About the Festival
The Mere Literary Festival is a community-led celebration of books, ideas and conversation. Each year, volunteers from Mere, the Blackmore Vale and the Vale of Wardour come together to create a welcoming, thoughtful event rooted in a shared love of stories. The festival brings people together, sparks curiosity and offers something for readers of all ages, reflecting the spirit of Mere through a programme shaped by local people to be engaging, accessible and enjoyable for all.
Tickets are only available from this website.
Our Mission:
To deliver a lively Literary Festival for authors, locals, and visitors, collaborating with schools and businesses to enhance Mere, the Blackmore Vale, and the Vale of Wardour’s literary and cultural heritage, while supporting local charities and promoting social and economic growth across our rural area.
Our Vision:
To celebrate Mere, the Blackmore Vale, and the Vale of Wardour as a destination for cultural tourism through the promotion of literature, the arts and the written word to the benefit of local charities.
Our Charities
In 2026, the National Year of Reading, funds raised from the Festival will be used to support three key local charities – the Mere and District Link Scheme, Seeds for Success and Read Easy Blackmore Vale
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Our Location:
2025 Festival Gallery
Participating authors in 2025 included Tim Bouverie, Josie Lloyd, Radhika Howarth, Carolyn Kirby, Ben Aitken, Andrew Lownie, Roger Morgan‑Grenville, Amy Jeffs, Jane Moore, Taylor Downing, James Long, Tim Willasey‑Wilsey, Helena Kelly and Colonel John Blashford-Snell.
2024 Festival Gallery
Participating authors in 2024 included Orlando Murrin, Christina Richard, Xan Brooks, Paul Moreland, Robert Ashton, Tim Tate, Louis de Bernieres, Sally Smith, Xinran, Kate Morgan, Guy Deacon, Hannah Barnes and Keith Stuart.
2023 Festival Gallery
Participating authors in 2023 included Tom Parfitt, Soibhan Daniels, Felice Hardy, Arthur Snell, Tom Fort, Fergus Butler-Gallie, Rebecca Struthers, Martin Williams, Rupert Robson, Jennie Elias and Roger Morgan-Grenville.
2022 Festival Gallery
Participating authors in 2022 included Kate Hughes, Hannah Bourne-Taylor, Susanne Masters, Zoë Somerville, Roger Morgan-Grenville, Andrew Hunter Murray, Sally Page, Natasha Solomons, Kate Morgan, James Crowden, General Sir Richard Shirreff, Angela Findlay, Louise Hare, Barney Norris and Maddie Mortimer.
2021 Festival Gallery
Participating authors in 2021 included Fanny Charles, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, Lucy Jago, Tom Bromley, Liv Matthews, Karen Hamilton, Keith Stuart, Andrew Lownie, Claire Fuller, Stephen Moss, Stephen Fabes and Robin Hanbury Tenison.
2020 Festival
Cancelled due to the Covid epidemic.
2019 Festival Gallery
Participating authors in 2019 included Catherine Bailey, Paul Hooley, Ruth Wilson, Julie Becket, Harriet Sandys, Keith Stuart, Nick Perry, Josie Goodbody, Clare Empson and Adrian Dangar.