WITH the opening acts taking to the stage on Sunday, November 3, Bridport Literary Festival is shaping up to be the best one yet.

The 15th annual festival runs until Saturday, November 9 and will feature some of the finest speakers in the industry. Kicking off the action on Sunday will be Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, whose new volume of poems, Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic, demonstrates his commitment to collaboration and belief in poetry as an act of communication.

Ahead of the opening, BridLit director Tanya Bruce-Lockhart said: "The week is shaping up to this year's festival being better than ever before. Two-thirds of our events have already sold out and we're looking forward to welcoming audiences of all ages and tastes."

She added: "We’re thrilled that Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has agree to be with us on Sunday, November 3, along with David Nicholls, author of One Day, Us and Sweet Sorrow, on Saturday, November 9, and writer and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg on Friday, November 8."

Taking place in various venues around the town, the festival line-up also features Philip Marsden, who sailed single-handedly in a wooden boat from his home in Cornwall to the Summer Isles, a small group of islands off the north west coast of Scotland. He'll be sharing his experiences at the Electric Palace on Friday, November 8.

Also speaking of adventure will be travel writer Nicholas Jubber, who will give an illustrated talk at the Bull Hotel Ballroom on Monday, November 4, about his journeys across Europe exploring epic poems from the continent, including The Odyssey and Beowulf.

On Thursday, November 7, Humphrey Stone will be discussing his richly illustrated memoir, which follows the life of his distinguished wood engraver father, Reynolds Stone. Reynolds spent his childhood in Bridport and lived in Litton Cheney from 1953 until his death in 1979, and his artistic legacy endures in the designs of postage stamps, passports, and both £5 and £10 notes.

The final day of the festival will see Lindsay Hilsam take to the stage, author of In Extremis: The Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin. A fellow foreign correspondent, Lindsay will discuss the life and death of the most daring war reporter of our time.

Closing the show on a political and topical note will be Steve Richards, a TV presenter and columnist who will be talking about his book, The Prime Ministers: Reflections on Leadership, published earlier this year.

BridLit is sponsored by Waterstones and the west Dorset law firm, Kitson & Trotman. For the full schedule and to buy tickets, visit www.bridlit.com or visit Bridport TIC.