The South Hams Literary Festival will be taking place in Ivybridge between Thursday October 10 and Sunday October Sunday 13.

It will be centred on the Watermark Centre and includes a publishing advice surgery, a book fair, writers workshops, author conversations, book signings, open mic, pub quiz, free children’s events and more.

Authors include Caroline Born, Marta Emmitt, Adam Glennon, Tony Rea, Mary Georgina de Grey, Kate Harris, Laurence Shelley and Dionne Haynes.

There will be a book trail and artwork display.

The South Hams Literary Festival is also running another short story competition. The theme this year will be Longtimber Woods, Ivybridge.

“Longtimber Woods and the adjoining Pithill Woods lie in the Erme Valley to the north of Ivybridge.

It is a working woodland, nature reserve and recreational area of 53 acres (21.7 hectares) consisting mainly of broadleaf trees and a variety of shrubs and other moorland plants.”

The competition and the forthcoming literary festival are organised by the South Hams Authors Network, led by founder Alison Huntingford.

Alison said: “We had such a good response last year that everyone felt it would be good to run a competition again.

“Maybe it will become an annual fixture.

“We’ll have to wait and see.’

The organisers are looking for short stories on any aspect of the theme, with a word count of between 1000 and 2000 words, to be submitted by 9pm on Friday August 30. The competition opens on Monday July 1.

The judge is Fee Mak from BBC 1Xtra.