week will you be able to meet a collection of characters as interesting as the following: Radio 4 interrogator-in-chief John Humphreys; IVF pioneer Prof Sir Robert Winston; the man frequently dubbed 'the greatest Prime Minister we never had', Labour politician Alan Johnson; and Jane Austen's least self-aware and most niggardly anti-heroine, Mrs Norris?

Nowehere but in York, that's where. The York Literature Festival is upon us: and throughout the week there will be a gallery of stellar names appearing at venues across the city, together with a host of more low-key events, from literary tours of York to a chance to meet local writers.

The festival got under way on Thursday, when feminist icon Germaine Greer was at the Royal York Hotel to ask why, decades after the sexual revolution, women still weren't taking their rightful place in the world.

It runs right through to March 31, when Prof Winston will be discussing science and medical ethics at St Peter's School. But there is plenty more in between, starting with Alan Johnson talking about his haunting childhood memoir This Boy at St Peter's School this evening.

Here is our pick of a few festival highlights. For the full programme, visit yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk or pick up a copy of the festival programme from Visit York, York Theatre Royal, York St John University, Waterstone's or York libraries.

 

Festival highlights

Alan Johnson, Saturday March 22, 7pm-9pm, St Peter's School

Johnson's memoir This Boy is a haunting account of his childhood in 1950s London. It was a childhood of grinding poverty, in a condemned house with no electricity and buckets of urine on the landing. But above all the book is a tribute to two remarkable women - his mother Lily and sister Linda - who made him the man he is today.

Tickets: £6 from York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

York Authors book stall, Sunday, 23 March, 11 am to 7pm, Friargate Theatre


A chance to meet local authors, browse through their books - and get some decent discounts if you buy... free.

Recovering Lost Voices: Writing Historical Fiction with Sophie Coulombeau, Monday, March 24, 9.30am to 4.30pm, Room KG33, King's Manor, Exhibition Square

Following the Booker Prize wins of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries, historical fiction is firmly back in vogue. Led by novelist, academic and York resident Sophie Coulombeau, this workshop is aimed at aspiring writers who have a keen interest in the genre and an idea for a novel of their own.

Tickets: £18.50 from York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

The Iliad: Performance Storytelling by Daniel Morden and Hugh Lupton, Thursday, March 27, 7.45pm to 10pm, York Theatre Royal

Two of Britain's finest storytellers bring Homer's epic poem to the stage, with a cast of characters who have fascinated audiences for three thousand years: the haughty King Agamemnon; the mighty Achilles; Helen, cursed by her beauty; and towering over them all, the omnipotent Greek Gods on Mount Olympus.

Suitable for children aged 12 and over.

Tickets: £12, (£10 concessions) from York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Austen's Women

Friday March 28, 7.45pm to 10.30pm, Studio Theatre, York Theatre Royal

Jane Austen created some of literature's most celebrated characters.Two hundred years on, her works continue to speak to us as much as when they were written. In a solo performance using only Austen's words, Rebecca Vaughan revisits some of Austen's favourite women, deconstructing the souls of Emma Woodhouse, Lizzie Bennet, Mrs Norris, Miss Bates and others.

Tickets: £12, (£10 concessions) from York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

In The Heart of The City: Helen Cadbury, John Gilham and Julian Cole, Saturday March 29, 11.30am to 1pm, Quaker Meeting House, Friargate, York

Two York crime writers (York Press journalist and crime novelist Julian Cole and To Catch A Rabbit author Helen Cadbury) join with poet John Gilham to discuss how the urban environment impacts on their work.

Tickets: £5 from York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. £2 from each ticket sold will go to the Quaker Meeting House Building Fund.

Professor Robert Winston in Conversation with Leo Winkley Monday, March 31, 7.30pm to 9.30pm, The Memorial Hall, St Peter's School, Clifton

Professor Robert Winston makes his York Literature Festival debut to discuss science, medical ethics, and his career as one of the UK's foremost scientists. He will be in conversation with Leo Winkley, head master of St Peter's School.

Tickets: £13 from rom York Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

John Humphrys in Conversation, Saturday March 29, 6pm to 8pm, St Peter's School, Clifton

A familiar voice and face from British broadcasting, John Humphrys' no-nonsense approach to political interviews has won him many admirers, and a few detractors. In this interview with York Literature Festival director Miles Salter, John discusses his Welsh background, his experiences in broadcasting, his love of language and more.

Tickets: £13 fromYork Theatre Royal on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk