{"id":2195360,"date":"2025-12-11T19:11:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2195360"},"modified":"2025-12-11T19:11:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T19:11:32","slug":"the-uks-independent-bookshop-of-the-year-will-bring-back-its-literature-music-festival-to-birmingham-next-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-uks-independent-bookshop-of-the-year-will-bring-back-its-literature-music-festival-to-birmingham-next-year\/","title":{"rendered":"The UK\u2019s \u2018Independent Bookshop Of The Year\u2019 Will Bring Back Its Literature &#038; Music Festival To Birmingham Next Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure class=\"single__featured-image-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125320\/festival-top-image-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"img-fluid\" alt=\"An audience watching musicians at The Heath Bookshop Literature And Music Festival\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"\/><figcaption class=\"single__featured-image-caption\">Credit: The Heath Bookshop<\/figcaption><button id=\"smn-save\" data-post-id=\"21192\" class=\"save-button smn-post-save-posts text-black rounded-circle position-absolute top-0 end-0 m-3 bg-white bg-opacity-75\"><br \/>\n    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"svg-inline--fa fa-bookmark\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-prefix=\"far\" data-icon=\"bookmark\" role=\"img\" viewbox=\"0 0 384 512\" data-fa-i2svg=\"\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M0 48C0 21.5 21.5 0 48 0l0 48 0 393.4 130.1-92.9c8.3-6 19.6-6 27.9 0L336 441.4 336 48 48 48 48 0 336 0c26.5 0 48 21.5 48 48l0 440c0 9-5 17.2-13 21.3s-17.6 3.4-24.9-1.8L192 397.5 37.9 507.5c-7.3 5.2-16.9 5.9-24.9 1.8S0 497 0 488L0 48z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n    <span class=\"save-button__text\">Save<\/span><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The Heath Bookshop<\/strong> has gone from strength to strength. Having only opened three years ago, the Kings Heath bookstore launched its own<strong> literature and music festival<\/strong> in 2024. A year later (back in May), it was crowned the<strong> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/secretbirmingham.com\/heath-bookshop-of-the-year\/\" rel=\"follow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"shortcode-outbound-link\" data-has-ga=\"true\" data-ga-type=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/secretbirmingham.com\/heath-bookshop-of-the-year\/\" data-action=\"text_cta_0\" data-category=\"click_internal\">\u2018Independent Bookshop of the Year\u2019<\/a><\/strong> at The British Book Awards.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, its unique blend of music and literature returns (April 15 to 19, 2026), working with other local independent businesses like children\u2019s bookshop <strong>How Brave is the Wren<\/strong> and music pub the <strong>Hare and Hounds<\/strong>\u2014<strong>showcasing local talent and established artists in Kings Heath<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The previous Heath Bookshop Literature and Music Festival saw <strong>27 events across 4 days<\/strong>, with some incredible artists, authors and musicians, like Robin Ince, Ingrid Persaud, Jo Callaghan, Stewart Foster, Nathanael Lessore, David Holmes, and General Levy, involved. The 2026 event is already looking even better.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What\u2019s happening at The Heath Bookshop Literature and Music Festival?<\/b><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21195\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21195\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21195\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"A bassist at a microphone wearing a The Heath Bookshop Literature And Music Festival T-shirt\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3-768x512.jpg 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3.jpg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21195\" src=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3.jpg\" alt=\"A bassist at a microphone wearing a The Heath Bookshop Literature And Music Festival T-shirt\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125717\/Festival3-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21195\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: The Heath Bookshop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biannual festival will feature everything from a radical new <strong>dance adaptation of Max Porter\u2019s award-winning novel, \u2018Grief Is The Thing With Feathers\u2019<\/strong> (Saturday, April 18), followed by an \u2018in conversation\u2019 with the author, to the <strong>festival\u2019s first-ever Open Mic Competition<\/strong> (Sunday, April 19)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014entries open from December 19, 2025, to January 31, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elsewhere, look out for a DJ set from former <strong>The Smiths drummer, Mike Joyce<\/strong>, and an \u2018in conversation\u2019 chat about his memoir, \u2018The Drums\u2019; and an afternoon of poetry, storytelling and performance led by <strong>Ayan Aden, Birmingham\u2019s Poet Laureate<\/strong>, <em>Making: Stories that Shape Us<\/em> (Sunday, April 19).