London’s literary scene hasn’t fully woken up after its Christmas and New Year slumbers, so we thought we’d tell you about some of the regular and interesting bookish nights to watch out for this year.

Firestation Book Swap

This irreverent evening of book chat, swapping and cake is based at the Firestation Arts Centre in Windsor, but for 2014 it gets a monthly home at Foyles on Charing Cross Road. Hosted by publisher/writer Scott Pack and novelist/comedy writer Marie Phillips, it’s one of our favourites. We’re still waiting to hear whether the Windsor tradition of free entry with homemade cake holds.

Stand Up And Slam

It’s comedians versus poets at this night hosted by Dan Simpson, at Shoreditch’s Comedy Cafe. Team captains Paul Sweeney (comedy) and Dan Simpson (poetry) are joined by guests in a head-to-head to find out which is best. It returns on 6 February (8pm), tickets cost £8.

Storytelling

There’s no shortage of storytelling for adults in London. Liars’ League takes place monthly at the Phoenix, and features actors telling new stories written specifically for the night. The next event is 11 February (7.30pm) and takes a theme of You & Me. Entry is £5, and you’ll also get the famous half-time book quiz. These next two are comedy-hybrids: Natural Born Storytellers happens monthly at the Camden Head with comedians telling themed tales. Tackling ‘broken promises’ on 15 January (7.30pm) are Jools Constant, Martha McBrier, Matt Price, James Paul Avery and host Michael Kossew – and it’s free! Storytellers’ Club is on a winter hiatus but will return with Sarah Bennetto introducing fantastic comedians and writers (recent guests include John Finnemore, Phil Kay and Felicity Ward).

Literary Death Match

Four writers. Three judges. Some readings. Some barbed comments. A couple of bizarre challenges that sometimes involve audience participation but definitely have nothing to do with writing. One winner. It’s fair to say Literary Death Match isn’t your usual spoken word night. Previous participants have included AL Kennedy, Mark Billingham, Ekow Eshun and Jon McGregor – definite heavyweights. The next bout doesn’t have a date yet, but will be in the next couple of months.

Book Slam

Book Slam is perhaps the Daddy of London’s literary event scene, more of a party than a sit-down reading session. The venue moves around but in London can usually be found either at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill or Clapham Grand, as is the case for the next night on 30 January with Jonathan Lethem, Dominic Frisby and host Felicity Ward (7.30pm, £6/£8). Want an advance taster? Listen to podcasts of previous events.

Bang Said The Gun

Anarchy rules at weekly stand-up poetry night Bang Said the Gun, held at the Roebuck pub near Borough station. Regulars Martin Galton, Rob Auton and Peter Hayhoe hold the fort, plus two invited poets and an open mic contest. Gigs start again on 16 January (8pm, £7/£5) and future guests include Hollie McNish, Musa Okwonga and Emma Jones. We’re also very fond of their first anthology.

London Liming

The Caribbean comes to Bethnal Green Road when London Liming hits Rich Mix. A mash-up of words, music and dancing, company Tilt secures brilliant spoken word guests like John Agard, Patience Agbabi and Adam Kammerling, plus DJs and general partying.

Homework

We have much love for Homework, a sort of themed work-in-progress night for poets Luke Wright, Ross Sutherland, Joe Dunthorne, Tim Clare and John Osborne. Taking place at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, it’s fun, funny and contains more than occasional flashes of genius. Plans are afoot for new nights from spring.

Photo by Andrew Smith from the Londonist Flickr pool.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Thursday 16 January

Three traditional fairytales are getting a darkly comic retelling at The Space on Westferry Road until 18 January. £9 / £7, 7.30pm / 2.30pm Sat matinee

Writers Kate Mayfield, Wendy Wallace and Essie Fox talk stories of death and destiny, the Victorian way of death and Kensal Green Cemetery at the place itself. £7 including gin cocktail, 6.30pm

Mr Gee and Tom Hyatt join the Bang Said the Gun regulars at the Roebuck in SE1 for a night of stand up poetry. £7 / £5, 8pm

Scott Pack and Marie Phillips host the Firestation Book Swap in Windsor with guests Gareth Roberts and William Sutton. Take a book to swap and it’s free to get with homemade cake. £5, 7.45pm

