This year’s Guernsey Literary Festival, one of the Channel Islands’ biggest annual celebrations of the arts, features events covering entertainment, music, art, food, fiction, poetry, history, politics and sport as well as debates on artificial intelligence and smart phones and a gardeners’ question time.

The programme opens on Friday 25 April with two big hitters, fashion designer and Great British Sewing Bee TV presenter Patrick Grant, and human rights campaigner Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, both at St James.

There are no fewer than 52 public events, most featuring UK writers and speakers, and tickets go on sale to the general public on 15 February. Festival members (membership costs £20) will be able to buy tickets online from 10am on 10 February.

Also planned for the Festival, which runs from 25 April to 4 May, are 15 Education Programme events and five outreach and community events.

Last month, the Festival was able to announce that major speakers would include Michelin star chef and television presenter Tom Kerridge, garden designer Adam Frost, award-winning novelist and memoirist Kit de Waal and singer-songwriter and author Roxanne de Bastion.

Details of the full programme can be accessed on the Festival website guernseyliteraryfestival.com, where tickets can also be bought. A hard copy programme will be delivered to every household in the island, courtesy of Guernsey Post.

Festival Director Claire Allen is ‘delighted with the range of speakers and events we have this year. I really think there is something for everybody.’

‘As well as our many main speakers, we have a selection of local author events and writing workshops, an international poetry competition, and outreach activities in care homes and the prison. We are excited to offer a variety of family events, a schools programme and a writing competition for local students.’

Festival Honorary Chairman Sir Terry Waite KCMG, CBE, pointing to the importance of the Festival to Guernsey, says that not only does it make a significant contribution to the cultural life of the island, ‘but it also aids the economy by bringing many new visitors.’

Opening event speaker Patrick Grant, whose talk is supported by the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, will talk about his book Less: Stop Buying So Much Rubbish - How Having Fewer, Better Things Can Make Us Happier. It’s a passionate and revealing book which considers the crisis of consumption and quality in fashion.

Baroness Chakrabarti’s talk is based on her recent book Human Rights - The Case for the Defence, a powerful and urgent explanation and vindication of our human rights and freedoms. The talk, supported by the Victor Hugo Centre, outlines the historic national and international struggles for human rights and explains the law and logic underpinning human dignity and universal freedoms.

For those interested in politics and the world around them, journalist Jon Sopel will be talking about Strangeland - How Britain Stopped Making Sense. In 2022, after eight years of political reporting in the US, Jon Sopel moved home to the UK and examines the new post-Brexit Britain with fresh eyes. The event is sponsored by Rawlinson & Hunter.

Political journalist Anushka Asthana’s book Taken as Red - How Labour Won Big and the Tories Crashed the Party looks behind the scenes of the 2024 general election campaign, where the political landscape undergoes a seismic shift.

In his book Murder in the Gulag, John Sweeney tells the story of Alexei Navalny and argues that if the West fails to stand up more forcefully to Putin, we are in danger not just of betraying Ukraine, but our own security too. John’s talk is supported by The Times Literary Supplement.

While on the subject of heroic people, Clare Mulley tells the story of Agent Zo, the untold story of fearless WWII resistance fighter Elżbieta Zawacka, aka ‘Zo’, the only woman to parachute from Britain to Nazi German-occupied Poland during WWII. It’s a story of unbelievable bravery.

Environmental writers and speakers have always been well represented at previous festivals and this year Mike Berners-Lee will talk about A Climate of Truth - Why We Need It and How to Get It. In his talk, sponsored by BWCI Group, Mike looks at the challenge from new angles – original, inspiring and practical.

Campaigner Tony Juniper CBE’s book Just Earth - How a Fairer World will Save the Planet argues that we cannot fight the climate and nature crises without addressing the widening gap between the rich and poor. Tony’s talk is sponsored by Mourant.

Renowned adventurer and TV presenter Levison Wood has spent a lifetime exploring wild places, witnessing environmental challenges and conservation efforts around the globe. His new book The Great Tree Story - How Forests Have Shaped Our World looks at the profound influence forests have had on our planet and civilisation. Levison’s talk is sponsored by HIGHVERN.

Raising Hare is Chloe Dalton’s story of returning to the countryside of her childhood, where she finds herself custodian of a newly born hare. Chloe chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild, rekindling a sense of awe towards nature and wildlife.

