Marlborough LitFest @ St Peters
September 27 @ 10:00 am - 7:30 pm
Each September, the Marlborough Literature Festival brings together bestselling authors, historians, journalists, poets and thinkers for four days of inspiring conversations, storytelling and debate in venues across the town. Since its launch in 2010, the festival has become one of Wiltshire’s leading cultural events, celebrating a shared love of books, ideas and lifelong learning while supporting a wide-ranging programme of community and educational activities.
St Peter’s Marlborough is proud to be one of the festival’s host venues and, on Sunday 27 September, will welcome a fantastic programme of talks featuring award-winning novelists, acclaimed historians and leading voices from the worlds of literature, archaeology and psychology.
Explore the St Peter’s events below and visit the Marlborough Literature Festival website to book tickets and discover the full festival programme.
Good to know
| ⛪ Venue | St Peter’s Marlborough, High Street, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 1HQ |
| 📅 Date | Sunday 27 September 2026 |
| ♿ Access | Level access throughout. Seated, no standing. Contact events@stpetersmarlborough.org.uk for access requirements. |
| ☕ Refreshments | Cardinal coffee shop will be open throughout for refreshments including hot drinks, soft drinks & alcohol. |
SESSIONS
| 📚 Session | Benjamin Wood – Seascaper |
| ℹ️ Summary | Benjamin Wood has been described by Johanna Thomas-Corr, chief literary critic for The Times and The Sunday Times, as “one of the finest British novelists of his generation”. After four award-shortlisted novels, he won the 2025 Nero Book Award for Fiction with Seascraper, a fiercely atmospheric story set in a fictionalised version of his Southport hometown. The novel follows Thomas, a 20-year-old shrimp shanker and aspiring folk musician whose quiet, fog-bound existence is transformed by the arrival of a mysterious stranger promising a world far beyond the shoreline. Renowned for blending psychological suspense with vividly observed, deeply human storytelling, Wood brings particular authenticity to Thomas’s musical aspirations, even lending his own voice to the character in the audiobook. A senior lecturer in Creative Writing at King’s College London, Wood also supervised Helen Bain’s PhD on Sylvia Plath, which inspired her debut novel Daffodil Days. Join Benjamin Wood to hear about the inspiration behind his award-winning fiction and his journey as one of Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary novelists. |
| 🕰️ Time | Starts 10am |
| 📚 Session | Helen Bain and Sara Bayat – Hiscox Debut Authors |
| ℹ️ Summary | Acclaimed debut novelists Helen Bain and Sara Bayat come together in conversation with Dr Nicola Presley to discuss two striking works that bring rural communities, memory and identity vividly to life. In Daffodil Days, Bain offers a richly imagined portrait of Sylvia Plath’s final years in Devon, told through the voices of the townspeople who encounter her. Described by The Guardian as “deeply researched and utterly convincing”, the novel explores the complexities of truth, biography and belonging against the backdrop of Plath and Ted Hughes’s disintegrating marriage. In Hesket: A Norfolk Haunting, Bayat similarly weaves together multiple perspectives to uncover the hidden histories and personal griefs that lie beneath the surface of an English village threatened by change. Blending psychological realism, folklore and a profound sense of place, both novels examine how people are shaped by their communities, landscapes and the stories that endure long after they are gone. |
| 🕰️ Time | Starts 11:30am |
| 📚 Session | Mike Pitts – Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island |
| ℹ️ Summary | Join Marlborough-based archaeologist, journalist and author Mike Pitts, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and former editor of British Archaeology, as he explores the enduring mysteries of Easter Island through his acclaimed book Island at the Edge of the World. Best known for its nearly 1,000 monumental stone statues, Easter Island has long been the subject of myths, speculation and misunderstanding. Drawing on the latest archaeological and scientific research, alongside centuries of historical accounts, Pitts challenges popular narratives about lost civilizations, ecological collapse, cannibalism and even alien intervention to reveal a far more complex and fascinating story. Described by the Mail on Sunday as “revelatory, fascinating and wholly convincing”, this compelling talk offers fresh insights into one of the world’s most enigmatic places and the remarkable people who created its unique culture. |
| 🕰️ Time | Starts 1pm |
| 📚 Session | Amy Jeffs – Arthur: A New Life |
| ℹ️ Summary | Join bestselling author and medieval art and culture specialist Amy Jeffs as she reimagines one of Britain’s greatest legends in Arthur: A New Life. Drawing on original medieval and early modern texts, Jeffs uncovers a richer, stranger and more complex King Arthur: a larger-than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a monster-slayer, leader of the Wild Hunt and a king destined to rise again. From Merlin’s conception and the creation of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and Arthur’s quest for empire, Jeffs brings vividly to life a world of medieval citadels and volcanoes, caves and riverbanks, and journeys from Hell to the Otherworld. Alongside familiar episodes such as the sword in the stone and the building of Stonehenge, she explores lesser-known legends and reveals how Arthurian stories were shaped by the political cultures of their time. Following the success of her Sunday Times bestseller Storyland and Wild, Jeffs offers a captivating new perspective on England’s most enduring mythical king. |
| 🕰️ Time | Starts 2:30pm |
| 📚 Session | Pippa Grange – Life. Reclaimed |
| ℹ️ Summary | Join leading performance psychologist and coach Pippa Grange for an inspiring discussion of her acclaimed book Life. Reclaimed, a powerful guide to escaping the pressures of constant achievement and redefining success on healthier terms. Drawing on her extensive work with elite performers in sport and business, including the England men’s football team, Grange explores how the relentless pursuit of excellence can lead to chronic overperformance, exhaustion and burnout. Combining real-life stories with practical, evidence-based strategies, she introduces the concept of regenerative performance, helping people reset priorities, let go of false goals and build fulfilling, sustainable lives without sacrificing ambition. Warm, insightful and deeply relevant, this event offers a chance to discover how to succeed while remaining healthy, balanced and true to what matters most. |
| 🕰️ Time | Starts 4pm |
| 📚 Session | Geraldine Roberts – The Rebel and the Peacemaker: The Incredible True Story of Mary and Charles Bagot |
| ℹ️ Summary | Join historian and biographer Geraldine Roberts as she uncovers the remarkable true story of Charles and Mary Bagot, a Regency-era couple whose turbulent marriage and unexpected exile helped shape the future of international diplomacy. In The Rebel and the Peacemaker, Roberts draws on years of meticulous research and exclusive access to the Bagot family papers to tell a fascinating tale of love, scandal, politics and ambition. Once the subject of intense society gossip, the Bagots were dispatched to the United States as Britain’s first ambassadors at a pivotal moment in the young nation’s history. There, their political skill, cultural intelligence and personal charm helped ease Anglo-American tensions and established them as two of the most influential diplomats of their age, with later postings in Russia and Canada. As the world looks ahead to the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026, this captivating talk offers a timely opportunity to rediscover the extraordinary lives and legacy of a couple who helped transform relations between nations. |
| 🕰️ Time | Starts 5:30pm |