17 LitFest Hidden Gems That We Think You’ll Love This Year 

 

The Guernsey Literary Festival has over 80 events on offer this year. And whilst the big names like Tim Spector & Joanne Harris get all the headlines (& sell out quickly), we know from experience that there are always really inspiring, insightful conversations to have & to hear at the Festival - and it’s often the ones you didn’t know much about beforehand that really draw you in. 

Now, we don’t blame you if you have missed a couple of corkers so far, but to make sure that you don’t, we went through the entire list and found some gems we definitely want to pop along to - and we think you would too.

Hopefully, we’ll see you there!

 

Real Life Chat

1. Katriona O'Sullivan: Hungry - 'In Hungry, Professor Katriona O’Sullivan explores the pressures on women to shrink - physically, emotionally and psychologically - and how that ‘hunger’ has shaped her life. Building on her award-winning bestseller Poor, she tells her body’s story with honesty, humour and humanity. Join her for a candid conversation about bodies, class and challenging the societal scripts that keep women small, offering insight, empowerment and a fresh perspective on self and society.'

2. Cally Beaton: Namaste Motherf*ckers - 'A no-nonsense, funny and empowering handbook for midlife female reinvention, Namaste Motherf*ckers blends memoir, manifesto and practical self-help. Drawing on her journey from boardrooms to stand-up comedy - sparked by a chance encounter with Joan Rivers - Cally challenges the myth that women become invisible with age. With insights from her hit podcast and coaching career, she debunks midlife stereotypes and celebrates ambition, risk-taking and failure.'

3. Lucy Easthope: Come What May - 'In Come What May, Lucy Easthope, a leading expert on recovery, offers an uplifting guide to navigating life’s hardest moments. Drawing on her experience supporting survivors of disasters - from earthquakes and fires to floods - she shares insights on coping with pain, loss and uncertainty, including widowhood, redundancy, illness or pregnancy loss. Through real-life stories and lessons learned, Lucy shows how people rebuild, find fragile joy and carry on even after life-changing events.'

 

Books For Bed (or Beach!)

4. Anna Stothard: Follow Her - 'What makes a cult – and why are we so drawn to them? Anna Stothard explores the magnetic pull of belief, belonging and control in the age of social media. Her new novel, Follow Her, follows a teenager whose online wellness community spirals into something far darker – a modern cult built on dreams and deception.'

5. Loretta Rothschild: Finding Grace - 'Honor’s life seems perfect: she loves her daughter Chloe and her charming husband Tom, despite his long work hours. Her longing for another child threatens this happiness - until a shocking event changes everything. Years later, Tom makes a decision that alters their family in unexpected ways, intertwining the lives of two women. Blending a gripping moral dilemma with a sweeping love story, Finding Grace explores the cost of secrets and whether it’s ever too late for truth.'

6. Shaun Usher: Diaries of Note -'Diaries of Note, curated by Shaun Usher, is an engrossing collection of 366 diary entries from the famous, infamous and everyday people alike. Spanning history, these intimate writings reveal unvarnished truths, hopes, desires and fears, from world leaders and artists like Albert Einstein, Virginia Woolf and Maya Angelou to ordinary individuals whose words prove extraordinary.' 

7. Local Voices: Jill Bray, Kelly Priaulx and RJ Verity - 'Join three Guernsey-based authors as they discuss their captivating debut novels, each illuminating a different corner of history. In Operation Green Arrow, Kelly Priaulx evokes the courage and heartbreak of wartime Guernsey under German occupation. Jill Bray’s A Brotherly Devotion transports readers to 13th-century Yorkshire, where a brutal murder tests faith, justice and family loyalty. And in Poole of Light, RJ Verity follows one boy’s rise from a Durham mining town to the heights of British cinema.'

 

Wellbeing & Lifestyle

8. Daisy Fancourt: Art Cure - 'Diet. Sleep. Exercise. Nature. Arts? Many of us consider making and consuming art to be a hobby, or even a luxury. But what if arts engagement – from classical music to salsa, poetry to pop concerts, galleries to graffiti – was in fact one of our most powerful tools for unlocking health and happiness? Discover the many ways in which art can improve our health, make us happier and even help us live longer in this inspiring event with award-winning scientist and world-leading expert Daisy Fancourt.' 

