WORD UP NORTH
Raising UP voices, stories and writers in the north.
Word Up North is an arts charity based in West Yorkshire that promotes and develops creative writing and reading in the North of England. We started life as the Ilkley Literature Festival back in 1973, and our ambition to raise up writers and writing in the north has grown with us over the years.
Today, we deliver a year-round programme of work across four activity strands; New Writing and Talent Development, Children and Young People, Creative Communities and Live and Online Literature events. Our work has included partnerships with large organisations such as the University of Leeds and the National Trust.
We continue to programme and manage the annual Ilkley Literature Festival, the longest-running book festival in the North of England and the second longest-running book festival in the UK.
Word Up North is supported by Arts Council England and Bradford Metropolitan Council, and is proud to be an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.
