Feminist icon Germaine Greer paying visit for town festival

She will give the opening talk at Wrekin College as part of the 17th festival which runs for three weeks.

It will be the second time she has appeared at the popular festival. The theme of this years' event is Powerful Women.

She last attended in 2007, when she released her book Shakespeare's Wife.

Tickets for this year's talk have already sold out, and organiser, Wellington Town Councillor Pat Fairclough says she was looking forward to hearing the subject of the talk.

She said: "It is a free festival, but it is the sort of thing that the community really like and really enjoy.

"Last time she appeared in 2007, again it was a full house and apparently, though she has written a lot, but I think she hasn't got a book on this occasion so she will be talking about this year's theme of powerful women.

"I am looking forward to the whole thing."

She added: "We've got a really packed programme and I am delighted that we have got so many local and national women writers. There will also be a lot of men there too."

Another key speaker at the festival is Antony Penrose, who will be giving a talk on the artist Picasso.

The festival will be taking place for the next three weeks, with readings, talks and discussions at locations around Wellington.

Earlier this year, members of the festival committee gave out copies of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and readers can take part in a series of Cafe Discussions about the classic novel.

For more information about the festival visit www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk/literary-festival