A PARTNERSHIP between three Monmouth schools will see the town's first literary festival staged this year.

Students from Monmouth Comprehensive School, Haberdashers' Monmouth School For Girls and Monmouth School have organised the festival, which aims to share the talent and diversity of young people within the town's community.

The festival will be held from 23rd June to 27th June at different venues across the schools and town.

The theme for this inaugural year is poetry, tying in with the celebrations of the centenary of Dylan Thomas, but some exciting new fiction writers are also included in a programme designed to appeal to a wide audience.

The town itself is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, which has inspired many poets, works of art and literature.

The festival will draw on this rich heritage, which will form a back-drop to the works created by Monmouth's young people.

Joining the festival will be: poet, author and screenwriter Leo Aylen; writer and filmmaker C J Daugherty; poet, singer and songwriter Rhian Edward; screenwriter and crime fiction writer M R Hall; traditional story-teller Daniel Morden; teen author Laura Powell and performance storyteller Cat Weatherill.

Organisers have also announced that Phillip Wells will be joining the festival on Wednesday 25th June as part of his 'barefoot' walk to raise awareness of the plight of a billion children across the world who are living in poverty (see the website http://www.barefootbillion.com">www.barefootbillion.com).

He will be performing at Tintern Abbey and at Monmouth Comprehensive School's marquee.

A spokesperson for Monmouth Comprehensive School said: "Poetry brings people together and reflects our shared humanity.

"We are hoping that this inaugural festival will be the beginning of an annual literary festival that will showcase the town and its learners to the world."

For further information, contact either Mr Andy Williams or Mrs Karen Rollings at Monmouth Comprehensive School on [email protected]">[email protected]ol

sedu.org.uk, williamsa@

monmouth.schoolsedu.org.uk or call 01600 710669