Michael Morpurgo
Saturday
The former Childrenâs Laureate, multi-award-winning and, more importantly, loved-by-millions, makes his first appearance at Greenbelt in 2008.
Salley Vickers
Salley Vickers is the author of Mr Golightly's Holiday, Instances of the Number 3 and Miss Garnet's Angel. And at Greenbelt this year she will be talking about her most recent book, Where Three Roads Meet.
Simon Parke
“Not famous for being relevant,” according to his website, Simon Parke was a priest in the Church of England for 20 years.
Micheal O\'Siadhail
Intense, engaging and accessible, poet Micheal OSiadhail returns to Greenbelt with his latest collection, Globe (Bloodaxe, 2007), an exploration of how a world is shaped. Sarah Crown, writing in The Guardian, describes the book as a timely and disquieting dissection of the planets parlous state.
How the Bicycle Shone : Gillian Allnutt
Saturday
Acclaimed poet Gillian Allnutt reads from her recently published New and Selected Poems How the Bicycle Shone.
The Hole in the Sum of my Parts : Matt Harvey
A regular voice on BBC Radio Four Saturday Live, Off The Page, Word of Mouth, A Good Read Matt Harvey has a growing national following.
Letter to Patience and other poems : John Haynes
John Haynes, a former university lecturer in Nigeria, came from nowhere to win the 2006 Costa Poetry Award (formerly the Whitbread) with Letter to Patience, a stunning long poem which tackles the many tensions of cross-cultural relationships, both personal and political.
Words Into Pictures how to write for readers and viewers : Rhidian Brook
Novelist and screenwriter Rhidian Brook (Taliesin, Mr Harvey Lights a Candle, Silent Witness) takes us behind the scenes of writing and adapting for the screen.
Niall Williams
Hailed by the Irish Times as âa Dickens for the 21st centuryâ, best-selling novelist Niall Williams makes his first Greenbelt appearance on the eve of publication of his new novel, John â a stunning, lyrical re-imagining of John the Apostle in the final years of his life.
Mark Halliday
Mark Halliday was born in Glasgow in 1964 and grew up in various parts of Scotland. He began writing poetry for children, and the title poem of his book Teacher on a Horse won the Times Educational Supplement competition in 2003.
Paul Cookson
When Paul was at school, he would have rather been a footballer than anything else â especially if it meant playing for Everton! A second choice would have been to play rock and roll guitar for a band like Slade. Instead, he wrote poems and became a poet.
Stewart Henderson
Stewart continues to be widely anthologised by the likes of OUP, Bloomsbury and Heinemann and this year saw his work published by the Republic of Ireland Junior Certificate English Syllabus ( equivalent to KS2 / 3 ).
The Greenbelt Poetry Slam : Alison Brumfitt, Lizzie McHale
Together Alison Brumfitt and Lizzie McHale will host Greenbeltâs first Poetry Slam, a fast, fun and furious poetry event in which Greenbelters will battle it out with words and rhythms to try and become âGreenbelt Slam Champion 2008â.
Suzanne Bray
Suzanne Bray is Professor of English Studies at Lille Catholic University in the north of France. She specialises in the areas of literature and theology, mainly in Britain, during the 20th century.
Simon Morden
Gateshead-based Dr Simon Morden trained as a planetary geologist, realised he was never going to get into space, and decided to write about it instead.
Grimm Tales - every night in The Hub : Ed Newell
Grimm Tales is a highly unusual series of four meditations exploring the religious meaning of some of the brothers Grimmâs most famous fairy tales: Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel.
Holy Dreams to Feed the Soul : Garth Hewitt, Wilf Whitty
Poems and meditations by Garth Hewitt with photos by Greenbelt designer Wilf Whitty.
The Manga Bible : Siku
Siku comes to Greenbelt to talk about Manga and how he came to create The Manga Bible.
Speaking of Heaven : Cole Moreton, Martin Wroe, Mark Halliday
Cole Moreton, Martin Wroe and Mark Halliday are three writers with three ways of looking at the world, brought together by their shared belief that words can help us catch glimpses of glory lying glittering in the dust.
Three's a Crowd : Paul Cookson, Stewart Henderson, Ian McMillan
Ian McMillan is joined by Paul Cookson and Stewart Henderson for a big family show with three big poets stretching their lyrical sinews to make you laugh, cry ⌠and join in.
The Hub
The home of Greenbeltâs literature and visual arts strands, The Hub returns this year, with a souped-up programme including big-name novelists and art that everyone can be part of.
The Hub Sandwich : Cole Moreton
Are you getting your five portions of inspiring stuff a day? Take time out to top up with a healthy lunchtime snack at The Hub Sandwich, a feast of words, thoughts, sights, laughs and songs in The Hub every day.
