BOOK worms are gathering in the North-East for a ten-day celebration of the written word, featuring an array of acclaimed novelists, poets and other figures from the literary and arts world.

The 12th Hexham Book Festival brings a host of well-known writers to the Northumberland market town for workshops, talks, readings plus question and answer sessions.

Based mostly at the Queen’s Hall, in Beaumont Street, but also at other venues in the town, including Hexham Abbey, with some outreach events at the Northern Poetry Library, in Morpeth, Northumberland, it includes a packed programme of 57 events staged over ten days, with many already sold out.

North-East actress Denise Welch, of Coronation Street and Loose Women fame, is among the headline speakers on the opening weekend, discussing her maiden novel, If They Could See Me Now, with BBC’s Anna Foster, at the Queen’s Hall theatre, on Saturday, from 6.30 to 7.30pm.

She is followed at the theatre by music and culture commentator Paul Morley discussing his biographical tribute to pop icon David Bowie, written since his death in January last year, between 8 and 9pm on Saturday.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner’s appearance, at the theatre, discussing his debut thriller, Crisis, also on Saturday, from 5pm, is among the sold out events.

Earlier, Esh Winning-based award-winning poet Gillian Allnutt gives a workshop, at the Morpeth outreach venue, in The Chantry, on Bridge Street, between 10am and 12-noon, on Saturday, while Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee and partner David Walker discuss their examination of what they describe as the break-up of the welfare state, Dismembered, at the Queen’s Hall, from 2 to 3pm.

The festival opens with rising young British writer Adam O’Riordan giving a workshop, Writing Sonnets, in the White Room, at the Queen’s Hall, from 4 to 6pm, on Friday, followed by Lemn Sissay, the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, discussing his latest anthology, Gold from the Stone, at the theatre, from 7 to 8pm.

Events are staged throughout next week, with the final weekend programme featuring wry Cockney comedian Arthur Smith, former Sunderland MP Chris Mullin, another ex-Labour politician, Dame Joan Ruddock, theatre critic Mark Lawson and comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor.

The full programme listings, with ticket availability, venue and accommodation details, are available on the festival website, www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk, via info@haxhambookfestival.co.uk, or by ringing the box office, on (01434) 652477.