Tickets have gone on sale to see big names in literature, children's writing, politics and history at the 10-day Folkestone Book Festival 2016.

Early bird tickets are now on sale for the event, which runs from Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 27.

Launching with the Folkestone Creative Quarter's Christmas lights switch-on, author of The Rotters' Club and Number Eleven, Jonathan Coe, will be doing the honours and presenting the first talk of the festival, Tales that Witness Madness.

There'll be a lively debate with political columnist and broadcaster Steve Richards and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Politics show and combining comedy and analysis, the special show will feature former London mayor Ken Livingstone and novelist, QC and MP Bob Marshall Andrews.

This year families and young readers will have the chance to meet some of their favourite authors with shows from creator of The Grunts Philip Ardagh, Nick Arnold’s Horrible Science and Gruffalo creator Axel Scheffler.

Author of The Dark Flood Rises, Margaret Drabble, will be talking about her reading habits from childhood to today while stand-up comedian and president of the British Humanist Association Shappi Khorsandi talks to Paul Moss about her first novel Nina Is Not OK.

Performances include the renowned actor Edward Fox in his one man show Sand in the Sandwiches: A celebration of John Betjeman, and alt-rock icon Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses performs a special solo set, while a panel including Victoria Hislop and Alexi Kaye Campbell discuss the history, food and culture of Greece.

Novelist Rose Tremain talks to Steven Gale about her newest book The Gustav Sonata, which tells the story of a kind hearted boy growing up Switzerland in the Second World War and his friendship with a talented young Jewish pianist.

Alison Weir will talk about The Life of Katherine of Aragon, revealing the childhood story of the Spanish Princess destined to be an English Queen and other events for history buffs include historian Julie Peakman and Gregory Woods, who looks at ways in which homosexuality has helped shape western culture.

The eclectic mix of wordsmiths includes David Crystal, who will be talking language from the way we use words, to pitch and pace and parodies, while author, poet and broadcaster Lemn Sissay who at 18 hand-sold his first poetry collection to the miners on picket lines. He has since performed to thousands at the FA Cup Final, to hundreds of thousands as the poet of the 2012 Olympics and to millions on radio and television.

Britain’s most famous mathematician, Professor for Public Understanding of Science, Marcus du Sautoy, will be tackling some big questions from do we know what happened before the Big Bang to where is human consciousness located in the brain at his talk Explorations at the Edge of Knowledge. Professor of cosmology, Sir Martin Rees, will also reflect on the predictions of HG Wells and consider what the iconic writer would have made of the 21st century.

There are also writing workshops and a range of fringe events.

Some early bird ticket offers run until Sunday, September 18. A festival pass for all events has an early bird price of £90. For more information visit folkestonebookfest.com or call 01303 760750.

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