Friday 17 January

Mark “Mr T” Thompson and Sarah Thompson host Lipped Ink at the Poetry Cafe, with guests and open mic. £5, 7.30pm

Saturday 18 January

Hear some poems by Rudyard Kipling at Keats House. Free, 3pm

Lucy Hughes-Hallet reveals the unknown Charlotte Bronte in a day-long seminar at Waterstones Piccadilly. £99, 10am-5pm

Sunday 19 January

Bedford poets Dick Hancock, Sarah Davies, Zakia Carpenter Hall and Ian McEwen are at Torriano Poets in Kentish Town. £5 / £3, 7.30pm

Monday 20 January

Ladeez Do Comics presents  Isabel Greenberg, Penelope Mendonca and Dr Geraldine Perriam at Foyles Charing Cross Road. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

Take your poems, flash fiction and random bits of prose to the Poetry Cafe for the Farrago SLAM! hosted by John Paul O’Neill, with Greta Bellamacina, Isabel del Rio, Mike Galsworthy, Alison Hector-Rooms, Ben Jacobs, Celia Morris and more. £6 / £5, 7.30pm

Tuesday 21 January

Louise Doughty talks about and signs copies of her latest novel, Apple Tree Yard, at West End Lane Books. Book by emailing info@welbooks.co.uk or calling 020 7431 3770. Free, 7.30pm

Malika Booker hosts Architects of Our Republic at Woolwich Centre Library, with films commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have A Dream speech and a guest performance from Rachel Long. Free, 7pm

Crime writer Peter May is at Waterstones Piccadilly talking about his new novel Entry Island. £5 / £3, 6.30pm

Niall O’Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe‘s weekly open mic night, Poetry Unplugged. £5 / £4, 7.30pm

Go to the issue 9 launch of Ariadne’s Thread in Richmond, with readings and prize giving. Free, 7.30pm

Join Hazel Frew, William Palmer, Deirdre Shanahan and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch for the launch of new Rack Press pamphlets, in Covent Garden. Free, 7pm

Acumen Magazine comes to the Lumen Poetry Series, with Leah Fritz, Williams Nkurunziza, Ruth O’Callaghan, David Perman and Michael Swan. £5 / £4, 7pm

Lucinda Hawksley is at Kensington Central Library talking about her biography of Princess Louise. £5 / £3, 6.30pm

Wednesday 22 January

Joelle Taylor hosts Jawdance at Rich Mix, with guest Mab Jones and open mic. Free, 7.30pm

Brilliant poet/comedian/musician Liz Bentley and writer/performer Caroline Smith are louche women performing at the Poetry Cafe. £7 / £5, 8pm

Jeremy Seabrook talks about his new book, Pauperland: Poverty and the Poor in Britain, at Housmans. £3, 7pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Christopher Fowler, at Polari on Friday

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Thursday 23 January

Debut novelists Tom Finch, Barbara Marsh, Anthea Nicholson, Saira Shah and Jack Wolf are reading from their books at Camden Working Men’s College. Free, 7pm

Matthew Gregory and Francesco Pacifico are at Foyles to help launch issue 9 of The White Review. Free, 6.30pm

Daunt Books has two events in different venues: in Marylebone Horatio Clare discusses his latest, Down to the Sea in Ships (£8, 7pm) while at Keats House Rachel Cooke looks at ten astonishing women of the 1950s (£5, 7pm)

Liam Williams, Will Adamsdale and more tell stories of buildings at excellent comedy venue/promoter Invisible Dot in King’s Cross. £10, 7.45pm

Brian Patten and Mary Murphy are Bang Said the Gun‘s guests, down in SE1. £7 / £5, 8pm

Salena Godden, Alan Johnson, Jonathan Dimbleby, Kate Fox and Stephen Kelman ask if a silver spoon is necessary to be a writer, at a Royal Society of Literature / First Story discussion – head to the Radisson Hotel in Bloomsbury. £10.90, 7pm

James Smythe and Tania Unsworth join the Post-Apocalyptic Book Club at Waterstones Piccadilly for the night. £5 / £3, 6.30pm

Friday 24 January

Words With Edge Festival starts at Red Door Studios in East Ham and runs until 31 January, featuring Hollie McNish, Slambassadors and more.

