Rochester Literature Festival

The opening event on 28th February features three very different but equally inspiring women.

Come along and be galvanised into action by ANN WEST MBE JP DL, former Chair of the North Kent Magistrates Bench, Kent Ambassador, a Chatham Historic Dockyard Ambassador and, as a Patron and Trustee of a number of local charities – including our venue, The Net Community Hub – she has a keen interest in steering the charity sector onwards and upwards. A former England Netball Squad Manager, Medway Walking Netball is still close to her heart.

Next up is MARY ENIOLU who founded Can-Do Academy, empowering individuals and organisations to enhance performance, productivity and profitability without compromising well-being. A public speaker, published author, podcast host, certified Maxwell Leadership trainer and coach, and licensed Human Behaviour Specialist, Mary combines impactful content, humour and inspiring stories to motivate audiences to take action and create lasting, transformational change.

Finally, the insanely talented BEV BUNN will share her creative journey and finish with her latest endeavour – stand up comedy! Bev made her debut at Edinburgh Fringe in 2025 as part of the Funny Women Glitter Challenge and is already booked for the Comedy Store again in 2026. From engineer to glass artist, landlady to comedian, there’s nothing this lady cannot do! Best not drink while she’s entertaining you – the person in front of you doesn’t want an impromptu shower.

Tickets are available here now, which includes tea and coffee. Doors open at 11.30, with our guests scheduled from 12 noon onwards.

It’s also a great way to connect with likeminded people and find out about the rest of the programme.

Our other events for 2026:

28/2 from 2pm: The Commodification of Women’s Bodies

28/3 from 11am: Kent & Medway Business Women Panel and Networking

28/3 from 2pm: Lissa Evans In Conversation

We look forward to seeing you there, thank you for your support 🙂