City of York Council is giving away a pair of tickets for one of the highlights of York's first ever Literature Festival.

One lucky resident will win two tickets for The Twisting Field, a nineteenth century folk story full of heroes, villains, magic, mystery and fate. The performance will feature four of the UK's finest storytellers - Shonaleigh, Nick Hennessey, Amy Douglas and Simon Heywood - who weave the telling of the tale between nine original songs.

It is aimed at those aged 16 years and above, and will take place at the National Centre for Early Music on Saturday 10 March at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £6, or £4 for concessions.

Anyone who would like to be in with a chance of winning a free pair of tickets should send their name, address and telephone number to: Anne Mortimer, Read Write York, City of York Council, Mill House, North Street, York, YO1 6JD.

Entries should arrive no later than Friday 2 March.

The stories that form the backdrop to The Twisting Field were being told in Ireland as early as the 6th Century. They were collected and written down by Christian monks around the 11th Century in manuscripts now housed in various libraries in Ireland. The monks tried to obscure some of the pagan elements of the stories, including the fact that all of the characters were originally conceived as gods.

Each performance of The Twisting Field is slightly different because the storytellers create the story afresh each time, drawing upon the audience's reactions.