It’s time for WoWFEST26: New World Disorder.
As Liverpool’s longest-running writing and literary festival, WoWFEST has always held fast to the belief that words do not simply describe the world – they reshape it. In a moment marked by democratic backsliding, spiralling inequality, algorithmic manipulation and the renewed swagger of authoritarianism, WoWFEST26: New World Disorder confronts the forces fracturing our common ground: the rise of AI without accountability, the mainstreaming of far-right ideologies, the weaponisation of disinformation, escalating global conflict and an economic order rigged in favour of the ultra-wealthy.
But this is not a festival of despair. It is a festival of resistance. WoWFEST will foreground writers, artists and activists who refuse inevitability – who challenge power, expose injustice and imagine alternatives. In the face of manufactured chaos, we choose solidarity. In the shadow of reaction, we choose creativity. Together, we reclaim language as a site of struggle and possibility – and insist that another world is not only necessary, but possible.
Each year, the festival brings together writers, artists, activists and audiences to share stories, question power and explore how creativity can support resistance, solidarity and social change. WoWFEST26 will once again showcase outstanding progressive writing alongside bold, generous and thought-provoking conversations, shaped by the social and political moment we are living in and driven by hope, collective action and the belief that culture can open up new possibilities for change.
Here’s a selection of our events throughout May, join us and connect with the role creativity can play in building a more just, inclusive and joyful society.
Comma Press presents The Monster, Capital, The Black-E (6 May)
Comma Press presents The Monster, Capital with Ian Carrington, Kiare Ladner and Sarah Schofield chaired by Ra Page, a bold new anthology from the acclaimed Theory Horror series, edited by David Sue and Ra Page.
Inspired by the writings of philosopher Mark Fisher and his concept of Capitalist Realism, this collection imagines capitalism as something monstrous — an abstract parasite, a zombie-maker, a force that consumes, reshapes and haunts our lives. Drawing on folk horror, body horror and the surreal, thirteen writers explore algorithmic obsession, parasocial addiction, vanishing communities and the eerie logic of the market.
A gothic reckoning with late capitalism — unsettling, urgent and darkly imaginative.
Cultural Fallout: Writing Chornobyl, Online (12 May)
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster — an event that displaced hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, contaminated land across Europe and irrevocably altered global attitudes toward nuclear power.
Bringing together four authors who have engaged deeply with its human and political legacy, Writing Chornobyl explores the complex realities faced by those affected. From research conducted in the Exclusion Zone on the cusp of Russia’s war on Ukraine, to intimate poetry born of catastrophe, memoir reflecting on life in the disaster’s aftermath, and examinations of the long-reaching psychological impact of displacement, the discussion spans genres and generations.
Philippa Holloway, Alex Lockwood, Mario Petrucci and Kateryna Keim will reflect on how they have navigated these histories — shaping narratives that centre lived experience, honour resilience, and ensure the legacy of 26 April 1986 is neither simplified nor forgotten.
Joelle Taylor: Maryville, Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room (14 May)
Joelle Taylor brings a staged reading of her new poetry collection to WOWFest; a searing, poetic excavation of 50 years of lesbian counterculture. Following-on from her TS Eliot Prize-winning poetry collection C+nto & Othered Poems, Joelle Taylor’s Maryville charts the lives of four butch lesbians through five decades of underground queer history; tracing the culture, clubs and resistance that shaped their world.
With a vividly sketched cast of characters, the Maryville butch bar becomes a lens through which to consider the underground histories of queer London. The violence and pain of oppression and the beauty and intimacy of community are rendered in awe inspiring high definition.
The performance is directed by acclaimed writer and director Neil Bartlett, with visuals from artist and filmmaker Sweatmother. Maryville explores the scars, hopes and potentialities of dyke identity and the queer underground.
Black Women Speak Volumes, The Women’s Organisation (26 May)
At a time when cultural memory feels fragile and hard-won progress is under strain, Black Women Speak Volumes centres voices too often pushed to the margins – particularly those of older Black women whose lives, labour and creativity have shaped Britain in profound and lasting ways. Dr Rebecca Loy will chair a powerful conversation with esteemed authors and activists Cathy Tyson, Yvvette Edwards, Maria O’Reilly and Linda Loy.
Join us for an evening of intergenerational dialogue, testimony and celebration – reclaiming space in the historical record and amplifying voices that refuse to be overlooked.
Launch of Buckled: a play by Helen Jeffery, Unity Theatre Bar (27 May)
Family, friendship and booze. Drinking to remember. Drinking to forget. How do you navigate sobriety in a world that revolves around drink?
Join playwright Helen Jeffery for the launch of the published playtext of Buckled, released by Salamander Street Press as part of WoWFEST26.
Originally commissioned by Unity Theatre for Up Next Festival and later touring across the North West, Buckled is a darkly funny, deeply human exploration of alcohol dependency and the relationships shaped by it. At once tender and unflinching, it examines the quiet pressures of a culture where there’s always an excuse for another drink.
Desert Island Dissent with Linton Kwesi Johnson, The British Music Experience (28 May)
Join legendary poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson for Desert Island Dissent — a powerful in-conversation event exploring art as a force for resistance.
In this special event, Johnson will consider the music, poetry and political works that have most profoundly shaped his life and activism. Drawing on his experiences of 1970s Britain, the rise of the National Front and the cultural resistance that followed, he will reflect on the moments that forged his voice and defined decades of struggle.
From dub poetry to political literature, the evening will explore the enduring power of creative expression to confront injustice, challenge dominant narratives and inspire collective action. At a time when old ideologies are resurfacing and reactionary politics are gaining ground, Johnson’s perspective offers a vital reminder that culture can provoke change — and that resistance has its own soundtrack.
An evening of reflection, performance and urgent conversation with one of the most influential political voices of our time.
An Evening with Colm Tóibín, The Black-E (31 May)
WoWFEST’26 closes with this special opportunity to hear from one of the most celebrated writers of our time, Colm Tóibín, in conversation with Professor Frank Shovlin.
Tóibín will discuss his striking new short story collection, The News from Dublin — a profound and deeply moving sequence of stories that span continents and generations, from wartime Ireland to Barcelona, Argentina and beyond. Moving between lives marked by exile, secrecy and loss, these luminous narratives explore family ties, displacement, and the enduring pull of home and memory.
WoWFEST26 Tickets & Booking
Tickets can be booked for individual events, with prices ranging from £5-£12, plus some events will have book+ticket bundles so you can take home the author’s texts.
For the full programme, including timings and booking details, please visit: writingonthewall.org.uk/wowfest-26.