No topic off limits at city literature festival

Multi-culturalism, the Israel-Palestine conflict and freedom of expression are among the topics due to be discussed at this year's Bradford Literature Festival.

Starting on 27 June, the annual event will be held in venues across the city, and feature discussions, lectures and workshops over 10 days.

Among the guests due to appear at the event are poet John Cooper Clarke, broadcaster Mishal Husain and actor Larry Lamb.

Festival co-founder Syima Aslam said: "We are rooted in books, but I always say there is nothing in the world that there isn't a book about so there is nothing that we can't talk about."

Ms Aslam, who grew up in Bradford, launched the festival in 2014 with a view to making literature accessible to the city's diverse population.

She said she wanted to overcome the financial barriers for people in Bradford, as well as other cities in the UK, which stopped many from enjoying cultural events.

"We have to recognise that those barriers are real, with the cost of living and all of those things," Ms Aslam said.

"One of the tests that I've always applied to the festival is if you're a single mum with four kids to feed, are you going to feed them or are they going to come to the festival?

"So, we've done a lot of work in that area to ensure that's not the case."

Bradford Literature Festival is a Community Interest Company, which means it exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders.

Ms Aslam said: "Having a festival that is openly accessible to everyone, that everyone feels they can take part in and there are no financial barriers is really, really important.

"I don't think we can talk about wanting everyone to engage in culture and not think about the barriers that actually mean they may not be able to.

"So, for us it's a founding principle and it's one of the foundations that we are built on."

The full programme is due to be published on the Bradford Literature Festival in the coming weeks.

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