As the 12-week public consultation on the future of the library service in Devon begins, ExCoL calls on residents and decision-makers to recognise the long-term value of Devon’s 50-library network.

All eyes are on Dublin City of Literature as SLAMOVISION, the international slam poetry competition for UNESCO cities of literature across the world, takes place this week on Thursday 6 November from 7pm to 9pm GMT at Windmill Town Hall, Windmill Lane, in the heart of the city. 

Ten new cities have joined the Cities of Literature network: Aberystwyth (Wales); Abuja (Nigeria); Celje (Slovenia); Conakry (Guinea); Dumaguete City (Philippines); Gdańsk (Poland); Kahramanmaraş (Türkiye); Lund (Sweden); San Luis Potosi (Mexico); and Tangier (Morocco).

Writers from 14 Cities across the UNESCO Cities of Literature network applied to the stipend. The Exeter UNESCO City of Literature partnered stipend which went to Sama Hussein from Baghdad City of Literature.

Let us answer ‘What is a City of Literature?’ via the annual Cities of Literature conference, this year in the utterly gorgeous Ljubljana in Slovenia. 

Greenway, Agatha Christie’s holiday home now cared for by the National Trust, has joined forces with Exeter UNESCO City of Literature as a member of our Partnership Network.

Exeter City of Literature, Penguin, and GWR have joined forces to celebrate the birthday of the powerhouse publisher’s local origins, and Exeter’s global status as a UNESCO City of Literature.

We are delighted that one of our Trustees, Tom Staniford, is leading an exciting fundraising effort – a charity cycle ride to benefit us and 3 other charities. Read on to learn about this bike ride with a twist.

Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of the Future Worlds Prize winning debut novel, The Principle of Moments. She was awarded a writing residency in Barcelona, Spain, which she completed in 2024 as part of a yearly exchange between Exeter and Barcelona UNESCO Cities of Literature.

We are celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books in 2025 with a series of themed bookshelves that honour Exeter’s unique global status as a City of Literature!

There are a range of activities taking place across the global Cities of Literature network to celebrate International Mother Language Day in 2025.

This December, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature are highlighting local literature as part of a global project with other Cities of Literature from across the world, to show how books from Exeter & Devon reflect the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

October marked the twenty-year anniversary of Edinburgh becoming the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature! The City celebrated by hosting the Cities of Literature Annual Conference to reflect on the achievements of the past two decades in Edinburgh and across the global network.

We chat with Erin Allgrove from independent Devon publisher Langrove Publishing about Bosun Bob, Devon’s publishing scene and her favourite reading spot.