The 15th annual Durham Literature Festival gets under way next month. Sarah Foster talks to its organiser and finds out what's in store.

EVEN for those who don't read, names like Ian Rankin and Roy Hattersley are bound to ring a bell. Although the two may not appear to have much in common, both are authors and both are among the star attractions of this year's Durham Literature Festival. They will join other famous and not-so-famous writers, along with poets, social commentators and various performers at the month-long event, starting on September 26. So how did the festival, which started as a fairly modest weekend gathering in 1989, manage to attract such celebrities?

"Over the past six years, it's steadily been making a mark," says festival coordinator Alison Lister. "It's now got a national profile as opposed to a local or regional profile. I think in the last couple of years, it's become increasingly easy to attract big names."

While it has expanded beyond recognition over the years, right from the beginning the festival has had the support of one famous writer - agony aunt Denise Roberston. After opening it the first time, the TV personality has been an ongoing contributor and returns this year to host an event. Alison says: "Denise is just so incredibly supportive of initiatives to support anyone involved in writing."

The festival was the brainchild of Horden-based author Mary Bell, who, had attended events elsewhere in the country and felt there should be something similar in the North-East. "It was a fairly straightforward argument because we have a wonderful literary tradition in the North-East," says Alison.

Initially called the Bede Literary Festival, it drew on the tradition of St Bede, who wrote a commentary on the Lindisfarne Gospels, as well as the region's socialist heritage. "A lot of that was educating people and exploring the power of writing as a means of giving a voice to working class people," explains Alison.

Faithful to its roots, this year's festival is showcasing the work of recent North-East writers such as Sid Chaplin, whose novels are being re-released this year and give a true picture of working class life. To mark its 15-year milestone, Durham City Arts, which now runs the festival, has invited Mary Bell as a special guest.

Alison says there will be a mood of celebration. "There are 15 highlight events then there's a whole series of book launches, which have a local flavour in some way," says Alison. "We are very much celebrating what we do in the region, as well as bringing in high-profile authors from elsewhere."

Among the launches will be poetry from the stable of Northumberland-based Bloodaxe Books, which Alison describes as "the most influential independent poetry publisher in Britain". But she is keen to stress that, contrary to what people might think, none of the material will be inaccessible. "We aim to be very welcoming and very warm and not elitist in any way. It's not about people sitting around and being very wordy and pretentious. Our audiences are very mixed," she says.

"Ian Rankin writes perfectly crafted thrillers and that's literature just the same as some of the poetry we are bringing to the festival."

It is its diversity that Alison says marks it out from other, similar events. "Durham is unusual in that it combines many different aspects of the spoken and written word. There are really good festivals in Newcastle which are about new work, which is brilliant. We are less focused in that we're about diversity," she says.

Alison sees the 15th anniversary as not only a chance to look back on past achievements, but also to look forward. "The nice thing about being 15 is that we can use it as a jumping off point to explore new ideas," she says.

"This year is a celebration but next year we have got to start thinking, 'Where do we go from here?' We are not at the same level as the Hay-on-Wye festival, which gets Bill Clinton, but we are hoping that, in time, we might be."

* For more information on the festival, which runs from September 26 to October 23, contact Sara Perkins on 0191-301 8245 or visit www.literaturefestival.co.uk

* Half price tickets to all events are available by joining the Guardian Angels scheme. The contact details are as above.