Padraig O Tuama
The unofficial poet of Belfast alt worship iconoclasts Ikon, Padraig has been published in Corrymeelaâs community work resources â having written poems that reflect and represent peoplesâ stories of what it meant to live in Northern Ireland during the 80s till now.
Greenbelt Literary Quiz
Monday
Who narrates The Great Gatsby? What is the name of the titular horse in C.S.Lewis' The Horse and his Boy? Which novel begins with the line 'I'm Jared, a ghost'? How many titles of Shakespeare's plays feature the name of one of their female characters?
Write to Life : Helen Smith, Stephanie Ndoungo, Jade Amoli-Jackson
Saturday
Write to Life is the writing group of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, a human rights organisation that exists to enable survivors of torture and organised violence to engage in a healing process to assert their own human dignity and worth.
John Taylor
Saturday, Sunday
Back by popular demand, John Taylor is a purveyor of original stories for all ages. With puppets and props and plenty to join in with, story time with this storyteller is not a passive, consumer experience.
Psalm Readings and Faith & Poetry : Sarah Fordham
Monday
Two writing workshops led by poet Sarah Fordham offer you a way to question and creatively respond to the psalms and to poems of Muslim, Jewish and Christian traditions.
In touch with the earth and its creatures : Chris Sunderland
Monday
Biblical spirituality arose from meditation on the natural world. If we are to grasp the challenge of climate change we need to renew our contact with the earth and its creatures. An interactive presentation using story and Bible telling.
Murder in the Hood : Andrew Nugent
Monk, novelist and former trial lawyer Andrew Nugent reads from The Four Courts Murder and Second Burial for a Black Prince and talks about the journey from sacred mysteries to murder mysteries.
The Year of Drinking Water : Anthony Wilson
Friday
Poet Anthony Wilson was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Valentines Day, 2006.
Even More Tickling In Public Again : Paul Cookson, Stewart Henderson
Saturday
Greenbelts resident poets and punsters return once again with their great big, triumphant family show. With over sixty years of Greenbelt experience between them they are the Status Quo of performance poetry!
Andrew Tate
When he's not watching re-runs of the West Wing, Dr. Andrew Tate lectures in English and American Literature at Lancaster University.
Suzanne Elvidge
After studying biochemistry and pharmacology, and realising that she would far rather write about it than actually do it, Suzanne Elvidge has worked in publishing and journalism for 17 years.
The Twist - family and late night varieties : Paul Cookson
Daytime and nightime fun and frolics with Paul's Cookson's inimitable Twist shows - featuring the Prof on accordian and a host of special guests and surprises.
Speaking of Heaven : Cole Moreton, Martin Wroe, Mark Halliday
Sunday
Glimpses of glory lie all around us in everyday life, glittering amongst the pain and confusion, and words can be a great way of digging them out.
Two workshops : Rachel Jones
Saturday
Exploring ideas of crossing borders, drawing on experience of work with asylum seekers, and experimenting with short stories what makes them run and how to find and tell your own.
The secret life of a novel: The Lost Art and other stories : Simon Morden
From the creator of fine Greenbelty talks such as the now infamous Sex, Death and Christian fiction and How to read Science Fiction or how to stop worrying and learn to love aliens and spaceships comes a tortuous tale of unpublished work, literary lunches and peeved celebrities and the surprising amount of sheer hard graft it takes to get a novel from brain to bookshop.
Open Mic : Alison Brumfitt
Monday
Performance poet Alison Brumfitt hosts an opportunity for Greenbelts aspiring writers to get up and show off. Youll get a tight time slot and a supportive audience but dont give offence or youll be swiftly gonged off!
Use your Voice to Speak Up : Stewart Henderson
Has creative writing got power to raise awareness of social justice issues? Poets Stewart Henderson, David Grubb and Rupert Loydell read from their own work, showcase the finalists in the Church Urban Fund writing competition, which they have been judging, and debate the power of mere words to influence change in society.
Making Holy Dreams Come True : Garth Hewitt, Wilf Whitty
Saturday
A provocative collection of prayers and meditations written by Garth Hewitt during travels to Amos Trusts global partners. Accompanied by photographs by Amos and Greenbelt designer Wilf Whitty this captures a highly creative and distinctive spirituality around the themes of hope and justice.
How to write a Christian best seller for a secular market : GP Taylor
Sunday
GP Taylor went from being an Anglican priest to a publishing sensation. He discusses why it is the duty of people of faith to proclaim their good news through the print media, giving plenty of time to grill the author too.
Heavenly fictions : Andrew Tate
Saturday
Visions of hell have preoccupied writers from Dante to Dickens but few have dared to imagine heaven. Andrew will explore the afterlife and apocalypse as discussed by contemporary writers from Douglas Coupland to John Updike.
