AS the giants of the literary world talk about their craft at the Oxford Literary Festival, another view of the city’s bookish talent will be offered.

For the third year, Not the Oxford Literary Festival will run alongside the mainstream festival, shining a light on the UK’s independent literary scene.

While the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Andrew Motion, Giles Andreae and Jane Fallon are lining up for the flagship nine-day literary festival, Not The Oxford Literary Festival will be an altogether more intimate affair.

Alternative forms of the written and spoken word will be offered, with poetry and short fiction, slam poetry from Oxford’s Hammer and Tongue, and an entire novel, Verruca Music, performed in full by author Stuart Estell accompanied by music.

Organiser Dan Holloway said: “The aim of the festival is to celebrate a vibrant literary underground that some may not even realise exists.

“We will showcase both amazing, internationally acclaimed local talent, and forms of literature and performance that never get onto festival programmes.”

He added: “It was a joke the first time we did it but everyone said it was such a good idea, and someone even came from Germany.”

This year the alternative festival will run over three nights, on March 27, 28 and 30, with the first night featuring Stuart Estell’s novel performance. Seventeen writers perform on the second night and the third night will feature performance, talks, and workshops until dawn.

All events are at the Albion Beatnik bookshop in Walton Street, Jericho, which has a cosy capacity of about 60.

Mr Holloway, who will perform some of his poetry at the festival, said: “It’s going to be fun.

“With the all-night event, the idea is to post poetry which people have produced at the workshops all over Oxford at about 2am and leave them on bus stops and so on for people to find on the way to whatever they are doing on the Saturday.”

Performers will include Not the Booker Prize winner Michael Stewart and flash fiction author Daniel Herschman.

The author of The Homeless Oratorio, Davy Mac, will also be making an appearance, as well as Hammer and Tongue host Lucy Ayrton.

The material will include everything from funny erotica to musical commentary; slam poems to Beatnik material and ‘weird’ funny stories.

An insight will be given into the world of self and e-publishing by underground publisher Philistine Press and writers’ collective Authors Electric.

The final night is free, while the other two events cost £3.

Full details can be found at eightcuts.com