Oldham Heritage, Libraries and Arts Presents…
Did someone say StoryFest?!
Grab your headbands, glittery face paint, book character costumes or festival get-up and make your way to Oldham Library on Saturday 12 July for a day of stories and a fantastic line up of authors and illustrators.
You will also be able sign up to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – Story Garden.
We believe that all children should be able to access live literature, so our amazing authors will also be visiting specially selected schools on Friday 11 July, to deliver sessions that will inspire the writers and illustrators of tomorrow.
Come to Oldham Library on Saturday 12 July and let’s bring stories alive together!
Saturday 12 July line up announced…
Gillian Flint
11.00 – 11.15
Zeshan Akhter
11.15 – 11.30
Dan Worsley
11.30 – 11.50
Gillian Hibbs
12.00 – 12.20
Claire Powell
12.30 – 12.50
Rashmi Siredeshpande
1.00 – 1.20
Oliver Sykes
1.30 – 1.50
Sharon Davey
2.00 – 2.20
L.D. Lapinski
2.30 – 2.50
Sharon Davey
Sharon Davey is a children’s illustrator who is best known for I Don’t Like Books. Never. Ever. The End with Emma Perry and My Magic Family with Lotte Jeffs. Sharon enjoys collecting plastic dinosaurs and naming them after historical figures – and if she’s not at her desk working you can find her dancing in her kitchen with her rainbow family.
Rashmi Sirdeshpande
Rashmi Sirdeshpande is an award-winning neurodivergent British Indian children’s author who writes a mix of picture books and illustrated non-fiction. An official World Book Day author for 2022 and a former BookTrust Writer-in-Residence, her books have been published around the world and featured in a number of national and international newspapers.
L.D. Lapinski
L. D. Lapinski is the best-selling author of the ARTEZANS trilogy, JAMIE, the Stepfather Christmas duology, and The Strangeworlds Travel Agency series, including Adventure in the Floating Mountains, which was a 2023 World Book Day title. JAMIE was nominated for the 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing, and selected as part of the Empathy Lab UK ‘Read For Empathy’ 2024 collection. DOCTOR WHO: Charles Darwin and the Silurian Survival, L. D’s first book for the BBC’s Doctor Who, was published in November 2024. The first volume of L. D’s debut YA graphic novel KICKFLIP, created with illustrator Logan Hanning, will be published in June.
L. D’s first book for adults, SOME BODY LIKE ME, was published by Gollancz in April 2025. In Spring, they were named an Independent Bookshop Week Ambassador.
Together, L. D.’s books are published around the world in sixteen languages. Each book in the Strangeworlds trilogy, and the standalone novel JAMIE have been awarded a Kirkus star – one of the most coveted designations in the book industry, marking books of exceptional merit. In December 2024 they were honoured with the Outstanding Alumni Award from Nottingham Trent University.
L. D. Lapinski lives in Inverness with their family, a lot of books, and two cats called Hector and Rory. L. D. first wrote a book aged seven; it was made of lined paper and sellotape, and it was about a frog who owned an aeroplane. When L. D. grows up, they want to be a free-range guinea pig farmer.
Gillian Hibbs
Gillian Hibbs is an illustrator and children’s author. Her work is characterised by warmth, inclusivity, community, and the idea that magic and adventure can be found wherever you live!
When she isn’t making art or stories, Gillian can usually be found dancing, thinking about sea creatures, or continuing her search for the perfect Christmas sandwich (which is pretty tough at this time of year).
Gillian has written and illustrated 3 picture books (published by Child’s Play Intl): Tilly’s At Home Holiday, Covered in Adventures and Errol’s Garden.
Errol’s Garden has since been made into a children’s musical (Golden Toad Theatre) which has toured the UK and had a run at the Singapore Repertory Theatre. It was also chosen as a focus text for Early Years Foundation Stage by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, and featured on the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development reading list.
Zeshan Akhter
Zeshan Akhter writes lyrical, uplifting stories about challenges that children experience. Her writing also reflects her love of the natural world. Zeshan works in nature conservation.
Her debut picture book, “My Name is a Gift”, was published by Templar in 2024, and “Noah’s New Home” on 20th May 2025.
Zeshan lives in Scotland where spending a sunny afternoon on a hill with a wild herd of horses is heaven.
Claire Powell
Claire Powell is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling children’s book author-illustrator who lives in Derbyshire. A self-taught illustrator, she began her career in 2015 and has since illustrated a diverse array of projects, ranging from classics such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, war-time stories by Dermot O’Leary (SpyFox and Wings of Glory), rhyming tales for younger children including Octopants and Soft and Sticky, and fairy tale retellings (The King’s Birthday Suit).
This year marked Claire’s debut as an author with the publication of the first book in her series Marty Moose First Class Mischief, which has received critical acclaim.
Claire was recently honoured with a Junior Library Guild Gold Award for her illustrations in the Montgomery BonBon series, an on-going collaboration with Alasdair Beckett-King.
When she’s not drawing, she’s usually thinking about it and fully embraces the British stereotype of being an avid tea drinker. Claire is also a keen gardener and surprisingly skilled at boiling eggs.
Oliver Sykes
Oliver Sykes is an award-winning author and poet.
His two most recent publications include a chapter book, Saving Anwen (Collins Big Cat Read On) and his second poetry collection, Diesel and Me (Collins Little Wandle Fluency Series).
His first poetry collection, We Are Family: Six Kids and a Super-Dad (Otter-Barry Books) has been shortlisted for the 2025 CLiPPA Book Award and the 2025 Stockport Children’s Book Award, hailed ‘Fantastic’ by Schools Reading List, ‘Excellent’ by BookTrust, and has been endorsed by top-authors including Phil Earle and Rashmi Sirdeshpande.
His debut children’s novella, Alfie’s First Fight, won Best Illustrated Young Reader at the 2023 Children’s Literature Festivals’ Book Awards, and the late-great Alex Wheatle MBE described it as ‘Compelling!’.
When he isn’t writing, Oliver can usually be found performing his stories and poems at theatres, libraries and schools across the UK and beyond.
Dan Worsley
Dan Worsley is a children’s author and performance storyteller based in Greater Manchester. The former primary teacher is the author of the thrilling Eric Appleby trilogy and mind-boggling Impossible Tales short stories. Dan has spent the last twelve years on a literary mission to excite and enthuse as many children and young people as possible about reading and writing.
Gillian Flint
Gillian Flint has had a passion for drawing and creating characters for as long as she can remember. A career in children’s book illustration was a natural path for her to take and she has worked as an illustrator for over a decade. Her art has been published in the UK, the USA and Australia. She enjoys reading, drinking tea and spending time in the garden on sunny days.
StoryFest has become a reality thanks to the sponsorship of Kajima and Infrared.
Past Events
StoryFest 2024