Fiction plays an important part in the Guernsey Literary Festival and author and presenter Dawn O’Porter, who grew up in Guernsey, will be talking about her latest novel, Honeybee, the story of Renee and Flo, best friends failing in work and love, who are reunited in the island. Dawn’s talk is sponsored by Investec.

Tom Gaisford’s ambitious debut novel is twisty thriller meets witty love story as we see the story of Alex Donovan, a young refugee lawyer in crisis, with the backdrop of the treatment of asylum seekers.

What makes a successful crime novel? A crime panel with two of the genre’s brightest stars, Clare Mackintosh (latest book Other People’s Houses) and Asia Mackay (A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage) will shed light on how they create compelling characters and plot twists that keep readers hooked until the final page. Clare will also be leading a workshop on writing a novel, and Kit de Waal will be leading a workshop on writing memoir.

Acclaimed international poet Imtiaz Dharker, the judge of this year’s Guernsey International Poetry Competition, will be at the Festival for the winners’ presentation and reading event, which she will follow with a reading event of her own work. These events are sponsored by Specsavers.

Still with poetry, Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen are giving a poetry reading to the Festival, following a run of sold-out gigs up and down the UK. Hollie will be reading from her Sunday Times bestseller Lobster and other things I’m learning to love, with Michael Pedersen joining her with his beloved Boy Friends and The Cat Prince.

Night Voices is an open mic poetry night hosted by four passionate Guernsey poets, and offers a welcoming and inclusive space for poets of all levels to share, connect and grow.

Sport and resilience stories come from double Paralympic winner and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Jonnie Peacock whose talk and book are entitled You Can Do Anything! .

In Kiku – The Japanese Art of Good Listening, sociolinguist and listening expert Dr Haru Yamada draws on the Japanese concept of ‘kiku’ and shares a life-changing guide to becoming a better listener, with practical advice with human stories, including Haru’s own lifelong hearing disability, to unlock the power of listening. This talk is sponsored by TPA.

Who can forget that BBC interview with Prince Andrew? Sam McAlister organised it and in Scoops - The BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews, from Steven Seagal to Prince Andrew, Sam, ‘booker extraordinaire’, tells the story of clinching the 2019 BBC interview with Prince Andrew. Sponsored by Kirkwood Properties.

In Smartphone Nation – Why We’re All Addicted to Screens and What You Can Do About It, Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, associate professor at University College London, discusses how to keep the advantages and joy of the internet while also identifying the often-hidden dangers, giving tips on how to step away when we’re being over-reliant on our devices.

The Business Breakfast has become one of the highlights of the Festival programme and this year the speaker is Parmy Olson, who will be talking on Supremacy - AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World. Parmy is a technology columnist with Bloomberg, covering artificial intelligence, social media and tech regulation. The Business Breakfast is supported by The Times Literary Supplement and sponsored by Butterfield.

In Judgement at Work - Making Better Choices, Andrew Likierman, a former dean of the London Business School and director of the Bank of England, explains how to improve your judgement. This talk is sponsored by the NED Forum.

Julian Fisher, who has a background in the British Diplomatic Service and practical insights from conflict zones, suggests the skills to enhance and achieve personal and professional goals in his book Think Like a Spy - Master the Art of Influence and Build Life-Changing Alliances. Sponsored by Dorey Financial Modelling.

In All That Glitters - A Story of Friendship, Fraud and Fine Art, Orlando Whitfield will take the readers and listeners into the heart of the contemporary art world, a place wilder, wealthier and more venal than you could ever imagine. Orlando’s talk is sponsored by Hiscox.

Jordan Stephens is a musician, writer and performer, perhaps best known as one half of the chart-topping duo Rizzle Kicks. In Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs, Jordan opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD twice, navigating the pressures of fame and what it means to be a modern man. His mental health campaign #IAMWHOLE reached over 120 million people online and was mentioned in the Houses of Parliament.

In Bare, Lorna Tucker tells of becoming homeless on the streets of London at 14. She was groomed by older men who bought her trainers in exchange for helping them commit crimes. With help from a mentor, Lorna began her career as a director and documentary maker and in her film Someone’s Daughter, Someone’s Son, she champions the important message that together we can end homelessness.

Best-selling author Amy Jeffs’ book Saints - Medieval Legends of Heroes, Humans and Magic retells legends born of the medieval cult of saints, with tales of demons and dragons, the stubborn skull of a giant, and sleepers in a concealed Greek cave.

