LOCAL writers of all kinds feature strongly at this year’s PENfro Book Festival weekend at Rhosygilwen in September.

The Sunday morning programme on September 13 is devoted to novelists, writers of short fiction, poets and historians – all of them from west Wales.

Poets’ Corner will provide a chance for any performance poets who are brave enough to busk their work in the courtyard anytime during the day. Writers of short prose and stories are also welcome.

There will be a bookstall in the hall entirely for sales of books by locals (space on it can be booked for just £10, or it’s free with a booking for the Literary Lunch).

And following the Literary Lunch on Sunday with acclaimed poet Jo Bell as guest speaker, PENfro is giving the ‘Last Words’ event of the festival to three local guest writers of poetry and short fiction, plus many more in an open mic session.

Appearing in the morning will be:

Winner of the 2015 Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition with her first novel Amy Snow, Tracy Rees meets with Rebecca F. John, who is shortlisted in the 2015 Sunday Times Short Story Awards and the PEN International/New Voices Award 2015. They will read from their work and talk about what winning means to them - in conversation with Richard Davies.

Military historian John Evans, who has published many books on Pembrokeshire at war, especially on the flying boat era in Pembroke Dock, will talk about the county’s war history and answer any questions.

Poet and artist Bob Reeveswill talk about his creative process and about what drives him to write and paint, while journalist Steve Adams, editor of the Tivyside Advertiser's sister newspaper the South Wales Guardian, will tell the fascinating story of the unsolved murder of the shopkeeper at the Garnant branch of Star Stores in Carmarthenshire.

For more than 90 years the crime remained unsolved but the people of Garnant believed they knew who killed the Bible-quoting, frail and half-deaf Thomas Thomas on the night of February 12, 1921.

The Last Words session in the afternoon features Maggie Harris, Caribbean winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2014, performance poet Dave Urwin and Martin Locock, both of whom have published collections of poetry this year.

Open mic slots for this session are already fully booked and include a diverse variety of poets and prose writers from the west Wales area, including the 2014 PENfro short story competition winner Diana Powell and Helen Williams, who was recently commended in the 2015 Welsh Poetry Competition.

More information on all the Sunday events and all booking details on the website penfrobookfestival.org.uk

*Please note that the Literary Lunch with Jo Bell must be booked in advance.