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, <strong><em>Carnival of the Animals<\/em> with Sennet Brass<\/strong> (Saturday, April 18) will see the quintet joined by children\u2014who have created masks and instruments through workshops\u2014bring to life <strong>Michael Morpurgo\u2019s collection of animal poems<\/strong>. Plus,<strong> Thiago de Moraes offers a fun-packed introduction to the \u2018Mighty Myths\u2019<\/strong> of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21194\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21194\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21194\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"A man writing on a typewriter\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2-768x512.jpg 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21194\" src=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2.jpg\" alt=\"A man writing on a typewriter\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offloadmedia.feverup.com\/secretbirmingham.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11125617\/Festival2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21194\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: The Heath Bookshop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also expect in conversation events with music writers and musicians like <strong>Helen O\u2019Hara<\/strong> (who played the iconic violin part on Come On Eileen with Dexys Midnight Runners), <strong>Lawrence<\/strong>\u2014the greatest popstar you\u2019ve never heard of\u2014as well as musicians on the streets of Kings Heath, including <strong>Birmingham Drum Battery<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Heath Bookshop Literature and Music Festival\u2019s <strong>complete programme will be released over the coming months<\/strong>. But expect solo acts, author events, specially commissioned performance pieces, children\u2019s activities and music gigs. You can learn more about The Heath Bookshop by heading <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theheathbookshop.co.uk\/\" rel=\"follow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"shortcode-outbound-link\" data-has-ga=\"true\" data-ga-type=\"click\" data-label=\"https:\/\/www.theheathbookshop.co.uk\/\" data-action=\"text_cta_1\" data-tracked=\"1\" data-category=\"click_sales\" data-cp_smn_source=\"secretbirmingham\" data-cp_smn_content=\"heath-bookshop-literature-music-festival-2026\" data-cp_smn_term=\"text_cta_1\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"fb-pixel\">\n\t\t\t!function (f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n\t\t\t\tif (f.fbq) return;\n\t\t\t\tn = f.fbq = function () {\n\t\t\t\t\tn.callMethod ?\n\t\t\t\t\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments)\n\t\t\t\t};\n\t\t\t\tif (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;\n\t\t\t\tn.push = n;\n\t\t\t\tn.loaded = !0;\n\t\t\t\tn.version = '2.0';\n\t\t\t\tn.agent=\"secretmedianetwork\";\n\t\t\t\tn.queue = [];\n\t\t\t\tt = b.createElement(e);\n\t\t\t\tt.async = !0;\n\t\t\t\tt.src = v;\n\t\t\t\ts = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\t\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s)\n\t\t\t}(window,\n\t\t\t\tdocument, 'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\t\tlet smn_facebook_pixel = {\"pixel_id\":\"1543543449260625\",\"enable_advanced_events\":\"yes\",\"fire_delay\":0},\n\t\t\t\tsmn_facebook_pixel_args = [];\n\t\t\t\/\/ Extend args\n\t\t\tif ('yes' === smn_facebook_pixel.enable_advanced_events) {\n\t\t\t\tsmn_facebook_pixel_args.userAgent = navigator.userAgent;\n\t\t\t\tsmn_facebook_pixel_args.language = navigator.language;\n\t\t\t\tif (document.referrer.indexOf(document.domain) < 0) {\n\t\t\t\t\tsmn_facebook_pixel_args.referrer = document.referrer;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t}\n\n\t\t\tfbq('init', smn_facebook_pixel.pixel_id, smn_facebook_pixel.user);\n\n\t\t\tsetTimeout(function () {\n\t\t\t\tfbq('track', \"PageView\", smn_facebook_pixel_args);\n\t\t\t}, smn_facebook_pixel.fire_delay * 1000);\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source secretbirmingham.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: The Heath Bookshop Save The Heath Bookshop has gone from strength to strength. Having only opened three years ago, the Kings Heath bookstore launched its own literature and music festival in 2024. A year later (back in May), it was crowned the \u2018Independent Bookshop of the Year\u2019 at The British Book Awards. Now, its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2195361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2195360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/The-UKs-\u2018Independent-Bookshop-Of-The-Year-Will-Bring-Back.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2195360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2195360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2195360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2195362,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2195360\/revisions\/2195362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2195361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2195360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2195360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2195360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}