The South Warwickshire Literary Festival was born from the germ of an idea in the difficult times of the Covid pandemic in 2022 in the tiny village of Fenny Compton.

 

That initial thought – how hard can it be to start a literary festival? – niggled and jiggled in the mind of Jacci Gooding until it could no longer be ignored. Phone calls were made and notes scribbled and, finally, with the help of authors Jenny Heap and Lynn Macwhinnie the festival came into being. 

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From the start, we were determined to be affordable and accessible. Our underlying idea is that those who are already at the top let down the ladders to those on their way. 

 

On September 24th 2022, we threw off our wraps and stepped out into the void. That first festival was held in Fenny Compton, in the village hall and the neighbouring church, and was very much a wing-and-a-prayer event. 

 

But it worked.

 

So in early 2023 we wrote and agreed a Constitution which includes the clear aim: to promote appreciation of literature and writing in all its forms, through a professionally organised and widely accessible festival event.

 

We took a step up and over to Harbury village hall in 2023, and in 2024 we took the show on the road to Victoria House in Leamington Spa.