Our Panels
Goddesses and Gorgons: Rediscovering magic and witchcraft in Greek mythology with Rosie Hewlett
Friday 26 September — 3 to 4pm
You've heard the myths, but do you really know the women behind them? Rosie Hewlett joins us to discuss her new book, Medusa, the truth behind these powerful, magical and monstrous characters, and breathing new life into ancient stories that echo women's millennia-long struggle to simply be heard.
Final panellist to be announced.
Inspirational Voices: Making Waves with Penguin Michael Josephs’s Mermaids, featuring Jenny Colgan & Lucy Mangan
Friday 26 September — 6:30 to 7:30pm
We are delighted to be partnering with Penguin Michael Joseph in celebrating 90 bestselling years of the publisher, and welcome award-winning authors Jenny Colgan and Lucy Mangan to close the first day of the Festival, with a special conversation discussing their work with PMJ's Mermaid Collection (launching this September), works of women’s fiction, and the authors who have inspired their own writing and reading habits.
The Mermaid Collection features unjustly neglected works of popular mid-to-late-twentieth-century novels written by women who address issues that remain relevant today, akin to PMJ’s ongoing heritage of championing quality commercial women’s fiction and bringing it to the masses. Each Mermaid is introduced by a contemporary writer, reflecting on the author and book’s importance to the world in which it was published and why the book still feels like a fresh read in 2025.
This is Not a Love Story: Life, love and relationships in contemporary fiction, featuring Lotte Jeffs and Emma Steele — Chaired by Amita Murray
Saturday 27 September — 10 to 11am
Part of the magic of love is the ever changing nature of it, and how relationships can influence our knowledge of our selves. Lotte Jeffs and Emma Steele will speak with Amita Murray about how love stories can deeply affect us and characters can stay with us long after the final page.
Spindles & Swords: Reimagining leading ladies in legends and fairytales with Georgia Leighton & Jean Menzies — Chaired by Amanda Block
Saturday 27 September — 11:30am to 12:30pm
What if there were no princes to fall in love with, or knights to save the day -- and the women rewrote the rules? With a darkly magical, feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty and a fierce, sapphic reimagining of the legends of Camelot, Georgia Leighton and Jean Menzies join Amanda Block to discuss their new novels, and what inspired them to rewrite the traditional stories we thought we knew well.
A Fine Romance, with Lucy Vine & Laura Wood (sponsored by Simon & Schuster) — Chaired by Molly Crawford
Saturday 27 September — 2 to 3pm
Everybody loves to watch (or read) a good romance unfold. But is on-screen chemistry or the same taste in books enough to make the magic last? Two of the hottest romance writers around, Lucy Vine and Laura Wood, join Simon & Schuster editor Molly Crawford to discuss fake dating, enemies to lover, falling for someone you've never met, and the key to a perfect romcom.
We Shall Be Monsters: The inspiring women behind classic gothic fiction with Mairi Kidd & Caroline Lea — chaired by Sally O'Reilly
Saturday 27 September — 3:30 to 4:30pm
There's something about Mary Shelley... Authors Mairi Kidd and Caroline Lea both found inspiration in Frankenstein's author and the events that led to her penning the classic novel. They join chair and fellow author Sally O'Reilly to delve into what we can learn from these iconic monsters and those who created them? And why does classic Gothic fiction still haunt us?
Defying Gravity and Society in 20th Century Scotland: Historical Fiction with Emma Cowing and Flora Johnston — Chaired by Lucy Ribchester
Saturday 27 September — 5 to 6pm
What do the first female aviator and a fiery trapeze artist have in common? They are bold, inspiring Scottish women who went against expectation and 20th century society to live remarkable lives -- in the skies! Join Emma Cowing, Flora Johnston, and chair Lucy Ribchester as they discuss the lives of the characters who inspired their books and the secrets, lies, and luck that helped along the way.
Nailbiters: Celebrating the women in and behind modern thrillers, featuring Heather Darwent and Rupa Mahadevan
Saturday 27 September — 6:30 to 7:30pm
Join us for a thrilling event to close the festival! Tension, manipulation, high stakes: there's a reason that thrillers top the charts. This event will celebrate women thriller authors and how they have changed the genre. Including Heather Darwent, whose take on dark academia and the worst of the wellness industry have resulted in two gripping novels, and Rupa Mahadevan, whose debut novel won the Joffe Books Prize in 2024.