Contributors
St Andrews Literature Festival is hosting dozens of the best loved Christian authors from across the UK.
Andy Bannister
Dr. Andy Bannister is the Director of the Solas Centre for Public Christianity, speaking and teaching regularly throughout the world. From universities to churches, business forums to TV and radio, he regularly addresses audiences of both Christians and those of all faiths and none on issues relating to faith, culture, politics and society.
Andy is the author of The Atheist that Didn’t Exist, Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? and most recently How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like an Idiot.
Fiona Castle
Fiona is Activate’s President and the longest-serving member of the team. Since Fiona became a Christian, she has always been passionate about friendship evangelism; she loves to encourage others to look outwards, to share their faith in the workplace, amongst their friends,or within their area of influence.
Along with the Activate team Fiona is the author of Be: Godly Wisdom to Live By A 365 devotional that encourages women to live all out for Jesus in the midst of their busy lives.
Paula Gooder
Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor at St Paul’s Cathedral and a writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. Paula’s passion is to ignite people’s enthusiasm for reading the Bible today, by presenting the best of biblical scholarship in an accessible and interesting way. She is the author of Lydia, Phoebe, Journalling the Psalms and many more fantastic titles.
Visit Paula’s website to find out even more – click here.
Simon Guillebaud
Simon Guillebaud MBE is an author, speaker, social entrepreneur, family man and charity founder. In 1999 Simon had a very clear call to Burundi, when it was regarded as the most dangerous country on earth. Having unexpectedly survived 7 years of genocide and civil war, he set up GLO with the vision to transform Burundi and beyond. Simon is author of the bestselling devotional book Choose Life, More than Conquerors, Sacrifice and Dangerously Alive.
Find out more about Simon and his ministry by clicking here.
Bob Hartman
Bob Hartman is a professional storyteller and award-winning children’s author of over seventy books. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but now lives in Wiltshire. His books are full of humour and insight, whilst his storytelling sessions are exciting, engaging, dynamic – and above all, interactive! The Lion Storyteller Bible is used in schools across the United Kingdom as part of a Bible project called Open the Book.
Click here to check out some of Bob’s books.
Claud Jackson
Claud Jackson is an ex London drug dealer turned Vicar. He studied at St Mellitus College and was ordained in 2022 and is currently a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton. Guns to God is his autobiography and first book.
Paul Kerensa
Paul Kerensa is an award-winning writer of TV, radio, books and his own stand-up comedy. Paul is part of the British Comedy award-winning writing team for BBC’s Miranda and mainstream hits like BBC’s Top Gear, Buble at the BBC and the BBC Music Awards.
He is the author of Hark! The Biography of Christmas – an enlightening sleigh ride through festive history. He has also written a number of children’s book including Planet Protectors, Judge Deb and the Battle of the Bands, Cheeky Pandas: The Bouncy Castle and many more.
Discover more about Paul Kerensa by clicking here
Andy Kind
Andy Kind is a comedian, preacher and writer.
He started doing Stand-up on 23rd January 2005. By the September of that year, Andy had gone full-time as a comedian and has made a living from it ever since. He won Anything for Laffs in 2005 and in early 2019 hurdled over the 2000-gig barrier. He has been featured on BBC1, ITV and Channel 4, while he’s had jokes featured on Dave’s One Night Stand and Live at the Apollo. Andy is the author of Curious Tales of Redemption and Hidden in Plain Sight.
Click here to find out more about Andy.
Justyn Rees Larcombe
Justyn is the son of the writer and speaker Jennifer Rees Larcombe. After a highly successful career in the British Army Justyn Rees Larcombe had an equally glittering and well-rewarded career in the City. He had a beautiful wife and three sons. He lost it all through an addiction to online gambling, blowing three quarters of a million pounds in three years. Realising he could fall no further, he turned back to Christ, turned his back on gambling and, in the space of two years, found incredible recovery and restoration. Justyn shares his story in his book Tails I Lose.
Find out more about Justyn – click here
Cathy Madavan
Cathy Madavan is a fantastic speaker, author and broadcaster, who has been teaching about priorities, resilience, relationships and purpose for over 20 years. A particular passion for Cathy is seeing other women leaders, writers and speakers develop and grow in confidence and competence. To this end, she is on the board of the Kyria Network, which aims to champion, empower and release women of influence.
Cathy is the author of Why Less Means More, Irrepressible, Digging for Diamonds and more
Visit Cathy’s website – click here
John McGinley
John McGinley leads Myriad, an initiative from the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication to serve the planting of thousands of new church communities by every day people. John has twenty six years of church leadership experience and is the author of Mission Shaped Grace and Mission Shaped Living.
Rachael Newham
Rachael writes about love, life, theology and mental health. She works for Kintsugi Hope as their Mental Health Friendly Church Project Manager.
Her book Learning to Breathe tells of Rachael’s own journey with mental illness. With unflinching realism she shows us what it looks like to live with mental illness, and how God can find us and rescue us even in the most desperate of places. Her second book And Yet is a beautiful book on lament.
Find our more Rachael by clicking here
Andrew Ollerton
Dr Andrew Ollerton is a theologian, pastor and popular communicator who makes complex ideas simple and relevant. He works with Bible Society and developed The Bible Course. Andrew is married to Charlotte and they have three kids, two fish, a snake and a dog.
He is the author of The Bible: A Story that Makes Sense of Life & Romans: A Letter That Makes Sense of Life
Find out more about Andrew – Click here
Nick Page
Nick Page is the author of over 80 books, a lot of his work focuses on church history – particularly the early church. Books include A Nearly Infallible History of Christianity, Revelation Road & A Nearly Infallible History of the Reformation. Nick lives in Oxfordshire, UK, with his wife Claire, and a dog called Bill. As well as writing books, he is also a popular speaker for churches, church weekends, retreats, book festivals and other events. He is also the co-host of The Mid-faith Crisis Podcast.
Find out more about Nick – click here
Simon Ponsonby
A fourth generation preacher, Simon Ponsonby came to personal faith in his late teens. He worked as a butcher, then became an evangelist and church planter, before preparing for ordination at Trinity College, Bristol, where he gained his BA & MLitt in Theology. He is an international author, speaker and theologian, now based at St Aldates, Oxford, UK where he is Pastor of Theology. He has written several books including Amazed by Jesus, God is For Us and More
Amy Boucher Pye
Amy Boucher Pye is an author, speaker, retreat leader, and spiritual director. She has an MA in Christian spirituality and enjoys leading retreats, including at El Palmeral in Spain & Lee Abbey in Devon.
She’s the author of six books, incuding Transforming Love & 7 Ways to Pray. She also writes for publications such as globally recognized Our Daily Bread and Day by Day with God.
Visit Amy’s website to fund out more – click here
Ruth Rice
Ruth Rice is the founder and CEO of Renew Wellbeing who create quiet shared spaces where it’s OK not to be OK. Ruth has a background in teaching and Baptist Church ministry and is passionate about seeing churches turn themselves and their great habits of welcome, care and prayer inside out to reduce isolation and increase wellbeing in every community.
Ruth has written The A-Z of Wellbeing and Slow Down, Show Up and Pray.
Find out more about Ruth Rice click here
Patrick Regan
Patrick Regan OBE is an activist who is passionate about resilience, courage and wellbeing. He has founded two award-winning charities, most recently Kintsugi Hope with his wife Diane.
Patrick is the author of Brighter Days, Bouncing Forwards, Honesty Over Silence and When Faith Gets Shaken.
Patrick is married to Diane, and they have four children.