A literary festival returns for its second year with prize-winners, best-sellers and local authors.

Medway River Lit launched last year and, after proving a hit with Kent bookworms, it’s back with a stacked month-long line-up.

The festival takes place at a number of Medway venues, including Coffee Republic, the Eagle Tavern and libraries in Chatham, Strood, Rochester and Gillingham.

It’s produced by Wordsmithery, a Kent-based literary consultancy specialising in live literature and publishing, and boasts a series of poetry readings, writing workshops, book fairs and giveaways.

This year’s theme is all about the environment and climate crisis and includes more than 20 author talks and panel discussions from Friday, November 1 to Saturday, November 30. Events are ticketed separately and can be booked here.

There’s a great range of topics and talks to choose from, but these are five of our top picks if you’re heading to this year’s Medway River Lit…

AA CHAUDHURI : As the author of two psychological thrillers, AA Chaudhuri knows how to keep an audience on the edge of their seats. In this gripping talk, the writer will discuss her new novel, Under Her Roof, which follows struggling writer Sebastian as he finds himself renting a cheap room from a mysterious widowed landlady. A former lawyer, AA Chaudhuri published her first book in 2021 and followed it up with the Loyal Friend and the Final Party.

Details: Saturday, November 16 at 2.15pm at Strood Library

BEN AARONOVITCH: Rivers of London author Ben Aaronovitch is discussing the latest novella in his beloved urban fantasy series as the closing event of this year’s festival. The writer, who is also known for his work on two 1980s Doctor Who serials, Remembrance of the Daleks and Battlefield, released the Masquerades of Spring in September this year.

Details: Saturday, November 30 at 2pm at Rochester Library

BEN OKRI: Nigerian poet, novelist and playwright Ben Okri has won numerous awards for his work over the last 40 years. His 1991 novel, the Famished Road, won the Booker Prize and, in 2001, he was awarded an OBE for services to literature. Last year, Ben published Tiger Works, a collection of essays, poems and fiction inspired by environmental activism.

Details: Saturday, November 2 at 7pm at Rochester Library

CAITLIN DAVIES : Discover the history of the UK’s female investigators, from the first woman to open her own private agency in the Victorian era to the Liverpudlian sleuth who became the first female president of the World Association of Detectives. Caitlin Davies has spent years writing about the forgotten women of history across six novels and eight non-fiction books, with a particular focus on prisoners, criminals and detectives.

Details: Saturday, November 16 at 3.30pm at Strood Library

JOHN AGARD: South American poet John Agard is celebrating rhythm, wordplay and storytelling in this engaging talk. The writer, who has won the Smarties Book Prize, the Queen’s Gold Medal and the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award, will read from his various works and perform some of his favourite pieces for fans. He will also talk about his fascinating life, from growing up in Guyana to his collaborations with Wretch 32 and Muneera Pilgrim.

Details: Sunday, November 10 at 4pm at Rochester Library