BEST-SELLING authors will be heading to Chagford next week as the town readies itself to host its first ever literary festival.

The inaugural ChagWord festival will run from Friday, March 15 to Sunday, March 17, with an array of novelists, poets, broadcasters and illustrators among the attractions.

Those booked for the festival include best-selling novelist Kate Mosse, broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, and biographer Paula Byrne.

Among the highlights will be a talk by prize-winning poet Miriam Darlington, who is being hailed as one of the leading voices in the new generation of British nature writers.

­She will share her extraordinary year-long journey through different landscapes, seasons, weather and light as she tracks one of Britain's most beloved and elusive creatures, the wild otter.

Her talk starts at 10am in the Jubilee Hall on Saturday, March 16, with free coffee and pastries from 9.30am to 9.55am for those with tickets. Weather permitting, Miriam will lead a riverside walk at lunchtime.

Plymouth's award-winning author and illustrator Simon James will introduce those at his talk at Endecott House on March 17 to his latest picture book 'Nurse Clementine'.

He has written many family favourites such as 'Baby Brains', and 'Dear Greenpeace'. In his talk he will show how his ideas develop into words and pictures, and brings his story-telling alive by projecting images of his artwork on a screen. The talk at 2pm will be engaging for young and old alike.

Youngsters may also get a kick out of a talk by children's author Philip Reeve at 1.45pm at Endecott House on Saturday, March 16. The author, made famous for the 'Mortal Engines' series, will be talking about his work and reading from his latest books 'Goblins', and its sequel 'Goblins vs Dwarves', which is fresh off the presses following its publication on

March 4.

Other highlights include Jonathan Dimbleby's talk on the British victory at the Battle of El Alamein, readings of poetry and prose by the Dartmoor-based Moor Poets, and the combination of famous poetry by Shakespeare, Shelley and Dylan Thomas with music by LiTTLe MACHiNe.

Tickets for each event can be purchased at the ChagWord box office at the New Forge Café daily from 10am to 3pm excluding Sundays. Alternatively, email [email protected]">[email protected] or call 07564 025303.

For more information on the full programme, visit the website http://www.chagword.com">www.chagword.com