Ilkley Literature Festival's 26th year kicks off this week with one of the event's stars eagerly awaiting his return to the town.

Liverpudlian poet Roger McGough is appearing at Ilkley Playhouse on Sunday to read extracts from his new book The Way Things Are.

Mr McGough said: "I'm very much looking forward to coming back to Ilkley. Festival director David Porter is a very old friend of mine."

The writer and poet hopes to attract poetry lovers and indeed those who don't claim to be poetry fans to Ilkley.

"I have been to events where a person has dragged their partner along and they have actually been pleasantly surprised by what poetry can actually mean and its different forms," he said.

The author of more than 15 books, including Bad Bad Cats and The Ring of Words, will be reading from The Way Things Are. It includes tales of the sea, the wrong beds, clutching at cheese straws and of quick boys and sharp gals.

Mr McGough, who was awarded the OBE in 1987, said: "This new work came about after the birth of my daughter a couple of years ago. It makes you look at life in a slightly different way. You have the reappearance of the tooth fairy and Father Christmas for example."

The festival, which opens on Friday and runs until Sunday, October 10, includes artists from all over the world and, of course, Yorkshire.

The event starts on Friday with Dana Bryant, a Puerto Rican jazz poet from New York, teaming up with Lemn Sissay. An electric, funky fusion of words, politics and rhythm will be provided by The Rommi Smith Band.

The following day sees a transcultural cross-arts workshop, with Ilkley children's author John Cunliffe - creator of Postman Pat - holding a session for the under fives.

Other highlights include an audience with J P Donleavy, story structure workshops with Alison Joseph and a National Poetry evening, featuring ILF/Northern Spirit poet in residence Ian McMillan.

Tastes of different cultures will also be provided by Jamaican actors/singers/poets Jean Binta Breeze and Linton Kwesi Johnson and sensational Flamenco artists from Seville.

Festival director Mr Porter said: "The British contingent is led by a specially commissioned adaptation for the stage, with music, of Ted Hughes' Crow by actor Barrie Rutter."

Mr Rutter, the founder and artistic director of Northern Broadsides, will present this world premiere at Ilkley Playhouse on October 10.

Ted Hughes, the Poet Laureate, was a founder patron of the Ilkley Literature Festival until his death in October last year.

Alan Sillitoe will introduce a stage version of his borstal boy story The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.

Ian McMillan and Martin Wiley's Summer of Love (a comedy about Barnsley in the 'summer of love') will be staged by Fine Time Fontayne.

Mr Porter said that the festival also hopes to make its own contribution to the literature. "A two-day project, Access All Areas (October 5 and 6 11am-4pm), will explore how literature can be made more accessible to a wider audience, involving sign language, email and film," he explained.

He also added that the ILF 'A Quid a Mile' travel bursary will be announced, which sends a travel writer 1,000 miles from Ilkley to write their travel diary.

All festival events will take place at the Weston Road-based Playhouse, where there will be a Waterstones bookstall, light snacks, bar, photographic exhibition by Richard Moran and daily audio book extracts.

Further details can be obtained from the Ilkley Literature Festival office on 01943 601210.

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