SETTLE Stories Yorkshire Festival of Story is back in November and for the first time it will be a hybrid event with festival goers able to attend in person, or from the comfort of their own sitting rooms - and much of it is for free.

Organisers have landed another high-profile guest director, Booker Prize winner, Nigerian-British poet and novelist Ben Okri OBE, while this year’s festival, which will run for most of the month, will pose the question ‘ how can we use storytelling to respond to our most urgent threat - the climate emergency?

Speakers, will also include former guest director, writer Joanne Harris; Bangladeshi-British ornithologist Mya-Rose Craig, also known as ‘Birdgirl’, NASA astronaut-come-artist Nicole Stott, and the Yorkshire shepherdess Amanda Owen, who has also appeared at previous festivals.

The launch event will feature world-renowned storytellers Professor Jack Zipes, Margaret Read MacDonald and Nothando Zulu.

The festival will host more than 80 free events between Friday November 4 to Sunday, November 27, at venues Skipton Town Hall, Grassington Devonshire Institute, Settle Victoria Hall, Settle Library and The Falcon Manor, Settle. Other events will be for Settle Stories members, membership of which is £10 per month.

Ben Okri, writer of The Famished Road and A Way of Being Free will headline three events during the festival including an ‘in-conversation’ at Skipton Town Hall for his new books Every Leaf a Hallelujah and The Last Gift of the Master Artists. there will also be a nature writing workshop in Langcliffe, and a panel discussion with ethnologist Dr Martín von Hildebrand and NASA astronaut-come-artist Nicole Stott.

Mr Okri said: “As festival guest director this year I am excited to share this diverse and eclectic programme with people. I‘d love it if people would take part in the conversation and see how together we can use storytelling to respond to the climate emergency. The need for our response is more urgent than ever.”

Amongst the multi- disciplinary line-up of storytellers, authors, activists, artists, environmental groups and scientists bringing the climate conversation to life, are Alastair McIntosh, Complicité Theatre Company, Letters to the Earth, Just Stop Oil, Culture Declares and Youth4Nature.

The children’s programme is headlined by Mara Menzies, Sinéad Burke and Joanne Harris.

Schoolchildren will be invited to join an online story-telling event on the day before bonfire night with shadow puppeteer Lois Conlan bringing a specially commissioned, atmospheric performance of the Guy Fawkes story, and there will also be a lantern making workshop for bonfire night at Grassington Devonshire Institute.

Settle Stories artistic director and chief executive Sita Brand said: “Ben Okri is one of the greatest living writers in English today. I am so excited about the programme that we are sharing.

“ Protecting and looking after our planet has never been more important and I am honoured to be welcoming artists from across the globe like ‘Planetwalker’ John Francis and legendary storyteller Nothando Zulu.”

Yorkshire Festival of Story says it will continue to stream events online to enable global audiences of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities and illnesses, to access the performances.

It aims to build on its online community in the ‘festival bar’ and ‘living room’ and will maintain its close connection with rural groups in the Dales.

For the first time, the festival has linked up with B-Corp booksellers Bookshop.org to sell books online as well as running its own book stall at live events in partnership with Gardners Books.

The festival wishes to thank their new funders, Yorkshire-based B-Corp Comply Direct, a leading environmental consultancy and compliance scheme.

A spokesperson for B-Corp said: “We are delighted to be supporting Settle Stories with their Yorkshire Festival of Story 2022.

“It is so important that we are highlighting and talking about our most urgent threat as a nation; the climate emergency. We are excited to see how this message can be delivered through the power of story, and the impact that can be realised.”

Festival organisers say they are grateful to The Falcon Manor in Settle, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Craven District Council, the Janet & Geoff Donnelly Foundation and the Key Fund, as well as main funders Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

To find out more, to book tickets, and how to become a member visit: yorkshirefestivalofstory.com, or telephone 01729 822292.