Ilkley Literature Festival is set to mark its 40th anniversary with a new commission by Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy.

The event – over 17 days from October 4 to 20 – will also see the unveiling of an exhibition which includes rare literature, previously unseen letters of note and a unique recording of poet, WH Auden.

The Festival programme includes over 220 events across 20 venues and Carol Ann Duffy’s commemorative poem will be heard for the first time on October 8, when it will be read by the poet.

Rachel Feldberg, Festival Director said: “It feels very fitting that Carol Ann Duffy is writing a new poem to mark our 40th anniversary.

“Since its inaugural year, when it was launched by W H Auden, the festival has had a long tradition of attracting and commissioning major poets.

“Over the years we have welcomed some of the nation’s finest contemporary writers including Ted Hughes, Benjamin Zephaniah, Liz Lochhead, Tony Harrison, Jo Shapcott, Linton Kwesi Johnston, RS Thomas, Grace Nicholls and Simon Armitage.”

Festival fans are being offered the chance to support a word from the Poet Laureate’s new poem in an original approach to fundraising.

Until June 30 the public is able to donate £2 or more, to support the commission by visiting the website at sponsume.com/project/ilkley-lit-fest-40th-anniversary-poem.

In return for contributions there will be a range of rewards for donors, including tickets to the premiere and limited edition prints of the poem by artist and frequent collaborator with Carol Ann Duffy, Stephen Raw.

A new exhibition, ‘Making Waves: 40 Years of Ilkley Literature Festival’, on show from September 28 at the Manor House Museum, will offer a retrospective of the Festival, featuring a rare edition of Ted Hughes’ ‘Cave Birds’ and previously unseen letters from leading writers and poets of the day, as well as historic newspaper cuttings and original photographs. Designed by artist Val Carman, the exhibition explores the Festival’s four decades, set against world events from the end of the Vietnam War to the spread of the internet and mobile phones.

This year’s Festival will also host a series of special anniversary events including a reunion of five of the former Festival Directors, including founder and former local resident, Michael Dawson.

Rachel added: “Although the means of writing and methods of publishing have changed profoundly in the last 40 years, the written word has never been more prolific or important.

“The Festival has grown enormously over the last four decades but it is still motivated by the same aims and values.

“At its heart is the excitement and importance of good writing and its determination to find imaginative ways of engaging with its audience.

“It was one of the first Festivals to programme a culturally diverse range of events and we have a proud history of attracting a rich mix of established, well-known authors, alongside cutting edge and emerging writers, to appeal to readers of every appetite.

“The Festival was created by local residents and in the early days it was run entirely by volunteers.

“It is a tribute to everyone involved that today the Festival is one of the region’s major arts organisations, known for its cultural diversity and offering a year round programme of events, supporting young talent, working with schools and hosting summer schools and residencies.

“We hope that this, along with attracting the best writers in the industry, will continue to inspire a new generation of writers and readers who are the lifeblood of our Festival.”

The full Ilkley Literature Festival 2013 programme will be announced from June 30.

Priority booking for Friends of the Festival opens from August 12 to 21. Booking opens for the public on August 27.

Go to ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk for further information.