AN ALL-STAR line-up is on the cards for the 25th Swindon Festival of Literature next year.

Exciting plans are now well underway for the popular event which will run from May 7 to May 19.

Names on the bill so far include the longest-serving female MP Harriet Harman with her book A Woman’s Work; philosopher A C Grayling, who will talk about the nature of democracy today and tennis coach and mother of champions Judy Murray, with her book Knowing the Score, which tells the story of how she helped to make her two sons Wimbledon winners.

Others names booked include songwriter and queen of folksingers Peggy Seeger with her book First Time Ever; international authority on urban change Charles Landry, with his book on how a town or city can be both creative and civic; controversial carer Camila Batmanghelidjh, with her book Kids: Child Protection in Britain; and former Punk musician and now writer Viv Albertine.

From its humble beginnings, the literature festival has grown in popularity on an unprecedented scale – something that organiser Matt Holland hopes will continue for next year’s quarter-century milestone.

“We are a festival of much more than just novelists and poets,” he said. “We like ideas and like stories of life and people who face challenges, we like difficulties and talking about controversial things and it is really interesting how Swindonian’s have responded to ideas more than anything else.

“We always get big crowds for people who have a story to tell.

“You know how people use the phrase ‘something for everyone’? I like to mean that so we have activities in the festival for people who like books, poetry competitions, thinking and speaking competitions, story walks as well as things for children in between. No one will be able to look at the programme and say there isn’t something for them.

“I’m really pleased that five of our confirmed visitors are five strong women in completely different fields of one another and we are all excited for the festival.

“We pride ourselves on being a little bit different, a little bit out there and a little bit daring.”

As well as talks by authors, politicians, philosophers and a multitude of other people from all walks of life across the two-week festival, there will also be a number of standing traditions including the first-day early-morning Dawn Chorus in Lawn Woods.

Other events making a warm return include the unique Swindon Think Slam, a children and families weekend, the 22nd Swindon Poetry Slam and the Poems, Pints, and Music Finale.

Over the last 25 years, the festival has welcomed a plethora of high-profile names from Jon Snow, John Major, Joan Bakewell and David Attenborough.

With the first few names confirmed, Matt says a lot of work and negotiations are still ongoing to try and bag a number of names on the Festival’s wish list including Margaret Drabble, Rick Stein, Mary Beard, Bear Grylls, Jeanette Winterson, Michael Rosen, Ben Okri, Mony Don, and others.

Matt said: “It wasn’t the original intention for people to travel to Swindon for the festival but now we have people on our mailing list from Canada, Ireland, Edinburgh and Basingstoke.

“It is interesting that people have a notion of what Swindon is about but they are completely surprised when they get here and so we like that our literature festival is slightly different to some others.

“Everyone else starts their literature festivals with a glass of wine at a hotel or somewhere not like our start of 5am watching the sun rise over the town’s sleepy citizens. We love it.

“I am steeped in the world of literature and it can be elitist and snobby sometimes and I don’t like that.

“Swindon is a down to earth place and I like it than men and women of all ages and backgrounds can come and enjoy the festival.”

Next year’s literature festival will be its last in its current form, only to make way for an all-encompassing Swindon Spring Festival celebrating dance, music, drama, art, film, circus, gastronomy as well as literature.

The Spring Festival would put on and celebrate a range of cultural activities that are not only created in Swindon but also imported from further afield.

To celebrate the Literature Festival reaching its silver anniversary, Matt is keen to welcome back a number of favourites from over the years and wants to hear from locals about who that should be.

Then, the 40-page programme unveiling the list in full will be published from noon on Thursday, March 22 at the Central Library.

To join the Festival mailing list call telephone 01793 771080 or e-mail swindonlitfest@lowershawfarm.co.uk