A brand new festival celebrating nature writing is set to launch in Llandovery next week.

Reading the Wild / Darllen y Gwyllt will take place on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10 in the town, which is nestled among hills, woodland and farmland.

The main venue will be the Castle Hotel - a fitting choice, as travel writer George Borrow stayed there in 1854 while writing Wild Wales.

The Lit Fest will showcase the best of nature writing from Wales and beyond. Organisers believe it could be the first literature festival in Wales to focus entirely on nature and the challenges facing the natural world - particularly climate change.

Among the invited authors are leading voices in nature writing, including Jackie Morris (The Lost Words, with Robert Macfarlane), Tom Bullough (Sarn Helen), poet and disability activist Bethany Handley (Clingfilm), and garden and food writer Stephanie Hafferty.

The festival features a strong line-up including Dr Rob Thomas (The Storm Petrel), Michael Malay, whose Late Light won the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, Steven Lovatt (Birdsong in a Time of Silence, Enchanted Ground), and Dr Rhys Jones (Becoming Dr Jones). Also appearing are Julie Brominicks (The Edge of Cymru), Carwyn Graves (Tir), award-winning children’s author Nicola Davies, and acclaimed children’s writers Helen and Thomas Docherty.

In a bid to keep the festival sustainable, organisers have worked with local artist Amanda Rose to create tickets made from scrap materials. Designed to double as bookmarks, they offer a reusable keepsake for attendees while helping to reduce the festival’s carbon footprint. The programme will also include walks and live storytelling sessions, encouraging visitors to connect with the local landscape.

The festival has been organised by Mandy Thomas, owner of Books at The Dragon’s Garden in Llandovery - a bookshop specialising in nature writing and environmental issues.