9. Lunch with Georgina Hayden - 'Treat yourself to a lunch inspired by chef and TV personality Georgina Hayden’s MEDesque recipes, featuring vibrant, effortless dishes from Italy, Spain, the Middle East and beyond. Georgina is the author of acclaimed cookbooks including Stirring Slowly, Taverna, Nistisima, Greekish and now MEDesque, and will be joined by Hannah MacInnes to discuss her career and tastiest new recipes. Individual tickets and tables of 10 available.' (Ticket includes a glass of prosecco, a two-course lunch and a signed book.)

10. Paul Sinton Hewitt: One Small Step - The Incredible Story of parkrun - 'One Small Step chronicles Paul Sinton Hewitt’s journey from personal adversity to founding parkrun, a global fitness revolution. His story reveals how a simple, free and inclusive weekly 5k walking and running event grew into an international phenomenon, now taking place in 2,300 communities worldwide every weekend with over 9 million registered parkrunners, transforming countless lives along the way.'

11. Sophie Raworth: Running on Air - 'From BBC newsrooms to the Marathon des Sables, Sophie’s journey is an inspiring story of running, resilience and self-discovery. At 40, she thought she was too old for a marathon, yet after a disastrous first attempt, she persevered, running races across the world - including the Sahara’s 150-mile Marathon des Sables. Having completed all seven World Marathon Majors, over 20 marathons, six ultra-marathons, and the 232-mile Thames Path, Running on Air shows how running builds confidence, community and purpose.'

 

Conversations To Make Us Think

12. Helen Lewis: Genius Myth - 'Acclaimed journalist and author of Difficult Women, Helen Lewis takes a timely and entertaining look at the myth of genius in Genius Myth. Tracing the history of invention, inspiration and the elevation of certain lives to ‘greatness,’ she examines who society celebrates, who it excludes and what it tolerates. From Leonardo da Vinci’s Renaissance Florence to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Helen unravels the meaning of genius, exploring the Beatles, Jane Austen, Stephen Hawking, and the modern consequences of this enduring idea.'

13. Paul Dolan: Beliefism - 'Even the most open-minded among us struggle to engage with opposing views. Behavioural scientist Paul Dolan brings his latest research to life in a thought-provoking and entertaining session based on his book Beliefism. Whether you want to be a better partner, parent or leader, this session offers practical tools to help you challenge your own assumptions and connect across divides.' 

14. Oliver Sweet: The Rules That Make Us - 'Oliver Sweet is a leading business anthropologist who works with global brands, governments and NGOs to uncover how culture shapes our decisions. Rather than individual personality, he shows that cultural rules influence everything from parenting to purchasing. His work offers a practical model for understanding consumers, voters, relationships and ourselves, and for predicting how people will act in different cultural contexts.'

15. Kate Bradbury: One Garden Against the World - 'Wildlife gardening expert, writer, presenter and author of the award-winning book One Garden Against the World, Kate Bradbury will show us how to encourage wildlife in our gardens, help nature thrive, fight the climate crisis and support broader landscape restoration. Kate’s story shows us why we should all care, along with practical guidance for anyone to make changes to our outdoor spaces, no matter how big or small, to create lasting, meaningful change for nature. 

16. Sarah Corbett: The Craftivist Collective Handbook - 'If we want our world to be more beautiful, kind and fair then can we make our activism be more beautiful, kind and fair? Hear how Sarah Corbett’s ‘Gentle Protest’ approach to activism has used handicrafts (craftivism = craft + activism) in slow, quiet and strategic ways to help individuals, groups and charities directly change policies, laws, hearts and minds around the world and reach audiences who are nervous of taking part in activism.'

17. A Conversation on the National Year of Reading - 'Join former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child, writer Horatio Clare and Honorary Festival Chairman Sir Terry Waite for a timely and thought-provoking discussion on the urgency of the National Year of Reading. Chaired by Toby Lichtig of The Times Literary Supplement, this vital conversation explores how we can go all in to drive real change - revealing the transformative power of books and how each of us can help boost literacy at home, in schools and across our communities.' 

Image credits: Chris George, Paul Chambers, Stefanie Haigh for Guernsey Literary Festival.