TICKETS have been selling fast for the upcoming Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival, the second year the event has been run.

A session with children’s author Michael Morpurgo being interviewed by Alice Thomson sold out in just three weeks.

But youngsters could still have an opportunity to meet the War Horse author if they enter the event’s children’s writing competition, because he will be presenting the prizes.

The festival will be held in Dulverton Town Hall across the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19.

Festival programmes and details of the writing competition and creative writing workshops have been delivered to schools right across the area.

Visit Dulverton spokeswoman Ali Pegrum said: “Last year’s competition had some brilliant entries from children from Barnstaple to Bolham and Timberscombe to Tiverton and we are hoping that will be repeated this year.”

Other talks over the festival weekend include Rachel Johnson with writer Rachel Campbell-Johnston, historical biographers Andrew Lownie and Catherine Ostler, and best-selling novelists Janet Ellis, Sarah Turner, and Hannah Richell.

Restaurant critic William Sitwell will talk with wine writer Henry Jeffreys, Julian Glover and Victoria Eveleigh will be asking ‘What is our countryside for?’, and photographer Harry Borden and writer Albert Read will discuss creativity with Miranda Taylor.

Other features include British explorers Belinda Kirk and John Hudson meeting Hilary Bradt, well-known ITV sports reporter Dennis Coath, and local railway historians Freddie Huxtable, Ian Coleby, and Amyas Crump.

A podcast about the festival has recently been released featuring Ms Pegrum talking about the different speakers and recorded by Exmoor Character Cottages, which is one of the sponsors. The podcast can be found here.

Online tickets can be found on the Visit Dulverton website here.

Other festival sponsors include Tozers Solicitors, The Exclusive Cake Company, Exmoor Character Cottages, Exmoor News, First Design, Friendship and Sons, Hedley Price, Jeff Pegrum Landscaping, Maitland Walker, Osteo and Physio, Risdon Hosegood, The Sip Shed, Stockham Farm Exmoor, Town Mills, Ware Construction, Wellhayes Vineyard, Winsbere House, The Bridge Inn Dulverton, James Pryce Tractors, Masons Kings, Rothwell and Dunworth, and Fabula Arts.