Event: Stellar line-up for 20th Cambridge Lit Fest

Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, Cambridge Literary Festival has unveiled a blockbuster line-up for its Spring edition, bringing 74 incredible writers, thinkers and speakers to the city’s most beautiful historic venues. Here’s our must-see magnificent seven. . .

Who: Ali Smith

What: The celebrated author leads the inaugural A Room of One’s Own Lecture, a tantalising opportunity to hear our foremost women writers question how far we’ve come since Woolf famously said: ‘Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind’.

Jointly inspired by festival founder Cathy Moore and founding honorary patrons Ali Smith and Dame Professor Gillian Beer, the lecture will be introduced by Dr Bonnie Lander Johnson, and all attendees with receive a commemorative pamphlet.

When: Sunday, April 23 (evening)

Where: Newnham College

Who: Tom Mustill

What: In 2015, wildlife filmmaker Tom was whale-watching when a humpback breached onto his kayak and nearly killed him. The life-threatening encounter left Tom shaken (obviously), but also obsessed with trying to discover what the whale had been thinking. And so was born the fascinating book, How To Speak Whale, which explores how pioneers have used cutting-edge technology such as AI to try to decode animal communication.

Greta Thunberg, who has collaborated with Tom, says: “We rarely pause to consider what animals think or feel, or how their inner lives resemble our own. Tom Mustill’s fascinating and deeply humane book shows us why we must do so – and what we, and the planet, could stand to gain by it”. Prepare to be enthralled by Tom’s tales of the wild.

When: Friday, April 21

Where: Baillie Gifford Stage, Old Divinity School

Who: Curtis Sittenfeld

What: Clever, entertaining reads which unashamedly confront gender politics, racism, love, sex and feminism are her speciality. But what should we expect in the latest novel from the critically-acclaimed, global best-selling author of American Wife? Romantic Comedy has been described as Curtis’s ‘most searingly contemporary novel yet’, as we meet a comedy writer who has sworn off love – until a dreamy pop star enters the picture and challenges all her assumptions.

When: Thursday, April 20

Where: Old Divinity School, Baillie Gifford Stage

Who: Michael Morpurgo

What: Kids are well catered for this festival, with a host of much-loved authors making appearances including Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Cressida Cowell, Sam Copeland and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo. The latter unveils an enchanting new story, The Boy Who Would Be King, celebrating new monarch, King Charles III, in an allegorical tale featuring an old woman who gives a lonely boy the courage to rule the kingdom (and change the world for the better). For ages 5+

When: Sunday, April 23

Where: Union Chamber, TTP Stage

Who: Dr Louise Newson

What: Credited as the doctor ‘who kick-started the menopause revolution’, Louise has transformed the lives of thousands of women and families through her exceptional work.

One of the UK’s leading medical experts on menopause and perimenopause, Louise has penned an accessible and evidence-based guide which covers key facts about hormones and their importance on our bodies. In The Definitive Guide to the Perimenopause and Menopause, she explores HRT, libido, mental and physical health, and considers how this change of life can affects careers and relationships.

Don’t forget to bring a list of burning questions for Louise, who will be in conversation with festival honorary patron Alex Clark.

When: Friday, April 21

Where: Baillie Gifford Stage, Old Divinity School

Who: Jon Snow

What: The legendary presenter, who was the face (and reassuringly voice) of Channel 4 News for 30 years, issues a personal rallying cry for tackling inequality, fighting injustice, and recovering our sense of community in his book, The State of Us.

The screen titan offers fascinating insights from his five-decade career in broadcast journalism, which trace how the nation has changed – from getting chucked out of university for protesting apartheid to interviewing every prime minister since Margaret Thatcher.

When: Thursday, April 20

Where: TTP Stage, Cambridge Union

Who: Gary Younge

What: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter, the award-winning author, broadcaster and professor of sociology has witnessed the biggest events and met leading personalities of the Black diaspora. Gary was by Nelson Mandela’s side on his first election campaign, entered New Orleans days after Hurricane Katrina, and has interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Maya Angelou and Stormzy, amongst others. In his new book, Dispatches from the Diaspora, the author shares his unique and powerful perspective from the front line on race, racism and black life and death.

Gary also features in the New Statesman Debate ‘This House Believes It’s Time For Britain To Abolish Its Monachy’ on Saturday, April 22 (also at Cambridge Union).

When: Friday, April 21

Where: TTP Stage, Cambridge Union

The final word. . .

Festival Director, Cathy Moore, who first launched the event as Cambridge Wordfest in March 2003, says: “For the last twenty years I have been inspired by books, captivated by words, transformed by well-crafted argument, and railroaded into the digital world. I have loved every moment of it and wouldn't change a thing. I have seen the festival grow into an inspiring alchemy between town and gown where everyone from Nobel Laureates to TV personalities mingle with academics and our intellectually curious audiences. We have evolved with our audiences, and are particularly excited to launch three new elements this year: the A Room of One’s Own lecture, the Cambridge Series and our State of the Nation lecture. Long may it continue.”

The Spring Festival runs from April 19 to 23. See the full line-up and venue details at cambridgeliteraryfestival.com