St John's Literary Festival
Date & Time
Sat, 23 May 2026
19:00 - 19:00
Venue
St John's College
St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JP
Tickets
Get ticketsAbout this event
Join the family-friendly St John's Literary Festival celebrating the National Year of Reading.
Why you should come
AI-powered• See Professor Lady Sue Black introduce her book, _An Expert Witness_.
• Hear Mona Arshi discuss her latest poetry collection, _Mouth_.
• Join Simon Mason for a conversation about his career in books.
Event Highlights
- •Family-friendly literary festival
- •Free activities for children
- •Events for adults
- •Interactive Puppet Theatre
- •Junior Book Club
Speakers
Emma Boor
Puppeteer and children’s entertainer
Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie
Vicar of nearby Charlbury with Shorthampton, alumnus
Mona Arshi
Award-winning poet
Chris Baker
Primary school teacher and reading champion
Professor Lady Sue Black
One of the world’s leading forensic scientists, President
Adam Guillain
Bestselling children’s author, former writer-in-residence at the Roald Dahl Museum and a performance storyteller
Charlotte Guillain
Bestselling children’s author, children's book editor
Simon Mason
Acclaimed author and publisher
Programme
Interactive Puppet Theatre
Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie
Mona Arshi
Junior Book Club
Professor Lady Sue Black, Book Launch
Storytelling with Adam and Charlotte Guillain
Simon Mason
What to bring / Requirements
- •Children attending the Puppet Theatre and Junior Book Club need to be accompanied by an adult.
- •Adults do not require a booked ticket for the Puppet Theatre.
Organized by: St John's College