The Lit Festival returns to Waterford for the ninth year 

Young readers, writers and creatives will take over Waterford this October as The Lit Festival returns for its ninth edition, bringing three days of poetry, prose, performances, and workshops. 

Running from October 9 to 11, the festival is described as Europe's first youth-led festival of reading and writing, with its programme created by and for young people aged between 14 and 19. 

Each year, Ireland's oldest city becomes a meeting place for young people interested in literature, performances and creativity, with opportunities to learn new skills, meet other young creatives and explore different ways of telling stories. 

This year's programme once again goes well beyond traditional reading and writing, with everything from rap and spoken word to improvisational theatre, activism, mythology and even Dungeons & Dragons featuring across the weekend. 

Mikey Cullen will lead a session at St Patrick's Gateway Centre on Saturday from 10am-12pm, exploring rap, spoken word and activism, allowing participants to look at how language and performances can be used to express ideas and engage with issues that matter to them. 

Those interested in getting up on stage can also try their hand at improv theatre with Darren Yorke at St Patrick's Gateway Centre on Saturday from 12pm-2pm.

Niamh Fennessy will introduce young participants to theatre-making and the creative process involved in bringing ideas to life through performance at Little Lane Bookshop on Sunday from 10.30am-12.30pm.

Irish mythology will also receive a modern twist during the festival. Ruth Ennis and Ellen Ryan will take part in the Myth-Making in Modern Ireland panel, exploring how Ireland’s mythology and storytelling traditions continue to influence writers and audiences today. This is at the Book Centre on Saturday from 2-3pm. Young people will be encouraged not just to listen to stories, but to share some themselves.

Fighting Words Cork will host StorySlam!, creating a space for participants to tell and celebrate their own stories, while experiencing the work of other young writers and storytellers. This takes place at The Book Centre at 3pm on Sunday.

The festival will also offer activities through Irish, with Children’s Books Ireland bringing its Clinic Leabhair to Waterford.

Younger children have not been forgotten either. Illustrator and author Sarah Bowie will lead a draw-along session aimed at children under 12, adding another family-friendly element to the festival programme. This takes place at Dubray Books on Sunday from 12-2pm.

And for young people whose preferred storytelling involves dice, characters and a little unpredictability, The Lit Does D&D will bring role-playing into the mix at Central Library on Saturday at 2pm.

The varied programme reflects the festival’s focus on showing young people that literature and storytelling can take many different forms, whether it is written on a page, performed on a stage, illustrated, spoken aloud or created collaboratively.

Alongside its workshops and performances, the weekend will include talks and networking opportunities, allowing young people to meet others who share their interests and become part of Waterford’s wider creative community.

With its ninth edition approaching, The Lit Festival will once again put young voices at the centre of Waterford’s cultural calendar when it runs across the city from October 9 to 11.