Mark Dawson Mark is the USA Today bestselling author of the John Milton and Beatrix Rose books, downloaded more than 2million times around the world. On the festival, Marks says: ‘Salisbury Literary Festival is a long-time coming: with an amazing heritage from Golding to Creasey and Pratchett, it’s the perfect place for writers and readers to gather and talk about books.’
Barney Norris Barney is a critically acclaimed playwright, poet and author. His first non-fiction book Bodies Gone: The Theatre of Peter Gill was published by Seren, and his first book of poetry, Falling, was published by Playdead Press. Barney’s debut novel, Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain, was published by Transworld (Doubleday) in April 2016 to critical acclaim, and was a Waterstones and Foyles Book of the Month. On the festival, Barney says: ‘Salisbury Literary Festival will give voice to a vibrant scene that’s been growing very quickly over the last few years, spreading by word of mouth through the pubs and meeting rooms of the city. The place is really starting to sing its stories, and now there’s a capstone to what this community has been building together, a highlight to the year.’
Kristina Stephenson Kristina is the author and illustrator of bestselling children’s picture book series ‘Sir Charlie Stinky Socks’. She trained as a set and costume designer and has worked in theatre and television. When her first child was born she turned to illustration, working for publishers in the UK and USA. She was inspired to write her first book by her son, Charlie, and ‘Sir Charlie Stinky Socks’ now numbers 9 adventures. She has also written picture book series ‘Molly Maybe’s Monsters’ for Simon and Schuster and is collaborating with the best-selling author Caryl Hart, whilst also writing her own middle grade series. Kristina makes regular appearances at schools, libraries and festivals, and will be Illustrator in residence at the 2017 Edinburgh International Book Festival.