World-famous author Ian McEwan is one of a host of big names who will appear at this year’s Lavenham Literary Festival.

East Anglian Daily Times: Lavenham Village Hall Picture: PAUL GEATERLavenham Village Hall Picture: PAUL GEATER (Image: Archant)

The Booker Prize-winning author, who attended Woolverstone Hall School in Suffolk, will be talking to Neil Clayton – his sixth form English teacher – at the popular event, which is taking place from November 15 to 17.

The festival, which is returning for its sixth year, also features poet and comedian Pam Ayres, authors Kate Mosse, Tracy Borman and John Higgs.

Phoebe Morgan, author of The Girl Next Door, will be talking to budding authors about how to get published, with advice on attracting an agent to securing a publishing deal.

A limited places creative writing workshop will also take place on Saturday, November 16 with writer Bridget Holding, while the festival’s literary dinner at the Swan pub in Lavenham is on Friday, November 15.

Lavenham resident William Clegg will also speak at the festival after the respected barrister published his memoirs titled Under The Wig last year.

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Susan Burton, chairman of the Lavenham Literary Festival board, said the line-up for this year’s event was “very exciting”.

“The great thing about this year is that we got big names in a wide range of subjects,” she said. “We’ve got fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, poetry, a creative writing course, it’s very exciting.

“We’re very lucky to have a wonderful village hall which holds 170 people and we wouldn’t be able to put on the festival without it.”

On Friday, November 15, a talk on medical intervention in the First World War will take place at Lavenham Guildhall before the annual dinner at the Swan pub.

Saturday will see entertainer Pam Ayres, along with best-selling author Kate Mosse, historian and author Tracey Borman, writer John Higgs, author and journalist Andrew Lownie and poetry readings with Pauline Stainer and Rebecca Goss.

Ian McEwan, William Clegg and, Phoebe Morgan, will appear on Sunday, along with a crime-writing panel which will see Andrew Lownie speaking to investigative journalist and author Duncan Campbell and author and BBC journalist Joanna Jolly.

For more information, visit www.lavenhamliteraryfestival.co.uk