Meet the interviewers

Helen has been part of our team of LitFest interviewers since our first festival in 2023 and she has interviewed a number of well-known authors including Dorothy Koomson, Holly Seddon and Maggie Brookes. Helen trained as a journalist working in local radio in Kent, then moving on to breakfast television in London. For the last 15 years, her career has moved into the world of PR and Media Relations. Helen has worked for a number of medium and large organisations working alongside senior leaders to advise them on communication strategies. Born and bred in Kent, Helen has three children to keep her busy along with her passion for reading which is often an expensive hobby as Helen loves nothing better than a new hardback book to read! Her favourite authors are varied but she’s currently reading the latest book by Lisa Jewell.

Tom Idle is a Maidstone-based writer, editor, publisher and podcaster. He spends his writing and talking about climate change and business sustainability. And through his publishing venture, Little Legs Publishing, he has created a series of family travel guides to help parents spend better time with their kids where they live.

Jane Shankar is an English teacher turned writer and tutor, working with students from secondary level to undergraduate and beyond. With over twenty-five years of experience in education, her love of all things literary brings with it a desire to foster creativity, critical thinking, language mastery, and a love of literature in learners of all ages. After fifteen years in the classroom, Jane embarked on a PhD in The Novel: Practice as Research from the University of Kent, in which she combined research of Medieval England with the exploration of relationships, identity, and the ways in which we shape the stories of our lives. Graduating in 2023, her academic background informs not only her teaching but also her fiction. Jane is currently seeking literary representation for her debut novel, while working on her second, centring on a 16 century Kentish deaf community, and is passionate about helping others find their own creative voice through writing. An avid reader, she counts Hilary Mantel and Maggie O’Farrell among her writing heroes. Her spare time is devoted to spending time with family and gardening at her Charing home.

Nicola has worked in radio in Kent for 25 years. For the last 14 of those she has been at the KM Group. She is currently Multimedia News Editor which means she oversees the running of kmfm news and works alongside colleagues at KentOnline and KMTV. She can regularly be heard reading news bulletins on kmfm and presenting the KentOnline Podcast.

Dr Dorothy Lehane is the author of seven publications, including 8 Songs of [Mothering] & [Capacity] (Guillemot Press, 2023),House Girl (Aquifer Press, 2021), I’m Very Interested in Falling in Love With You (Run Amok Press, 2021), Bettbehandlung(Muscaliet Press, 2018), and Ephemeris (Nine Arches Press, 2014). She is currently working on a nonfiction project about caves, supported by the British Academy/Leverhulme, Arts Council England, and the Society of Authors. Until 2023, she was Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Kent, where she taught for thirteen years. During that time, she also peer-reviewed for Bloomsbury Publishing, consulted for the Wellcome Trust, and served as External Examiner for Cambridge ICE’s Creative Writing programme. Now working as a freelance writer and creative consultant, she is currently tutoring for Arvon at Home. Dorothy has shared her creative and critical insights at institutions such as Columbia, Exeter, Birkbeck, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, the Science Museum, the Barbican Arts Centre, Turner Contemporary, and on BBC Radio Kent. She has also presented work at the Magnetic South Arts & Music Festival and voix outré at the Union Chapel. Her Substack on the practice of creative writing can be found at: https://dorothylehane.substack.com

Hilary Steel is a professional Celebrant who brings stories to life, whether she’s capturing the essence of a person’s journey in a ceremony or leading lively conversations on stage. A natural presenter with a flair for connection, Hilary is as comfortable in front of a crowd as she is curled up with a book. Passionate about storytelling in all its forms, she reads as much as she talks—and that’s saying something! This year, she brings her warmth, wit, and curiosity to the Maidstone LitFest as one of our brilliant interviewers.

Stuart Heritage is an author and journalist who has written for The Guardian since 2009. During that time he has interviewed the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Willem Dafoe, The Rock and Kermit the Frog. Stuart has been a huge supporter of Maidstone LitFest since its launch in 2023, taking part in school and library events with his children’s books and delivering a brilliantly funny adult event in 2024 based on his memoir Bald. This year, we’re thrilled to welcome Stuart in a new role — as interviewer for our events with Sam Parker and Dr Benji Waterhouse.

Before becoming a children’s author, Gianna Pollero trained as a journalist and spent many years interviewing people from all walks of life. Her love of stories and storytelling eventually led her to write for younger readers, combining humour, adventure and a healthy dose of imagination. Gianna is also a co-founder of Maidstone Literary Festival, where she has been lucky enough to interview some of her favourite authors, including Lisa Jewell and Tim Weaver.

Adrian is the author of sixteen full-length thrillers, which he writes under the penname AJ Wills, including the Kindle no.1 bestseller, His Wife’s Sister. Previous to becoming an author, he was a journalist for more than 20 years and spent 15 years working for ITV Meridian based in Maidstone. He is married to fellow thriller author, AJ McDine, although they have yet to be persuaded to write a novel together… They live in Faversham with their three cats and two grown-up sons, who refuse to move out.