As the festival approaches, anticipation is building around the impressive lineup of writers and thinkers set to take the stage. From established novelists and journalists to emerging voices, the festival promises to showcase a diverse range of perspectives and interests. In this article, we will explore some of the most talked-about voices that are set to take centre stage at this year’s Guernsey Literary Festival.

Susie Dent: An Emotional Dictionary — Real Words for How We Feel, from Angst to Zwodder

When: Saturday 13 May from 14:30 to 15:30
Where: St James

Whether it’s the distress of a bad haircut (AGE-OTORI) or longing for the food someone else is eating (GROAKING), the pleasure found in other people’s happiness (CONFELICITY) or the shock of jumping into icy water (CURGLAFF), there are real words to pinpoint exactly how you feel and Susie Dent, Queen of Countdown’s Dictionary Corner and lexicographer extraordinaire, is going to help you find them. Chaired by Hannah MacInnes.

Paul Sexton: Charlie’s Good Tonight — The Life, the Times & the Rolling Stones: The Authorised Biography of Charlie Watts

When: Saturday 13 May from 19:30 to 20:30
Where: Golden Lion

Music journalist and author Paul Sexton has been interviewing all of the members of the Rolling Stones for some 30 years. Now he’s written the acclaimed, authorised biography of their late drummer Charlie Watts, the band’s timekeeper and backbone from early 1963, when the Stones secured his services, until his death in the summer of 2021. Sexton talks about the life and times of a reluctant and beloved individual. Sponsored by Spring Insurance.

Dan Walker: Standing on the Shoulders — Incredible Heroes and How They Inspire Us

When: Saturday 13 May from 19:30 to 20:30
Where: St James

As one of the UK’s leading journalists, Dan has made it his life’s work to focus on people who often act as the catalysts for change: the unheralded champions who frequently go without getting the recognition they deserve. Join Dan for an evening discussing the humble heroes featured in his new book Standing on the Shoulders, an illuminating celebration of ordinary people and the extraordinary things that they do. Chaired by Hannah MacInnes. Sponsored by Walter Property.

Edward Chrisholm: A Waiter in Paris — Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City

When: Friday 12 May from 14:30 to 15:30
Where: Les Cotils

Edward Chisholm’s spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you beneath the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world—and right into its glorious underbelly. It’s physically demanding, frequently humiliating and incredibly competitive. But it doesn’t matter because you’re in Paris, the centre of the universe, and there’s nowhere else you’d rather be in the world.

Phil McNulty, Jim White: Red on Red — Liverpool, Manchester United and the Fiercest Rivalry in World Football

When: Thursday 11 May from 19:30 to 20:30
Where: St James

Written by a Scouser and a Manc in a rare collaboration, Red on Red addresses the divide by talking to those involved in 10 seminal football matches. It speaks to the characters who patrolled and provoked the rivalry: Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville, among many others. Also questioned are the fans, the administrators, the referees, the police and politicians. And through each legendary game, its authors tell the full story of the most extraordinary division not just in football, but in modern Britain. Sponsored by St Pierre Park Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort.