Sunday Times best-selling author Sophie Hannah will be talking about writing the latest mysteries for Poirot to crack as the headliner for Manx Litfest 2023.

The 10th annual festival will start on Tuesday, September 26, and will take place at a variety of venues around the island.

It will see visiting and island authors, illustrators, poets and storytellers entertain audiences, as well as the return of much-loved events such as the Book Fanatics’ Quiz Night and Writers’ Day.

New for this year is a poetry event, Manx Poets’ Showcase, that encompasses a competitive performance element alongside a chance for island poets to advertise and promote their work.

Activities for younger readers include school visits and visiting children’s author and illustrator Clara Vulliamy will lead a workshop at the Family Library in Douglas.

Festival director Helen Jessopp told Island Life: ‘The aim of Manx Litfest is always to give the Manx public the opportunity to discover, enjoy and explore as many different forms of the written and spoken word as possible, and this year we have a wonderfully varied line up of fiction and non-fiction writers, an illustrator, a poet and a storyteller.

‘As a small island we are overflowing with incredibly creative people, and we hope that the mixture of workshops, masterclasses and performance opportunities will give locals a chance to develop and showcase their talents to a wider audience.’

The schedule is still being added to but includes:

Tuesday, September 26 – evening: Book Fanatics’ Book Quiz, in Douglas.

Wednesday, September 27 – evening: Fiona Laing will be talking about how she got into writing gin guides, followed by a Fynodderee seasonal tasting session at the Fyn Bar in Ramsey.

Thursday, September 28 – daytime: Island crime/thriller novelist Rachael Bennett will be running a writers’ workshop in Jurby Community Centre.

Evening – Headliner Sophie Hannah will be discussing her work writing the newest Poirot novels for the Agatha Christie Estate at St George’s, in Douglas.

Friday, September 29 – morning: Sophie Hannah will lead a masterclass on writing at the Nunnery, in Douglas.

Evening – Ben Haggarty will perform his one-man-show, Greek Myths Unleashed: Atalanta, at Peel Centenary Centre.

Saturday, September 30 – All-day Writers’ Day in Douglas with masterclasses, workshops and talks from island and visiting authors, plus a talk from a literary agent on how to contact and approach agents and publishers when looking for representation and publication.

Award-winning literary agent Hayley Steed, of Madeline Milburn Literary Agency, has 15 pitch slots for island writers to get one-to-one advice and feedback on their manuscripts.

Afternoon – Clara Vulliamy (Dixie O’Day, Dotty Detective and Marshmallow Pie the Cat Superstar) will be at the Family Library, in Douglas, to lead a child’s storytelling session/illustration workshop.

Evening – Manx Poets’ Showcase poetry competition.

Sunday, October 1 – morning: Performance poet Jay Hulme will run a poetry workshop in the side room at Windsor Coffee Shop in Douglas. Evening – Jay Hulme will perform his poetry and talk about where he gets his inspiration. And Elise Downing will be talking about how she ended up writing a book about running the coasts of Britain and what she learned from doing so. Elise was the first woman and youngest person to run a lap of Great Britain self-supported in 2016. She wrote about the experience in her book, Coasting.

For more details about the 2023 line-up visit www.manxlitfest.com or follow Manx Litfest on Facebook, where the programme and ticketing information will be available in due course.