Local writers

The Guernsey Literary Festival prides itself on support for local writers and this year the number of writers involved has increased again.

From fiction, Jenny O’Brien will talk about her latest novel, The Book of Lost Children, and Theresa Le Flem (Freedom on the Morning Tide) and Kelvin Whelan (Last Man Hanging) will be interviewed in the Local Voices event. All three books are set in Guernsey. Richard Graham’s book At the Emperor’s Pleasure is a true love story set in the Far East at war.

History is well represented, with Gregory Stevens Cox’s book St Peter Port 1204-1940 tracing the history of Guernsey’s main town and how it evolved over nearly a millennium, and Paul Le Messurier’s book Founder of Sandhurst, Maj-Gen John Le Marchant - ‘A Most Able Officer’ tells the dramatic story of the Guernseyman who founded the Royal Military College and fought bravely in the Napoleonic Wars.

Liberated Guernsey Past & Present is Marco Tersigni’s third book comparing historic photos of the island with their modern-day equivalents. He has teamed up again with Simon Hamon, to bring a collection of more than 60 previously unpublished photographs of the island’s liberation from German occupation to celebrating the 80th anniversary. The event is sponsored by Julius Baer.

Tony Gallienne’s book Guernsey - How We Live Together, takes a contemporary look at the state of Guernsey, viewing its social and economic issues in a historical context within a social contract framework. The talk is supported by the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce.

Jill Chubb was among the families sent to Biberach 80 years ago and in a special new podcast series, she shares her experiences with her grandson, former BBC Guernsey presenter Ollie Guillou. The event is entitled Guernsey Deportees - A Little Known Story of Wartime Resilience.

Family events feature strongly at the 2025 Festival. Dapo Adeola’s We’re Going to Find the Monster! (Age 4+) is a fun-filled interactive storytelling and live drawing event. Sophy Henn’s I Hate Everything! (Age 4 +) is a fun-packed story time with award-winning author and illustrator Sophy to celebrate all the things you LOVE.

In The Most Unladylike Puzzle Event (Age 8+) Robin Stevens introduces her latest book, The Most Unladylike Puzzle Book, based on her hit detective series Murder Most Unladylike and The Ministry of Unladylike Activity. Children will learn how to crack the art of code breaking and test their sleuthing skills.

Louie Stowell’s Loki - A Bad God’s Guide (Age 8+) gives the chance to join author and Norse myth superfan Louie Stowell in this interactive event about her bestselling Loki: A Bad God’s Guide series. Packed with humour, doodling, acting and facts! These four events are sponsored by Rothschild & Co, who also sponsor Sophy Henn’s Happy Hills Comics Workshop (6+) which is supported by Art for Guernsey.

The Festival always has its popular Tea Party and at this year’s The Mr. Men Little Miss Tea Party (Age 3-6), children can join storyteller George Hoyle for an interactive, immersive tea party experience, complete with live music, nursery rhymes, sensory participation, action and movement. Guests are encouraged to dress up as a character from the Mr. Men Little Miss series. This event is sponsored by Specsavers.

The Festival’s education programme this year has 15 schools events planned, featuring Nadia Shireen, Dapo Adeola, Julian Fisher, Sophy Henn, Amy Jeffs, Jonnie Peacock, Robin Stevens, Jordan Stephens, Louie Stowell, Pari Thomson, Imtiaz Dharker, Hollie McNish and Dawn O’Porter.

Highlights for 2025 Outreach and Community programme include Tea & Tales in nursing homes and a talk in Les Nicolles Prison. Among the speakers will be Sir Terry Waite, Gregory Stephens Cox, Marco Tersigni and Simon Hamon, and Theresa Le Flem.

For the first time this year, The Guernsey Literary Festival will be partnering The Times Literary Supplement and attendees will be able to pick up a complimentary copy of the publication at Festival venues.

The Guernsey Literary Festival is a registered charity. Festival Director Claire Allen says, ‘My sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to making this Festival possible: our dedicated team, volunteers, loyal sponsors, partners, patrons and members. Also, many thanks to the various venues, event suppliers, publishers and media partners that support us. Come and join us and relish all that the Guernsey Literary Festival has to offer.’

The full programme for the 2025 Guernsey Literary Festival is on the festival website guernseyliteraryfestival.com. Tickets, available through the website, go on sale to the general public on 15 February from 10am. Festival members (membership costs £20 through the website) will be able to buy tickets from 10am on 10 February.