Latest News
Book Launch Announced
Join us for the launch of The Chalk Stream, our first poetry anthology, at Chapter Two Community Bookshop, 8 December at 7pm.
What's on
2026 Festival
2026 Festival
2026 Festival
The Chesham Literary Festival will return in 2026 for a full day of talks, performances and workshops, culminating in our annual Poetry Competition Awards Ceremony.
Check back soon for more information.
#ChesLitFest
Podcast
2026 Festival
2026 Festival
Founders Ben Batten and Jon Bickley impart their wisdom in our 9-part series, How to Write a Poem.
The follow-up, How to Write a Novel, has also just launched to help budding authors.
Anthology
2026 Festival
Anthology
The Chalk Stream, our first publication, will be launched on 8 December 2025.
The anthology will feature prizewinners and highly commended poems from our competitions over the recent years of the Festival. It will also include a selection written during our Mindful Verses workshops.