BORDERLINES stages its next book-laden banquet with another hefty helping of quality writers.

The Carlisle book festival has a sparkling and stellar guest list with plenty of talent from all corners of Cumbria and elsewhere.

An evening with Alexander McCall Smith opens the 11-day event on Thursday, September 29 (7.30pm) at the city's Crown and Mitre Hotel.

Alexander is one of the world’s most prolific and popular authors. His highly successful No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series has sold more than 20 million copies, and his various series of books such as the 44 Scotland Street and Isabel Dalhousie series of novels, have been translated into 46 languages and become bestsellers throughout the world.

Saturday, October 1 (2pm) sees well-travelled Grasmere storyteller Taffy Thomas at Carlisle Library. Taffy, artistic director of Tales in Trust, the Northern Centre for Storytelling, based at The Storyteller’s Garden in Grasmere, became the first Laureate for Storytelling in 2010.

Another high profile Lakelander appearing at the festival will be revered cartoonist Colin Shelbourn, sharing his creative skills during a workshop the Prior’s Room of Carlisle Cathedral. Probably best-known for his weekly satirical contribution to The Westmorland Gazette, Colin forged a new role for his profession in 2007 by becoming Britain’s first radio cartoonist - drawing cartoons live on air for the Sunday breakfast show of Liverpool’s City Talk station.

No Cumbrian book festival would be truly complete without an appearance by esteemed writer and journalist, Hunter Davies.

On Friday, October 7 (8pm), Hunter will talk about his late wife, Margaret Forster, who died in February following a long and courageous battle against cancer. They were married for almost 60 years. Cumbrian born and bred, Margaret wrote extensively, both fiction and non-fiction, drawing on her background. Hunter is in conversation with Radio Four presenter Roger Bolton at the Crown and Mitre Hotel.

One of our county's most successful wordsmiths, Sarah Hall, appears on Sunday, October 9 (11am) also at the Crown and Mitre. Among the subject matter covered by prize-winning Sarah - who now lives at Norwich - will be her fifth tome Wolf Border.

Kendal author Karen Lloyd is on the Borderlines bill at Tullie House on Saturday, October 8 (10am) reading from, and talking about, her very successful book The Gathering Tide - A personal journey around the Edgelands of Morecambe Bay; respected former Guardian journalist David Ward, these days literary consultant at Keswick's Theatre by the Lake, runs a News Journalism workshop, the same day (12.30pm-2.30pm) in the Prior’s Room, of Carlisle Cathedral, and later (3pm-5pm) in the Prior's Room, well-known Cumbrian poet Geraldine Green is hosting a Stimulate Your Writing: Poetry workshop.

One of the country's greatest television drama scriptwriters, Jimmy McGovern (Cracker, The Lakes, The Street, Hillsborough, to name just a few) joins the literary line-up 'in conversation' with former journalist now crime novelist Isabelle Grey. Isabelle herself has written numerous episodes for long-running TV dramas such as The Bill and Wycliffe and worked with Jimmy on Accused. They share the Crown and Mitre stage on Saturday, October 8 (3pm).

Historic prose (both fictional and non-fictional) plays a princely part in the festival with author Ian Ross exploring whether the contemporary adventure novel can evoke the drama of a distant age on Wednesday, October 5 (7pm) at Waterstones in Carlisle. Ian is the author of the Twilight of Empire series.

As for music, BAFTA award-winning television executive Stuart Cosgrove talks about his Northern Soul: Young Soul Rebels book at the Crown and Mitre Hotel on Sunday, October 9 (3pm). Stuart's Young Soul Rebels page turner sweeps across 50 years of British life and places the northern soul scene in a social context.

For further details and tickets for the book festival visit www.borderlinescarlisle.co.uk, in person at Bookends Carlisle or on 07412-366152.