This year’s LitFest looked and felt different – we’re no longer based at the Crypt Gallery, which has been our home for 8 years – so it was a big decision for us to look elsewhere for venues.
Change brings opportunity, which meant that for LitFest ’26 we have put on different events in Newhaven, and used three venues in Seaford.
Majoring on participative events, we curated a programme that provided many people with the opportunity to access first-class poets, performers and speakers and take part in workshops, masterclasses and taster sessions.
LitFest ’26 began in Newhaven, on the 14th of March, at the Hillcrest Centre. The Hillcrest is a superb venue, they couldn’t have been more helpful and loads of people commented on how good it is.
The Haven’s Community Hub opened the cafe, serving excellent food and great tea and coffee, providing fuel for the day and a place to chat and catch up.
Three poets made the day at Newhaven outstanding: Janet Sutherland, Alex Josephy and Judith Shaw.
Janet and Alex put on workshops, and Judith provided readings.
Feedback was excellent: ‘5 stars – generative’; ‘5 stars – sublime’; ‘5 stars – inclusive’
Judith’s readings were excellent, and we finished the day with readings from attendees – and then our prize giving for the 2026 competition. Thank you to all our participants, the competition was well-competed and our judges all agreed on the winners (without too much fisticuffs!).
LitFest then moved on to Florence House, where we had a varied agenda, starting with Jamie Crawford’s Storytelling Taster Session (‘5 stars – mesmerising’; ‘5 stars – captivating’).
Rich Hume provided a workshop, based on the LitFest 2026 theme of Community Trust and Andy Nobbs provided a workshop blending EFT therapy with poetry.
Rich Hume ran another workshop in the afternoon – Put a Line Through It – which blended creative techniques with loads of re-drafting and fun (‘5 stars – revelatory’, ‘5 stars – inspirational’).
Who better than Nicholas Royle to round off the day with a fascinating talk on the theme of Community Trust, followed by some really lively discussion.
What a gorgeous venue Florence House is – a real gem, and the team there are superb; nothing was too much trouble and our attendees all loved it.
Wednesday closed with lots of good feeling, which prompted Saturday’s sessions.
Susan Evans, stalwart of LitFest, returned with her Performance Poetry Masterclass – which blended techniques to break through boundaries and loosen up (pretending to wade through treacle, or be a sculpture – great fun!) with Susan’s expertise in the craft of Performance Poetry.
Again – as was a theme for LitFest – 5 star reviews and so much good feeling, everyone was ecstatic and asked for more time next year!
Which brought us onto the finale, our open mic at the Wellington Hotel in Seaford. A chance for the Masterclass attendees to put into practice what they’d learned – and another Susan Evans Tour de Force.
Sadly, that brought LitFest 2026 to a close (sigh) – but we’re determined to keep things going!
We’re incredibly grateful to Seaford Town Council, and to the Chalk Cliff Trust, for providing funding that made LitFest 2026 a reality.
We’re now looking for funding for 2027, and potentially a sponsor.
Thank you so much to everyone who attended, who took part and to all of our contributors. You are all Fabulous and you are the reason LitFest worked.
Thank you.
