The second annual festival will run from September 25 to October 4 with a full programme including talks from Fay Weldon, Maggie Gee and Stella Duffy and a poet in a shed.

There are also several competitions being run in the run-up to the event.

Emsworth author Vanessa Curtis will be one of the judges of the children's short story competition which, along with the poetry competition, has launched in schools across Havant.

The theme is 'other people's shoes' – tying in with one of the festival's three main themes of crime, water and journeying.

The festival hopes young writers will be inspired to explore alternative viewpoints, characters and situations. The other short story judge is Jayne Woodhouse, who writes The Victorians for the BBC.

Southsea poet Maggie Sawkins will judge the poetry entries and conduct workshops in some schools.

All the winners will receive their prize from a VIP guest at the festival's grand opening and prize giving ceremony at Havant Arts Centre on September 25.

The News's education reporter, Siôn Donovan, who spearheaded the News's Spread the Word literacy campaign last year, will judge the adult short story competition which is also inspired by the journeying theme.

The adult poetry competition has also now launched. The judge is the widely published poet Anne Stewart.

The maximum number of lines is 40 on the theme 'water'. E-mail hlfnewsletter@googlemail.com for an application form – or download one from havantlitfest.org.uk

Closing date is August 1.

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