One of our favourite authors, Christopher Fowler heads the bill at Polari at the Southbank Centre, with Joelle Taylor, James Maker, Keith Jarrett and Anya Nyx. £5, 7.45pm

Harry Eyres and Peter Phillips join Hylda Sims for Fourth Friday at the Poetry Cafe. £7 / £5, 8pm

Saturday 25 January

Stella Duffy, David Almond and Rebecca Swirksy are guests at the Word Factory, rocking up at Waterstones Piccadilly. £12 / £8, 6pm

Karen McCarthy Woolf, Barbara Marsh, John McCullough, Martha Sprackland, Okey Nzelu, Stuart McKenzie and Anita Pati are guests at The Shuffle at the Poetry Cafe. £5 / £3, 7.30pm

Sunday 26 January

There’ll be a few places available on the door for Joe Dunthorne headlining at Keats House. Free, 2pm

Monday 27 January

Malika Booker hosts Architects of our Republic with protest/freedom songs from Charlie Dark in response to Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech, plus five specially commissioned poetry films. See it all at the Stephen Lawrence Centre in Deptford. Free, 6.30pm

Tuesday 28 January

Christopher Reid, Liane Strauss, Jacqueline Saphra, Richard O’Brien and more read at a launch of a pair of books of love poems inspired by Ovid, at the Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall. Free, 7pm

Courttia Newland, Julia Bell, Aidan Andrew Dun and Malcolm Bennett are among the guests at new night In Yer Ear, at the King and Queen pub in Fitzrovia. £1, 7.45pm

There’s more darkly comic fairytales from Retold at the Hen and Chickens Theatre until Saturday. £10, 7pm

Niall O’Sullivan hosts Poetry Unplugged open mic night at the Poetry Cafe. £5 / £4, 7.30pm

Wednesday 29 January

Jonathan Lethem talks to Benjamin Markovits about his new book Dissident Gardens, at the London Review Bookshop. £10, 7pm

Melissa Harrison and Stuart Evers are the guests at the Big Green Bookshop‘s Big Green Bookswap. £5, 7.30pm

Iain McKay looks at Kropotkin’s classic text Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution next to contemporary thinkers like Richard Dawkins, Stephen Jay Gould and Matt Ridley, at Housmans. £3, 7pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

The Putin Mystique by Anna Arutunyan. See left for details

Festivals

The Fairytale Festival continues daily until Saturday 1 February, with reworkings of traditional fairytales – including Little Red Hoodie – performed for a modern audience. £11.25, prebook, 7pm

The Words with Edge Festival continues until Friday 31 January.  Thursday is Theatre Thursday, which sees The Book Club of Little Witherington performed by  The Woodhouse Players, and Edinburgh Fringe comedian Joz Norris’s one man show Awkward Prophet. Friday is the festival closing celebration, with open mic night. Free, from 7pm

Thursday 30 January

Author Anna Arutunyan introduces her new novel, The Putin Mystique, at Waterstone’s Piccadilly, and will be answering audience questions. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

Crick Crack Club present Downright Rude, an evening of performance storytelling at Rich Mix from Tim Ralphs, Nell Phoenix and TUUP (The Unorthodox, Unprecedented Storyteller), with a theme of “international tales of naughtiness”. Not one for the prudish.  £8/£6, prebook, 7pm

Quarterly literary magazine Ambit launch their latest issue in Soho, including readings from poets Martyn Crucefix and Kita Shantiris. £5, just turn up, 7pm

Book Slam presents American fiction writer Jonathan Lethem introducing his new novel, Dissident Gardens, and comedian Dominic Frisby reading from the politically provoking Life after the State. £6/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

Professor of Renaissance Studies Lisa Jardine gives a talk at the Southbank Centre in memory of Shakespeare critic Frank Kermode, discussing how far his idea that Shakespeare is relevant to each generation is relevant today. £10, prebook (we think it’s going to be popular), 7.45pm

