Edward Carpenter - Sheila Rowbotham
 Martin Bedford - Off the Shelf festival of Writing and Reading

Welcome to Off the Shelf

Sheffield’s Annual Celebration of Writing and Reading

9 October - 30 October 2010


Welcome to Off the Shelf – Sheffield’s annual celebration of writing and reading. 

Off the Shelf is one of the North’s most prestigious, innovative, exciting and popular literary festivals. The festival offers a wide ranging programme including author events, readings, debate, poetry, workshops, walks, talks, exhibitions, storytelling, competitions, events for children and young people and more.

The 2009 festival was a great success with more than 20,000 people attending over 180 events. The festival included events with Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel, Ben Okri, Sarah Dunant, Tibor Fischer, Margaret Drabble, Paul Magrs, Jo Brand, Joan Bakewell, Vic Reeves, Marina Lewycka, Michael Mansfield QC, chefs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and The Hairy Bikers, Stuart Maconie, musician Peter Hook, poets Michael Schmidt, Michael McCarthy, Adisa, Dorothea Smartt and Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne. Off the Shelf is organised by the Arts Service of Sheffield City Council.

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Help us improve Off the Shelf

We are always pleased to hear your views, reviews and ideas. See contact us for ways to get in touch. Throughout and following the festival you will be able to complete a short questionnaire on this site. Returned questionnaires will be entered into a prize draw to win a £50 book token and a selection of signed books.

Off the Shelf is organised by the Culture Department of Sheffield City Council.

 

Rhyme and Reason

Rhyme and Reason - Specialists in childrens books will provide bookstalls at all events during the Festival.

If you are unable to attend an event in person, Rhyme and Reason can organise for signed copies to be reserved. Please e-mail or tel. 0114 266 1950 for information.

e-mail enquiries@rhyme-reason.co.uk

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News and Events


07/12/2009
 
Birthday Letters Competition Results

18/11/2009
 
Hilary Mantel Interview

02/09/2008
 
Off the Shelf - New Web Site Launched


News Archive

Featured Event

An Evening of Poetry with Kwame Dawes
Monday 22 February
7.00pm

Fusion, University of Sheffield Students’ Union, Western Bank, Sheffield 10

Tickets: £7.00/£4.00 (concessions) from University of Sheffield Students’ Union
tel: 0114 222 8777 - www.shef.ac.uk/union/services/.

Kwame Dawes is a poet, playwright, novelist, actor and producer and was the lead singer in reggae band Ujamaa. As a poet he is profoundly influenced by the rhythms and textures of Jamaica, where he is the programming director of the Calabash International Literary Festival. His book, Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius, remains the most authoritative study of the lyrics of the legendary reggae artist and his musical One Love was shown to acclaim at the Lyric, Hammersmith. This is an unmissable opportunity to hear one of the most inspiring voices of our time.

The streets of this city are spaces where the body recalls the saunter of pleasure and fear, where the possession of the groove, the maddening tattoo is a relentless language. from: ska memory by Kwame Dawes