ILKLEY Literature Festival’s first events of 2019 have been announced.

Bestselling novelist Salley Vickers and Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves are coming to Ilkley for the first Ilkley Literature Festival events of the year.

Salley Vickers returns to Ilkley on Friday, March 8 with her latest subtle, witty observation of human nature. Following children’s librarian Sylvia Blackwell as she takes a new job in a quaint market town in the early 1950s, The Librarian explores the power books have to change the lives of adults and children alike.

A hundred years on from Nancy Astor becoming the first women to take her seat in Parliament, Rachel Reeves MP will be talking about the Women of Westminster on Friday, April 5.

In her latest book, Reeves tells of the remarkable achievements and stories of some of the 489 women who have been elected to parliament since 1919.

Both events take place at Christchurch on the Grove, Ilkley.

Tickets are available now from www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk and The Grove Bookshop.

Salley Vickers – The Librarian: Friday, March 8 Mar, 7.30pm, Christchurch on the Grove, £8/6 concessions*

Rachel Reeves MP – Women of Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics: Friday, April 5, 7.30pm, Christchurch on the Grove, £8/6 concessions* (*plus a £2 booking fee per transaction).

Ilkley Literature Festival is nationally acknowledged for its artistic excellence and diverse programming. The Festival attracts audiences of over 25,000, over 17 days each October, alongside a year-round programme of workshops, projects and author events in schools.

The Festival aims to bring literature and poetry of national and international significance to the widest possible audience and to showcase new work by emerging and mid-career writers. It has an enviable reputation for bringing high profile authors to Ilkley from across the world, for its work with young people and as one of the UK’s most culturally diverse literature festivals.