Stand up poetry evening Bang Said The Gun presents Phil Kay and Sophie Blackwell. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

RIP Nordic crime: here come the Poles. Join authors William Brodrick, Mariusz Czubaj, Anya Lipska, and Joanna Jodełka at Belgravia Books. Free, RSVP, 7pm

Friday 31 January

Come Rhyme With Me present their menu of London spoken word performers, consisting of Sarah Perry, Anthony Anaxagorou and Karim Kamar and Bella Spinks, kicked off with an open mic. £12.50, prebook, 7pm

Nutshell magazine host an open mic poetry night, including a reading from poet Ian McLachlan. £5, 7.30pm

Saturday 1 February

Award-winning novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah, is the latest voice of The Serpentine Gallery’s Bridge Commission Audio Walks. Free, until 4 February, listen here.

Sunday 2 February

Poet Patience Agbabi and “dub-poet” Linton Kwesi Johnson join forces at the Tricycle Theatre to share the poetry and prose that has inspired them. £16-26, prebook, 6.30pm

Inc Magazine’s Poetry Party will celebrate the launch of issue 6 and will have spoken word performances from Salena Godden, Emma Jones, Sam Berkson and more, as well as word games. £5/£4, 7.30pm

Torriano Poetry Meeting House has poetry reading from Jennifer Johnson, Richard Leigh, John Snelling and Murray Shelmerdine. £5/£3, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 3 February

Singer songwriter Tracey Thorn in conversation with writer and playwright Damian Barr at Kings Place. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

Exiled Lit Cafe presents the voices of three exiled Iranians through poetry, short stories and film, including the work of human rights activist and poet Esmail Khoi. £4/£2, just turn up, 7.30pm

Coffee-House Poetry host What We Should Have Said, an evening of spoken word performances and talks including poet Sean O’Brien and creative writing lecturer Vona Groarke. £8/£7, just turn up, 8pm

Tuesday 4 February

Author Jessica Hepburn is joined by actress Janet Ellis to launch her new book, The Pursuit of Motherhood, at Waterstones Covent Garden. Free, prebook, 6pm

American graphic novelist Paul Pope talks about his career, current projects, and the creative process at Foyles. Includes drawing demo, answering audience questions and book signings. £6+bf, prebook, 6.15pm

Illustrator Quentin Blake – known for his work in Roald Dahl’s book – talks about his work illustrating books, and more recently, public spaces such as hospitals and museums. £20 (talk only), prebook, 7.30pm

Beyond Words presents poets Matthew Caley and Kirstyn Brook reading their latest work, followed by an open mic.  £4/£3, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 5 February

The Poet is a Boxer looks at the world of boxing through poetry by Gabriele Tinti and S.J. Fowler, as well as film and musical interpretations. Free, prebook, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Stand Up And Slam at The Poetry Cafe. Details below.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

The Devil’s Purse at Soho Theatre. Details below

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Sir Quentin Blake at Southbank Centre. See below for details.

Ongoing events

Jewish Book Week takes place at Kings Place from 22 February-2 March. Speakers include Alain de Botton and Josh Cohen. For full programme, click here.

The London School of Economics Space For Thought Literary Festival is on 24 February-1 March, with a theme of Reflections. Featured authors include Michael Rosen and Sebastian Faulks. For full programme, click here.

From Page To Stage Festival continues until 9 March, featuring musical and film adaptations.

Thursday 20 February

Waterstones Hampstead presents An Evening with Ben Watt, author of Romany and Tom, a look at the lives of his parents in the West End from the 1950s onwards. £6/£4, prebook, 7pm

Write It: Mic It takes place at Hackney Picturehouse. Actors, writers, comedians, sketch groups and musicians are given the opportunity to try out new material, or just sit back and watch the performances by others. £4, prebook, 7.30pm

Stand Up And Slam‘s regular performance poetry vs. stand-up comedy event takes place at The Comedy Cafe with six comedians and poets going head to head throughout three rounds, with the audience choosing the winner. £8+bf, prebook, 8pm

Anthony Anaxagorou and Emma Jones are the guests at Bang Said the Gun. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 21 February

