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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

Off the Shelf

Photos from Off the Shelf 2022

Autumn in Sheffield is pretty much synonymous with literary delights, as Off the Shelf festival of books, words and ideas returns to the city. The festival hosts a programme packed with talks and readings from world renowned authors and poets, famous folk off the telly, and a few knowledgable locals.

Each year, the festival absorbs audiences in topics ranging from pop music to politics, fine art to feminism.

Come back soon for dates and our highlights among the writer talks, workshops and events in the 2026 programme.

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Désirée Reynolds

The writer – and DJ, journalist and mentor – talks to Annalisa Toccara about being inspired by ordinariness, making space for change, and curating the Black Women Write Now strand at Off the Shelf Festival 2020.

Sheffield Comic Arts Fair

Sat. 10 October 2026

Trafalgar Warehouse, 120 Trafalgar Street, S1 4JT

A showcase of indie and small press comic creators from Sheffield and further afield. With a Graphic Novel Reading Room corner, a kids workshop and bar.

Helen Mort

A poet with one foot in Sheffield and another in Derbyshire, who finds inspiration at the top of hills, in ghost stories, pubs, friendship, the aftertaste of whisky, the miners' strike, and in lost love.

Sounds About Write with Liz Flanagan and Anna Caig

Thu. 18 June 2026

Sheffield Plate (downstairs), Orchard Square, S1 2FB

An evening of new northern historical fiction. Authors Liz Flanagan and Anna Caig reflect on their publishing journeys, sharing honestly their challenges and joys. Plus an open mic for local authors to share their work.