WORLD-famous authors will take to the stage at a Dorset book festival.

The Sherborne Travel Writing Festival returns for the second consecutive year, taking place from April 5 to 7 at the Powell Theatre.

It will feature bestselling writers, photographers and TV personalities covering a range of destinations; from Sicily to the Amazon, China to the Cotswolds, and Nigeria to North Korea.

Benedict Allen, Monisha Rajesh and Don McCullin are just some of the names curated by Rory MacLean, who is also speaking.

With thirteen talks across three days, the programming provides something for both keen adventurers and armchair travellers.

Bradt, the travel guide producer, has sponsored a Writing Britain panel, showcasing speakers covering Dorset, Cornwall, and other places closer to home.

We’ve picked our three unmissable talks from the 2024 Sherborne Travel Writing Festival…

Monisha Rajesh, author of Around the World in 80 Trains, at the Arctic Circle

Monisha Rajesh: Around the World by Train

Saturday, April 6 (noon-1pm)

Rajesh pulled into the travel writing station with her 2011 debut, Around India in 80 Trains.

It sees her navigate the South Asian country through a 40,000km rail journey featuring luxury trains, toy locomotives and Mumbai’s famous commuter network.

Not to be outdone, she followed this up with Around the World in 80 Trains, brilliantly intertwining her travels with cultural commentary and historical analysis.

If you can only see one talk at the festival, make it this one.

READ MORE: East Knoyle’s Lesley Webb on grief, loss and her debut novel 

Tom Parfitt, author of High Caucasus: A Mountain Quest in Russia’s Haunted Hinterland

Tom Parfitt: In Russia’s Hinterland

Sunday, April 7 (3pm-4pm)

This 1,000-mile walk across Russia, from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, takes Parfitt up mountains and through bear-haunted forests.

He meets small groups of people nestled in remote settlements, all to rid himself of scars endured four years earlier.

He had been covering the 2004 Beslan siege as a war correspondent, where 334 hostages were killed in a Russian school.

It had taken his spirit, raising questions about the world and about himself.

But in this walk, Parfitt is freed from the constraints of war journalism; he can speak to ordinary people and tell real stories – something he excels at.

READ MORE: Stewart Lee: ‘Ricky Gervais stole my act’ 

Noo Saro-Wiwa, author of Black Ghosts: A Journey Into the Lives of Africans in China

Noo Saro-Wiwa: Black Ghosts

Friday, April 5 (5pm-6pm)

Selected as one of the best books of 2023 by the Financial Times, Black Ghosts examines the African economic migrants living in China.

They’re offered excellent opportunities, but this comes with unique racism and prejudice.

Saro-Wiwa previously saw success with the account of her re-immersion into Nigerian culture following the death of her father and a ten year absence from the country in Looking for Transwonderland (2012), the Sunday Times travel book of the year.

Black Ghosts offers fascinating insight from an excellent storyteller – don’t miss this talk.

To view the full lineup and book your tickets, visit www.sherborneliterarysociety.com/travel-writing-festival-2024.