I’m delighted to report that island authors are again being given the opportunity to showcase their work and reach new readers at this year’s Isle of Wight Literary Festival.

The popular Write on Wight programme returns to the festival, which takes place at Northwood House, Cowes, from October 8-11.

Now in its third year Write on Wight shines a spotlight on local writers offering a platform for Island authors working across a range of genres from fiction to poetry, to memoirs and Island history.

This year Write on Wight is being sponsored by Robertson Foster, the Isle of Wight-based communications and public relations consultancy that also supports the festival’s marketing and communications.

Author! Author! gives aspiring writers the chance to pitch their book idea to a live audience. In just two minutes participants must make a compelling case for why their book deserves to be read. From the heartbreaking to the hilarious, the breadth of the stories being told makes this a thoroughly entertaining and immensely popular event. As in previous years, Jean G Owen from Figlet Press will be hosting with stopwatch and bell in hand, she'll also be launching Issue 6 of the popular Figlet anthology of Island writing later the same Friday evening.

The Writers’ Marketplace offers authors the opportunity to set up stall and sell their books and connect directly with the thousands of visitors expected to attend the Isle of Wight Literary Festival. This year the layout will be less formal allowing authors to engage more freely with the passing visitors.

Authors can sign up for either, or both, by completing the form on the festival website https://www.isleofwightliteraryfestival.com/write-on-wight which goes live on 29th June. The deadline for entries is midnight on July 31.

This year's Write on Wight will also showcase work being created in conjunction with 'Brevity' the Island's literary handbill, 'Boojum and Snark' the venue for creative regeneration in Sandown, and Art-House-Life the creative space at Osborne Stable Block in East Cowes.