Cheshire

Cheshire is rich, diverse county whose literary roots are ancient, but whose commitment to literature coudn't be more contemporary. The county was the desputed home of the legendary Gawain poet of Middle English revival verse, and it continues to plough a furrow into mystical and fantasy literature - with Alderley Edge for instance being the setting of many modern fantasy tales - for adults and children. Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen�is perhaps the most famous of this recent tradition.

Today Cheshire boasts several literature festivals (e.g. October's Knutsford Literature Festival), some of region's most exciting publishers (Dewi Lewis, Millrace, Engine Comics), and arguably some of the best run and best attended reading groups in the country. The county annually appoints a Cheshire Poet Laureate - 2006's being Andrew Rudd, hosts a Cheshire Literatary Prize, and through its libraries runs a number of seasons and mini-festival across the county and throughout the year.

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Find out more about library-led initiatives in Cheshire