ILKLEY Literature Festival has revealed the names of its new Poet in Residence and Apprentice Poet in Residence ahead of the 2015 festival this autumn.

Zaffar Kunial will be the 2015 Poet in Residence and Beverley Nadin the Apprentice Poet in Residence, at the festival this October.

Zaffar Kunial was born in Birmingham and is a Faber New Poet.

His poem ‘Hill Speak’ won third prize in the 2011 National Poetry Competition and he was recently the Wordsworth Trust Poet in Residence. Zaffar’s debut pamphlet, Faber New Poets 11, was published in 2014.

Beverley Nadin lives in Sheffield and is working towards a PhD in creative writing at Newcastle University. Her poem, ‘6am’, won second prize in the Poetry London competition 2014.

Her poem,‘Bees’, was commended in the National Poetry Competition 2014. Her poems have appeared in PN Review, The Rialto, Magma, and Stand, and in other magazines and anthologies.

Zaffar and Beverley will be reading at the Festival in October, as well as hosting their own workshops.

Meanwhile Ilkley Literature Festival's writing competitions are to close to entries soon. The closing date for entries is Friday July 31.

Poet and author of And When Did You Last See Your Father? Blake Morrison will be judging the Adult Poetry Competition, while novelist and Professor of Contemporary Literature at Manchester University Patricia Duncker will pick the winner in the Adult Short Story Competition.

Visit ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk for details.

Next month, queen of historical fiction, Philippa Gregory, will visit Ilkley in an event associated with the festival.

She will be discussing her new book The Taming of the Queen, at the Kings Hall on August 19. Call the box office on (01943) 816714 for tickets.