Never happier than when in a library or clutching a notebook, Francesca Baker is a writer, reader, and word lover. She started off with podcasts, then PR, and now helps programme Margate Bookie (and is pleased by alliteration). She’s your go to person for marketing at Bookie. Francesca works with …More

Dan Dalton is a writer and journalist. Born and raised in Huddersfield, he now lives in Margate. Johnny Ruin is his first book.

Vanessa King is a leading expert in positive psychology and the author of 10 Keys to Happier Living and, for children, 50 Ways to Feel Happy. She is a board member of Action for Happiness and a trustee of the Margate Bookie.

Novelist Louis de Bernières was born in London in 1954 and spent some of his school years in Brichington. He joined the army at 18 but left after spending four months at Sandhurst. In 1993, Louis was selected as one of the 20 ‘Best of Young British Novelists 2’ promotion in Granta magazine. His…More

Alison Weir is the top-selling female historian in the United Kingdom, and has sold over 2.7 million books worldwide. She has published eighteen history books, including Elizabeth the Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Lady in the Tower and Elizabeth of York, and seven historical novels.

Mark’s first novel, Sleepyhead, was an instant bestseller in the UK. The series of crime novels featuring London-based detective Tom Thorne continued with Scaredy Cat and was followed by a huge list of bestsellers including Lazybones, The Burning Girl and The Killing Habit. Mark is also the author…More

Born in Nigeria in 1984, Inua Ellams is an internationally touring poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist & designer. He is an ambassador for the Ministry of Stories and has published four books of poetry: ‘ Inua is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Elise Valmorbida is the author of several titles including NY Times best-seller The Madonna of the Mountains. She teaches creative writing at Central Saint Martins and Arvon, and fis ounder-director of communications consultancy word-design.

Adrian Cross lives in London and loves Margate. He works in an advisory role with children in care and writes for the Times Educational Supplement and does live music reviews for Gigwise. He co-edited the #1 Vanguard Readings Short Story Anthology and is a Margate Bookie trustee.

Boozer, lover, fighter and desperately in need of a new bio.

Richard Skinner is a novelist and Director of the Fiction Programme at Faber Academy. In this workshop, Richard will be sharing novel-writing insight, tips, strategies and stimuli, drawing upon his bestselling writing guide Writing a Novel.

Dale Shaw’s first book, Letters Of Not, was published by The Friday Project in 2014, followed by F*** This Journal (Headline) in 2016 and Last Minute Rooms in Bethlehem (Boxtree) in 2017. His sketch show, What The Future was recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Annie Sutton trained with Desmond Jones in Mime and Physical Theatre, Ecole Jacques Lecoq and has a PGCE in Film and Drama (distinction). With 30 years working globally as a theatre practitioner, writer, deviser, actor and director, young people remain the vein that runs through her career. Her coll…More

Chloe Timms is a writer from St Nicholas at Wade who is in the process of editing her debut novel, The Seawomen. Chloe completed a scholarship with the Faber Academy in 2018 and an early version of her novel was a runner up in Stylist Magazine’s novel prize.

Elspeth’s art is concerned with origins, journeys and destinations. She has e a background in sociology as well as art which is reflected in her practice. Her family’s background as emigrees to Argentina and her own reverse emigration from South America to the UK, has had a great influence o…More

Maggie Harris is a poet, prose writer, and visual artist. Originally from Guyana, South America, she recently re-located to Kent after 10 years in Wales.

French chanteuse Marianne Dissard is a singer-songwriter, musician, and now an author. She has spent many years writing and performing around the world, and has now come to settle in Ramsgate. Her book Not Me is gripping literary read about recovery.

Connor Sansby is a poet, publisher, events producer and social artist based in Margate, Kent. As a performer, he has visited stages all over the South of England – Kent, London, Sussex, Essex – won a few slams and headlined dozens of gigs. In 2019, Connor was an Associate Artist at Open School E…More

Owen Lowery was a British Judo champion who suffered a spinal injury while competing and is now a tetraplegic. He has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and a PhD from Bolton University, His poetry has been listed in the Bridport Prize, the Welsh Open Poetry Competition, the Virginia Warbey…More

PJ Whiteley is an experienced author of nonfiction and fiction. A Bookie regular, his third novel, A Love of Two Halves, is published by Unbound.

Sam Gayton lives by the sea in Margate. In 2009 he completed the Writing for Young People MA at Bath Spa University and not long after published his first book, The Snow Merchant. He loves American novels, Italian food and the English countryside. When he’s not writing, he likes playing old board …More

Andrew is a freelance consultant, who delivers the innovative Love Where You Live project with Ben Bowles, using film and photography to improve community cohesion and connection to place. He also delivers a variety of young peoples’ engagement activities, focus groups and project evaluation repor…More

Ben is a freelance photographer and film maker who runs Love Where You Live with Andrew Dennis. Love Where You Live was set up to change people’s perceptions of their local community through photography and film. This is done by practical and interactive sessions which improve the skills of the pa…More

Pen to Print publishes the quarterly magazine Write On! Now on its third issue, Write On! links local writing communities to the publishing industry by showcasing the work of emerging writers. Backed by Arts Council England and the London Brough of Barking and Dagenham, the magazine presents homegro…More

Elizabeth Scrase; poet, writer, artist and historian; has just graduated with a BA (Hons) in Creative and Professional writing (2019). Elizabeth has written and performed across the UK and Europe for a long time. She has written for English Heritage, a variety of international magazines and historic…More

Pauline Holmes is a performance poet and storyteller. She is a past winner of the LicKitySpit Poetry Slam, has supported Anthony Anaxogorou and is a regular contributor to Mind the Gap Audio Anthology. She took her show Talk to The Paw to the Faversham Fringe and is well known locally for her poems …More

Nina Telegina is a writer and performer who believes in the narrative power of poetry. Her story-poems often feature a cast of unlikely characters: space pirates, anthropomorphic farts, and the occasional manic animal. While Nina’s work tends toward the lyrical and the humorous, she is constantly …More

Henry Madd is a spoken word artist, theatre maker and workshop facilitator. After cutting his teeth on the Californian poetry circuit he returned to his native England and firmly entrenched himself in the poetry community in Kent. He won the 2017 Apples and Snakes/ Wise Words Festival Emerging Artis…More

Sam Rapp is dyslexic and performs around the UK/internationally as “Sam Rapp the dyslexic poet”. An award -winning writer, performance poet, playwright, inspirational speaker, winner of Crisis UK poetry slam 2017 and positive about dyslexia competition 2018. Sam has completed a run with her show…More