Crowdfunder Launches for The Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival 2025

The Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival is entering its third year in 2025, celebrating writing for, by, and about women. Founded in 2023, the festival shines a spotlight on women’s fiction across genres – from commercial and romance to historical, literary, and book club favourites – and welcomes everyone who finds joy in women’s stories.

This year’s festival will run on 26–27 September 2025 with eight live panel events in Edinburgh. To widen access, the organisers plan to livestream and record all sessions, enabling audiences everywhere to take part. The festival which operates as a charitable organisation aims to provide a platform for women’s genre fiction, often overlooked by other literature festivals, celebrate all readers of women’s fiction, including romantic fiction, reach new audiences, particularly those from socio-economic groups who do not usually attend literature festivals, promote the mental health benefits of reading, and build a community of writers and readers of women’s fiction in Scotland.

To deliver the livestream, organisers are seeking to raise under £1,000 through crowdfunding. Supporters will help set up the broadcast in advance and, in return, receive free access links to watch events online. Livestream access will be available at £2 per panel or £10 for access to all eight panels, including live and recorded sessions. Crowdfunder rewards are designed to match donation levels: a £10 donation grants access to one panel, £20 gives access to two panels, and £40.50 provides full festival access. Supporters who are UK taxpayers are encouraged to select Gift Aid, adding 25p to every £1 donated at no extra cost.

Olivia Kekewich, Programme Director, said: “The festival has always been about celebrating women’s stories and making them accessible to everyone. Livestreaming will allow us to reach readers who can’t be in Edinburgh, and we’re excited to grow the community even further in our third year.”

The 2025 line-up already includes Jenny Colgan, Lucy Mangan, Lotte Jeffs, Emma Steele, Georgia Leighton, and Jean Menzies, with more authors, workshops, and panels still to be announced.

Supporters can donate directly through the crowdfunder here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/recording-livestreaming-of-ewff-2025-panels