Stowmarket, Suffolk, UK
9th-16th August 2025

Blog

We did it!

We did it! It happened! The first literary fringe festival in the UK has been an adventure, and a fantastic bookish weekend. A huge THANK YOU from your hosts, Jackie Carreira and Rachel Churcher, to all our authors, visitors and supporters. We couldn’t have done it without you!  We’re taking a much-needed break! Watch this space for more…
Read more

It’s happening!

The Foreword Festival is here! Yesterday’s book fair, live readings, children’s stories and workshops were fantastic. Today, meet the authors at the book fair, join us for our SF, Fantasy and Horror author panel at 11 in the Guildhall garden, and head for our publishing workshops, run by our sponsor, Softwood Self-Publishing. See you there!

Suffolk Norfolk Life

We’re thrilled to find this fantastic coverage of the festival in the October issue of Suffolk Norfolk Life Magazine! Follow the link to read the full article online.

On the radio again

Jackie Carreira and Rachel Churcher, co-organisers of the Foreword Festival, are on the radio again today with the latest updates for the event at the weekend! Check out the Louise Hulland Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Suffolk, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and BBC Sounds. On Listen Again, the interview begins 1 hour and…
Read more

Storytelling

We’re announcing a new event for the Foreword Festival! We’ll be hosting FREE storytelling from two children’s authors in the garden at the Guildhall (weather permitting!) on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th October.⁠ Meet Lynda Brignall, author of When I Go Out At Night, and Emma Sweeney, author of The Tale of a Lonely Frog.…
Read more

On the radio …

Exciting news! Jackie Carreira, co-organiser of the Foreword Festival, will be on the radio today – not once, but TWICE! Check out Suffolk Sound at 10.30am, and BBC Upload at 6pm, when Jackie will have all the latest on our Literary Fringe Festival adventure!

Fast Foreword – Winners!

We are thrilled to announce the winning stories for the Fast Foreword Flash Fiction event! Congratulations to all the authors featured! On Saturday 7th October actors from QuirkHouse Theatre will be giving FREE live readings of the winning stories at various venues across Bury St Edmunds – check out the Fast Foreword page for details.

Publishing Workshops

Tickets for our publishing workshops are on sale now! Sunday’s one-hour workshops are designed to help you navigate your publishing journey. Wondering how to send your book out into the world? In this workshop, Softwood Self-Publishing will guide you through the world of distribution possibilities to secure listings on Gardners and bookshops like Waterstones. With…
Read more

Publishing Workshops

Tickets for our publishing workshops are on sale now! Sunday’s one-hour workshops are designed to help you navigate your publishing journey. In this dynamic session, Softwood Self-Publishing will delve into the art of self-promotion, exploring strategies to captivate your target audience through social media platforms and local media outlets such as radio and magazines. Learn…
Read more

Publishing Workshops

Tickets for our publishing workshops are on sale now! Sunday’s one-hour workshops are designed to help you navigate your publishing journey. Discover the various routes to publishing in Softwood Self-Publishing’s comprehensive workshop. Whether you’re an aspiring author or a seasoned writer seeking new opportunities, this engaging session will equip you with the knowledge and tools…
Read more