Margaret Busby, Bernardine Evaristo and Candice Carty-Williams will each be speaking at Words Weekend Festival at Sage Gateshead.

This is the inaugural Words Weekend Festival. There will be over 60 events taking place across five venues of the iconic Sage Gateshead from the 6 – 8 December. Every event is accessibly, BSL interpreted and 40% of events are completely free.

Bernardine Evaristo will be in conversation with historian and Words Weekend ambassador, David Olusoga, discussing her eighth book, Girl, Woman, Other and what it means to be British today. 8 pm, Friday 6th December. BUY TICKETS

Booker Prize winning Nigerian author and poet Ben Okri talks to editor and broadcaster Margaret Busby OBE about his latest novel The Freedom Artist as well as his latest short story collection Prayer for the Living. 4 pm, Sunday 8 December. BUY TICKETS

Candice Carty-Williams will be talking to the founder of Gal-Dem magazine, Liv Little, about identity, independence and her successful debut, Queenie. 6 pm, Sunday 8 December. BUY TICKETS

Bernardine Evaristo and Candice Carty-Williams are both contributors to Margaret Busby’s international anthology, New Daughters of Africa.  Showcasing the work of more than 200 women writers of African descent, the collection celebrates their contributions to literature and international culture.

To find out more, head to the Words Weekend website.