The Poetry Cafe hosts Dodo Modern Poets, an evening of performance poetry from Patric Cunnane, Emile Sercombe and Amy McAllister.  £7/£6, prebook, 8pm 

Saturday 22 February

The Word Factory takes over Waterstones Piccadilly for an evening of readings and conversation with writers Toby Litt, Holly Dawson, Alex Preston and Cathy Galvin. £12/£8, prebook, 6pm

Sunday 23 February

Illustrator Sir Quentin Blake leads the Southbank Centre‘s celebrations of 50 years since the publication of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, recounting his tales of working with the famous author. For age 8+. £12/£6, prebook, 2pm

Monday 24 February

The Bloomsbury Institute hosts a Poetry Slam with performance poets AF Harrold and Brian Conaghan as team captains at the Water Poet pub, Spitalfields. £10/£7/£6+bf, prebook, 6.30pm

Tuesday 25 February

Big Green Bookshop hosts Hamid Ismailov, author of The Dead Lake, as part of this year’s Peirene Experience by Peirene Press. £3, prebook, 7pm

Niall O’Sullivan hosts Poetry Unplugged open mic night at the Poetry Cafe. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Historian Kate Williams talks about her new book Josephine: Desire, Ambition, Napoleon at the London Jewish Cultural Centre. £12, prebook, 8pm

Wednesday 26 February

Who should be crowned as Queen of English Literature? Professor John Mullan fights Jane Austen’s corner while author Kate Mosse argues for Emily Brontë in this debate at the Royal Geographical Society. £30, prebook, 6.45pm 

Cafe of Good Hope in Hither Green hosts Rainbow Readings, an evening of literature forming part of LGBT History Month. Money raised goes to the Jimmy Mizen Foundation. £3+bf, prebook, 7pm

Annexe Magazine hosts a double launch at Candid Arts Trust. Tom Chivers launches his poem Flood Plain, which is released as a limited edition two-tone pamphlet, and SJ Fowler launches his poem, Whale Hunt. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Paradise Press launches two new titles by gay authors, Christopher Preston and David Gee, as part of LGBT History Month celebrations. Takes place at Housmans. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Open mic night Jawdance takes place at Rich Mix, giving the public a chance to test out new poetry material. Also includes screenings of poetry film-shorts. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm 

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

The Emma Press Anthology Of Motherhood. Details Below.

Ongoing events

Jewish Book Week takes place at Kings Place from 22 February to 2 March. Speakers include Alain de Botton and Josh Cohen. For full programme, click here.

The London School of Economics Space For Thought Literary Festival runs 24 February-1 March, with a theme of Reflections. Featured authors include Michael Rosen and Sebastian Faulks. For full programme, click here.

From Page To Stage Festival continues until 9 March, featuring musical and film adaptations.

Thursday 27 February

This month’s Book Slam at The Tabernacle in Ladbroke Grove features comic novelist Gary Shteyngart, author Sheila Heti and live music from Jake Isaac. £8, prebook, 7.30pm

Dulwich Books hosts an evening with two up and coming writers. Helen Oyeyemi discusses her fifth novel Boy, Snow, Bird; Naomi Wood talks about her new book, Mrs Hemingway, which examines the real love life of the famous author. £4, prebook, 7pm

Londoner and author Christopher Fowler chats about his second memoir, Film Freak, at Gay’s The Word. It follows on from his first book, Paperboy, and takes a close look at the British Film Industry. And — having read it — we can confirm that it’s a real treat for movie buffs. £2, just turn up, 7pm

Out Of Print in Canada Water looks at the relationship between writers and their fictional characters, through an interactive experience that is part soundscape, part performance. Pay what you can, prebook, 8.30pm

The Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall hosts the launch party of The Emma Press Anthology of Motherhood, a collection of poems on the topic of being a mother, and The Held and the Lost. Includes readings from many of the contributors. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Musa Okwonga and Amy Acre are the guests at Bang Said the Gun at the Roebuck, SE1. £7 / £5, 8pm

Friday 28 February

Spoken word meets food at Come Rhyme With Me, an evening with a Caribbean theme, where performers are matched to a course of the meal. Includes poetry, performance, singing and rap. £7.50/£12.50, prebook, 7pm

