Off the Shelf Festival

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Off the Shelf Festival of Words
StatusActive
GenreFestival
Date(s)October
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s) Sheffield, South Yorkshire
CountryEngland
Years active1991–present
Website Official website

The Off the Shelf Festival of Words takes place in Sheffield, England, during October each year. It is organised by the University of Sheffield with support from Arts Council England, Sheffield Hallam University and several commercial companies. The Festival offers events for all ages, and for more than two weeks.

Contents

History

First held in 1991, [1] [2] the Off the Shelf Festival of Words has become an annual event attracting literature and media personalities to Sheffield. The line-up normally combines a selection of authors, poets, journalists and broadcasters. The festival also caters for community and outreach provision and supports emerging writers through workshops, exhibitions, storytelling, talks, walks. It also runs a programme of events for children and young people. [3] [4]

The festival is curated by Lesley Webster and Maria de Souza, who have both been involved since the early years of the festival. [5] It began as a collaboration between the Sheffield libraries and Sheffield University, [5] and the university took over the organisation in 2016. [5] The curators relate how they attracted writers to the event, including Nick Hornby, by sending them Valentine's Day cards signed from "a city full of admirers". [5] The festival plans the programme in collaboration with local organisations such as Sheffield Authors, Slambarz and Sheffield Novelists, and local publishers such as And Other Stories, The Poetry Business, Vertebrate and Longbarrow. [5]

In 2024 the festival ran from 7 October to 3 November, and included eighty events. [6]

Notable speakers

Previous festivals have included events with

References

  1. ↑ "Background History & About Off the Shelf Festival of Words Sheffield". Off The Shelf - Festival of Words. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Caig, Anna (21 May 2018). "Book Club: Off the Shelf". Sheffield Telegraph. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  3. ↑ Owen, Alysoun, ed. (2016). Children's writers' & artists' yearbook 2017 (13 ed.). London: Bloomsbury. p. 424. ISBN   9781472924964.
  4. 1 2 "Colne Valley poet Simon Armitage launches Off the Shelf festival of writing and reading in Sheffield". Huddersfield Examiner. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Magazine, Exposed (7 October 2024). "Off the Shelf festival curators talk origins and the city's poetic domain". Exposed Magazine. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Of the Shelf, Sheffield". Welcome To Sheffield. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  7. ↑ Walker, Graham (6 September 2016). "VIDEO PREVIEW:among big names at Sheffield's Off The Shelf 2016 book festival". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Off The Shelf: Big names at this year's Sheffield book festival". South Yorkshire Times. 14 August 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 O'Keeffe, Alice (30 October 2005). "Pulp, pop and poetry: Cocker's off-the-wall words are a big hit". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Hilbert, Donna (2001). Greatest hits, 1989-2000 (1 ed.). Ohio: Pudding House Publications. p. 8. ISBN   1-930755-15-5.
  11. 1 2 "Reviews: Theatre, Music and Festivals". Doncaster Free Press. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  12. ↑ Grainger, Charlotte (10 November 2014). "Aesthetica Magazine - Review of Off the Shelf, Sheffield". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  13. ↑ Blackled, Richard (28 August 2018). "Off The Shelf 2018: Landmarks of society and literature to be celebrated at Sheffield book festival". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
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