Events announced and early bird offer in place for literature festival

Actor Jassa Ahluwalia and poet Hollie McNish will both be appearing at Wolverhampton Literature festival to discuss their books in front of audiences at Wolverhampton Art Gallery at the start of the annual arts and literature festival.

Alongside the announcement of the two events, Wolverhampton Council have announced an early bird special where the festival will offer the first 40 tickets for both events at a discounted price of £10, with subsequent standard tickets priced at £12.

The highly anticipated festival is set to take place from Friday, January 31 to Sunday, February 2, 2025, and organisers said they were delighted to offer a sneak preview of the upcoming festival with the special early bird announcements.

Jassa Ahluwalia returns for a special pre-festival event at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Saturday, January 25, at 6.30pm.

He will discuss his debut book, “Both Not Half: A Radical New Approach to Mixed Heritage Identity,” in a conversation with author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera.

The event will look at how, for more than twenty-five years, Ahluwalia identified as 'half Indian, half English', while his fluency in Punjabi often left others bewildered, medical staff questioned the legitimacy of his name, and the casting world deemed him not 'the right kind of mixed-race.'

Hollie McNish will be welcomed to the stage at Wolverhampton Art Gallery on Friday, January 31, at 7pm, as part of her sold-out tour for her new book “Lobster: And Other Things I’m Learning to Love.”

A Sunday Times bestselling writer whose live readings are not to be missed; audiences can expect a gift-wrapped event that is gorgeously crafted in poetry.

In “Lobster”, McNish brings her much-loved style to questions of friendship, flags, and newborns, shining a ridiculous and beautifully poetic lens on all those things people have been taught to hate, and which they might just learn to love again.

Wolverhampton Council cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, Councillor Chris Burden, said: “It is fantastic that the festival is retuning to the city and is a platform to showcase skills and talents from all different backgrounds.

“To have two events already announced just shows how popular the event is. I look forward to seeing the complete line up and what the festival has to offer in 2025.”

Wolverhampton Council has also put out a call for anyone who wants to run their own event at the festival.

A spokesman for Wolverhampton Council said: "If you would like to perform on the same bill as these two amazing speakers, the open call is open until August 18.

"Wolverhampton Literature Festival is always looking to champion the creative voices of Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, providing a platform to showcase the talents of our creative community.

"While the event is primarily a literature festival, organisers welcome a range of art forms for the 2025 festival.

"If you have an idea or would like to showcase your talents on our stages, please get in touch.

"Organisers encourage submissions from those who are underrepresented in our programming, including but not limited to disabled artists and people from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds."

To find out more and to submit a proposal, fill in the online form Proposal Form or submit a 5-10 min audio/video entry by emailing LitFest@wolverhampton.gov.uk