After surviving a Covid-enforced absence, the bilingual Gŵyl Lyfrau Aberaeron Book Festival returns this weekend, featuring writers from Ceredigion and Gwynedd.

Starting with a poetry and music night in the Black Lion at 7.30pm tonight, Friday, 21 October, followed by a two-day festival and book fair in the Memorial Hall, (all free to enter), more than 20 authors will be involved with book launches, signings, talks, writer panels and interviews.

At the centre of activities is a book fair with hundreds of new titles on display and a series of creative writing workshops. Run by leading tutors, places can be booked at £5 per workshop on the Gwisgo Bookworm website, at the shop on Alban Square or at the hall on the day, although places are limited.

Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch, Dominic Williams, Kathy Miles, Dave Urwin, Jackie Biggs and Karen Gemma Brewer head Friday’s poetry night and there are open mic opportunities for people to perform their own work or a favourite poem. Check out the festival Facebook page or contact the shop to book your slot.

The festival will be open at the Memorial Hall, 10.30am to 5pm on Saturday, 22 October and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, 23 October.

The opening address is to be given by author, screenwriter and columnist Manon Steffan Ros (pictured).

The bilingual author from Tywyn writes books for all ages, TV scripts, won the Tir Na N’Og award for children’s literature four times, and the literature medal at the 2018 National Eisteddfod for Llyfr Glas Nebo. Manon will also be interviewed about the book and her own English translation, Blue Book of Nebo.

Caryl Lewis, another headline author working in Welsh and English, will be discussing the differences and challenges of writing in two languages, for adults and children, books, film and TV. She will also read from her new children’s book published by Penguin, The Boy Who Dreamed Dragons, her novel Drift –Aberaeron’s top selling hardback of the year – and her Pan MacMillan published pumpkin adventure Seed, published as Hedyn in Welsh by Y Lolfa.

Lucy Hope and Sarah Todd Taylor will discuss writing for children, Val Jones will look at the specific needs of children with autism and there will also be sessions on how to get published, with several publishers attending the event.

Fiction and non-fiction for adults features heavily over the two days. Topics include thrillers, suspense and dystopia with Lucy Mumford and EMJ Foster; female writers and writing for women with Carol Lovekin, Judith Barrow, Eluned Gramich, LE Fitzpatrick and publisher Honno; writing, music and biography with Dominic Williams and Josie Smith, poetry with Patrick Dobbs, Jane Campbell, Mari Ellis Dunning and more.

One highlight will be the award of Aberaeron Book of the Year. Current holder Cynan Jones of Aberarth won with his climate change-set Stillicide.

More information is available on Facebook and Twitter @GwylAeronFest and from Niki and Karen Brewer at GwisgoBookworm on Alban Square: 01545 238282, [email protected]