In 1989 Durham celebrated its first ever literature festival. This year the festival is 15 years old and celebrating its birthday in style with 15 days of celebratory events between Sunday 26 September and Saturday 23 October. Literature North East spoke to festival organiser Alison Lister.

Tell us about the festival this year. What's on and what shouldn't we miss?
You can't miss anything! There are 15 headline events, because it's our fifteenth birthday, plus a series of regional book launches and some really excellent workshops. We've tried to provide variety and to ensure that all our writers and authors have very distinct voices, distinct styles. So if you do come to every event each experience is fresh and equally rewarding. Some of the artists appearing are very well known - Iain Banks [pictured], Ian Rankin, Roy Hattersley - others, while perhaps not household names, are all great writers whose work is thrilling and absorbing.

We're particularly pleased to welcome three women for a panel called `Women in Exile' - Leila Aboulela, Haifa Zangana and Zeina B Ghandour, who will be introduced by Fadia Faqir, a Jordanian writer now based in Durham. All four women write in English, brilliant novels, but it's not their mother tongue. They come from various countries in the Middle East and give insight into the thinking and attitudes of Moslem women. I think it's a particularly pertinent event that should attract all sorts of audiences.

And the book launches are equally exciting. We have a wealth of talent in the region that we should celebrate more loudly.

Now that Durham Litfest's an established part of the literary calendar, it must be tempting to sit back on your laurels a bit. So how do you keep the festival fresh?
We listen to people. I hope everyone involved is always open to new ideas. And we all love what we do.

With the commissioning of four new pieces of work for the festival and the children's writing competition, there seems to be a real focus on new writing this year. How did that come about? And why were those particular writers chosen?
The writers were actually chosen by our sponsors, Cornwell Internet, who have become stalwart supporters of the festival. They received support funding from the Sponsors Club for Arts and Business and I guided them through the commissioning process. It's been great fun for everyone and Cornwell Internet have been able to support writers whose work they personally enjoy. I think we always instinctively try to involve new writers in the programme. If you're passionate about `the word' you want to encourage new talent and to encourage people to explore books and texts, to read work that's new to them and to develop critical awareness.

How important is it to have a mix of local writers and those from further afield?
Very important. If it's to be successful Durham Literature Festival has to be rooted in the region and celebrate the abilities and achievements of our writers of all kinds. It also needs to see those achievements alongside the work of others. A good festival programme will offer its audiences choice - the chance to meet well known authors and to meet writers who are just coming into their own; to hear controversial opinions, dissenting voices, to be charmed, provoked, comforted and stimulated and above all to have a good time. A festival should be something out of the ordinary, it needs variety and spice.

Who comes to the festival?
It is a region wide festival. Audiences come from all over County Durham, from Teesside, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland. We have regular attendees from Cumbria and from North Yorkshire. There is a smattering of people from further afield. Usually they come to events when they coincide with other reasons for them to be in the areas, but they usually choose to stay in contact and they are an indication that we have the potential to attract a wider national audience. And the people that come to Durham Literature Festival do genuinely cross all gender and social boundaries.

And how would you persuade someone who'd never been to a literary event to come to the festival?
Well, as an organiser I'd have to say by making all the events welcoming, interesting and accessible. If I was someone coming to the festival trying to persuade a reluctant friend I would cough up the money and pay for their ticket! Afterwards, if they had a good time, I would ring the festival organiser, tell them what I'd done and suggest they refund my money. It almost certainly wouldn't work, but it's always worth a try!

Durham Literature Festival runs from Sunday 26th September to Saturday 23rd October. For more information, see the festival's website at www.literaturefestival.co.uk.