UEA Live is a literary festival based at the University of East Anglia, the campus where some of the greatest writers of today have worked and studied.
You can find out more about the festival here. Any questions? Get in touch uealive@uea.ac.uk
Public Events
Lyndsey Stonebridge, We Are Free to Change the World
Wednesday 8th May 6:30pm
With social injustice so prominent and geopolitics inflecting to the right and far right, never has a vocabulary of resistance and freedom been so necessary. Lyndsey Stonebridge will be addressing issues from her new book on Hannah Arendt titled We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience.
UEA Live for Schools
For the first time, UEA Live is offering a daytime programme exclusively for primary and secondary school students. Both events will feature an author talk and workshops led by UEA academics, providing an opportunity for students to learn from the authors, embrace their creativity and have fun with reading and writing.
Primary School Day (with author Mitch Johnson)
Wednesday 19 June
9.30am – midday or midday – 2.30pm
Open to years 5 and 6. Two timeslots are available.
Mitch Johnson is an award-winning writer of children's books. His debut novel, Kick, was endorsed by Amnesty International UK for its portrayal of children's rights and has been translated into multiple languages. Toxic, Mitch's most recent novel, was published in February 2024.
Secondary School Day (with YA authors Ashley Hickson-Lovence and Sara Barnard)
Tuesday 9 July
9.30am – 2.30pm
Open to Years 8 and 9.
Ashley Hickson-Lovence is a novelist, university lecturer and former school teacher with a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Ashley’s debut novel The 392 was published by OWN IT! in 2019. His second novel Your Show, published by Faber in 2022, was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and shortlisted for the East Anglian Book Awards. His third book Wild East, a young adult novel-in-verse, will be published by Penguin in 2024.
Sara studied American Literature with Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where she learned that no stories were more interesting than those for and about teenagers. Her first book, Beautiful Broken Things, was a Zoella Book Club pick in 2016, and her third book, Goodbye Perfect, won the YA Book Prize in 2019. Sara is inspired by what-ifs and people. She thinks sad books are good for the soul and happy books lift the heart. She hopes to write lots of books that do both.
If your school is interested in taking part in either of these programmes, please get in touch with us at uealive@uea.ac.uk.
UEA Live For Kids
UEA Live will be heading out on the road this summer! We’ll be hosting an author talk aimed at school age children on Saturday mornings in the wonderful venues of Sheringham Little Theatre, St Georges Theatre Great Yarmouth and Kings Lynn Town Hall in June and July.
Watch this space for updates