Join WORDfest for our annual Family Day at Crawley Library all for FREE. We have an awesome line up of authors and illustrators for ages 2 - 11 years old running workshops and events throughout the day.

Creative Playground Crawley will be running a drop-in art table, there will book trails plus The Book Nook will be selling books.

Sue Hendra, Cath Howe, Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Kat Merrick, Lindsay Gavin and Momoko Abe will all be running hour long workshops with lots of audience participation. We can't wait to fill the library with laughter and fun all based around the wonder of books. Please join us and tell everyone you know!

Following a series of workshops exploring the unique character of various native languages and dialects over the past few months, the participants will perform them in front of an audience at the Revive Cafe at the Charis Centre.

The Crawley Writers' Room are a friendly, informal and supportive group open to everyone whether you’re a seasoned writer or trying writing for the first time. Over two hours they have dedicated writing time and time to talk about all things writing related.

Join WORDfest for a conversation with Isabella Tree.

Isabella Tree is an award-winning writer and conservationist who lives with her husband, Charlie Burrell, in the middle of a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex. She is author of six non-fiction books, including the 2018 Richard Jefferies Society Literature Award-winning book Wilding: the return of nature to a British farm that was voted in the top ten science books for 2018 by The Smithsonian and made into a documentary film in 2024.

Come and join Crawley Creative Writing Group for one of their regular sessions at Crawley Library.

Our annual recognition of International Women's Day returns in association with Diverse Crawley.

In an entertaining and engaging presentation and workshop, Mata Haggis-Burridge brings together lessons on character and plot structure based on experience working on storytelling projects with professional teams, alongside their own personal writing practice.

Local writer, Kev Nylon shares his tips for approaching life writing and self publishing

Join WORDfest to find out how authors Rosie Talbot and Mark Wells create another world set in a real place.

Come meet two Queens of the Crime Thriller world as Ruth Ware and Dorothy Koomson discuss their latest pulse-pounding thrillers, the evergreen appeal of the genre, the upcoming Netflix Version of Ruth’s The Woman in Cabin 10 starring Kiera Knightley, and how the world of social media is impacting their work.

Join Book Club and Eve Ainsworth as she chats with fellow romance writers Laura Wilkinson and Lisa Brace. They will discuss their writing journeys, the processes as well as why they feel drawn to write romance fiction

Are you thinking of starting an oral history project or just want to capture the memories of a friend or family member? This beginners guide will give you advice on how to start and get the best results.

Lois Pryce and Alice Lushington have travelled across the world as solo female adventurers by motorbike and bicycle. Their stories are fascinating, amusing and inspiring. Find out what drives them to travel independently across in what some might describe as dangerous countries full of the unknown. Hear more about what were the highs and the lows, the challenges of being a woman in hostile environments, crossing borders and what other adventures lie in store for these intrepid travellers.

Crawley Writers' Circle invite you to join them at their monthly meeting at Crawley Musuem, which will also include a visit to their current exhibiton.

Each month, we curate an evening of local talent, from music to theatre, films to art installations. This is an opportunity to share your ideas and/or experience the local creative scene.

Come along and meet other creatives, find out what’s going on creatively locally and have the opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas with likeminded people.

Each month, in different Crawley locations, the event is hosted by local spoken word artist and rapper Woodzy and the rest of the line up will be announced in the run up to the night. The March edition is a collaboration with WORDfest and will be a literary special.

The annual WORDfest Quiz returns!

10 rounds of questions related to books and words to compete for great prizes and the glory of being the WORDfest 2025 champions.

Join Writing Our Legacy at Crawley Museum for an evening of readings and presentations by the poets and writers of the ‘No Place Like Home’ project. This Arts Council funded creative initiative has invited people to explore notions of home belonging, culture, heritage, health and wellbeing guided by the poets and writers Akila Richards, Nina Thaddeus and Dulani Kulasinghe. All welcome to an evening of new and inspiring work.

We are offering 4 people the opportunity to have portrait drawn by Crawley artist Lonny Chauhan. By booking a place you are agreeing to sit for Lonny for approximately 30 minutes while he produces the portrait. The portraits are to be kept by Lonny and the plan is that they will be part of an exhibition in the summer at the library.

Maria, a qualified Makaton tutor, will teach the signs for the song "You to Me Are Everything" for a specially formed WORDfest choir. The performance of this song will be the finale for a brand new WORDfest event - Crawley Sings!

Join artist, writer, and curator Alison Dollery to make a sketchbook, notebook, workbook, journal, or diary you can take home.

Spend this workshop drawing as Jo talks you through different ways to get started and organically grow your own unique drawing using colour, pattern and different materials.

After the huge success of last year we are delighted to bring Noir at the Bar back to The Old Punchbowl in the High Street as part of WORDfest Crawley.

We are excited to be joined by the Crawley Writers Circle for a special evening of music and poetry based on the four seasons.  Musicians will include:  Lucy Jeal (violin), Anna Cooper (viola & accordion), Sarah Carvalho-Dubost (cello) and Pavlos Carvalho (cello and bass).

Following the huge success of our Comedy Night over the past few years in Revive Cafe at The Charis Centre we are delighted to work again with Rangatainment to present an evening of laughter and fun!

Join us for a celebration of singing at the Bandstand in the Memorial Gardens in Crawley town centre. 10 adult choirs will take turns to sing and showcase their amazing choir, with a finale from the WORDfest Makaton Choir.

Join us for a day of inspiring talks from top name authors, agents, poets and more; engaging discussion; and workshops to get your creativity flowing. Discover new writers, connect with fellow writers and literary enthusiasts. Be inspired by the diverse experiences of women writers.