Gideon Lewis-Kraus is at London Review Bookshop to talk about his memoir, A Sense of Direction, which covers the themes of pilgrimage, writing and reconciliation. £10, prebook, 7pm

Saturday 1 March

Afternoon Poems at Keats House has a theme of Romantics and Dreams this week, and features readings and performances of poems by Keats, Shelley, Byron and others. £5/£3, just turn up, 3pm

Sunday 2 March

Torriano Meeting House hosts a poetry reading featuring Stephen Elves and Josephine Corcoran, introduced by Lisa Kelly. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm 

Monday 3 March

London Transport Museum hosts London Stories Live, where three authors talk about their London-focused books. Mark Mason walked the entire length of the Underground system, Hannah Velten looks at the history of animals in London (and wrote our book of the year 2013) and Travis Elborough collected London diary entries from Tudor times to the present day. £10/£8, prebook, 6.30pm

Brixton Book Jam welcomes three authors from Japan to The Hootannny, ahead of the Tokyo Literature Festival, followed by readings from local writers. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

Coffee House Poetry introduce poets from Faber Academy, introduced by tutors Jo Shapcott and Daljit Nagra. £8/£7, just turn up, 8pm

Tuesday 4 March

If you missed Ben Watt talking about his new book Romany and Tom at Waterstone’s last week, catch him at Lutyens & Rubinstein this week. £8, prebook, 7pm

Local author Joseph Connolly discusses his new book, The A-Z Of Eating Out, at Waterstone’s Hampstead. The book takes a light-hearted and humorous look at dining out and about. £4/£6, prebook, 7pm

Hammer & Tongue‘s renowned poetry slam event returns to Hysteria in Dalston. This month’s guest is Ben Mellor. £5/£4, just turn up, 7pm

The Book Club in Shoreditch hosts The Special Relationship, a spoken word evening featuring author Niven Govinden, visual artist George Butler and TV personality Phill Jupitus. £5+bf, prebook, 7.30pm

Wednesday 5 March

Author Dave Eggers signs copies of his latest novel, The Circle, at Foyles Charing Cross. The book takes a satirical look at powerful internet and technology companies through the eyes of a new employee. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

Claudia Jessop launches her latest poetry collection with Cinnamon Press at the Poetry Cafe. 7pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Literary Lunch with author Frances Osborne. Details below.

Festivals

From Page To Stage Festival continues until 9 March, featuring musical and film adaptations.

SLOVO Russian Literature Festival, the only such festival outside of Russia, runs from 8-23 March, with a variety of events taking place throughout this time. Some events are held entirely in Russian with no translation provided, so if the Russian language is not your forte, check before you book.

On 8-9 March, the British Library hosts The Folio Prize Fiction Festival, featuring the work of English language writers from around the world, and with speakers including Mark Haddon, Sebastian Faulks and Tessa Hadley.

Thursday 6 March

Newham Bookshop hosts author Adam Foulds at Wanstead Library, talking about his latest book, In The Wolf’s Mouth, which explores the lives of several soldiers in North Africa and Sicily. £5, prebook, 7pm

Tom Rob Smith is renowned in the crime fiction world, and today he talks to crime reviewer John O’Connell about writing the book, the background to it, and what’s next. Takes place at Dulwich Books, West Dulwich. £10, prebook, 7pm

Literary journalist and academic John Mullan investigates the mysteries and trivialities of Jane Austen’s novels, with audience participation encouraged. Takes place at literary haven Keats House. £5, prebook, 7pm

Ambit magazine hosts a literary evening at Karamel in Wood Green as part of Haringey Literature Live. Listen to readings by the current editors, including Helen Gordon, contributing editor and author of Landfall, and put your questions to the editors afterwards, plus a chance to buy back issues of the magazine. Free, just turn up, 7pm 

Genesis Cinema hosts a live Poetry Slam, which sees poetry and spoken word performers go head to head with the audience voting for the winner. Free, prebook, 7pm 

Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly poetry slam takes place at The Roebuck in Great Dover Street tonight, with guests Inua Ellams and Gemma Rogers, plus an open mic spot giving you a chance to win your own slot at the next event. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Literary Death Match takes place at Concrete in Shoreditch. Not familiar with the concept? Four authors read their work for a short period of time, and are then appraised by judges including Peter Rosengard, author of Talking To Strangers, with two finalists going head to head in a literary game. £6/£8, prebook, 8pm

Friday 7 March

Monthly poetry night Burn After Reading takes place tonight at Gallery Café in Bethnal Green. Hosted by a group of young local poets, this month is a collaboration with Birmingham Beatroots collective and featuring Spoz and Jacob Sam-La Rose. £3, just turn up, 7pm 

An evening of storytelling for adults takes place tonight, with a night of unexpected tales for adults at The Tea Box. £6, just turn up, 8pm

Saturday 8 March

Keats House hosts Writing For Women’s Rights, an International Women’s Day event in which poet Laila Sumpton discusses how we can use poetry as a tool to highlight gender equality and women’s rights issues. £10/£8, prebook, 1.30pm  

Sunday 9 March

Jazz Verse Jukebox takes place at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and combines spoken word with live jazz. Includes an open mic spot. £8, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 10 March

London’s quarterly erotic literary soiree, Velvet Tongue, takes place at Bar Kick in Shoreditch tonight, with poetry from Amy Acre, and an open mic. £5/£3, just turn up, 7.30pm

Tuesday 11 March

First Story hosts a literary lunch with author Frances Osborne, who discusses her first novel, Park Lane. Proceeds go to First Story, who organise literary projects in UK secondary schools. £60+bf, prebook, 12pm

Germaine Greer’s decade-long mission of rebuilding a corner of the rainforest in her native Australia is chronicled in her new book, White Beech: The Rainforest Years. Tonight at Bloomsbury Institute, she talks about the book and the experience. £25/£10+bf, prebook, 6.30pm

At Waterstone’s Hampstead, Maajid Nawaz discusses his autobiographical book, Radical, which chronicles his journey from Islamic extremism to democratic awakening. £4/£6, prebook, 7pm

Drink Shop Do hosts a Speakeasy evening, incorporating readings from up-and-coming authors including James Dawson and Sophie Lovett and stories invented against the clock along a theme chosen by the audience. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Liars League takes place at The Phoenix on Cavendish Square. Listen to stories along the theme of Truth & Dare, and take part in the famous half-time book quiz. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 12 March

Fancy yourself as a writer? Southbank Centre’s flash fiction event StorySLAM:Live returns, with a theme of ‘musicality’. Bring your five minute story along and perform it for a chance to impress the industry judges. £8+bf, prebook, 7.45pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Karen Joy Fowler speaks about her new book at Southbank Centre.

Festivals

SLOVO Russian Literature Festival, the only such festival outside of Russia, runs from 8-23 March, with a variety of events taking place throughout this time. Some events are held entirely in Russian with no translation provided, so if the Russian language is not your forte, check before you book.

Thursday 13 March

Waterstones Gower Street celebrate the centenary of the birth of William S. Burroughs this evening with his biographer, Barry Miles, in conversation with Michael Horovitz. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

Turner Prize winning artist Susan Philipsz appears at Somerset House tonight, in conversation with Steven Connor, Professor of English at University of Cambridge. Signed copies of her new book, You Are Not Alone, will be available to purchase. £7/£5, prebook, 6.30pm

Author Lucy Hughes-Hallett heads to Daunt Books in Marylebone to talk about her book The Pike, a biography of Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio. £8, prebook, 7pm

Camden Working Men’s College celebrates women in this evening dedicated to five female authors. Irma Kurtz, Suzi Feay, Susana Medina, Elisa Segrave and Isabel Wolff all perform readings from their books. Free, prebook, 7pm

Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry night hosts Porky The Poet (Phil Jupitus) and Tim Wells, plus an open mic spot. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Stand Up And Slam at The Comedy Cafe sees poets take on comedians head to head. £8+bf, prebook, 8pm

Czech Centre London host a staged reading of Emil Hakl’s debut novel Sabrina Black’s Intimate Box at Courtyard Theatre. In Czech with English subtitles. £7/£5, prebook, 8pm

Friday 14 March

At Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green, award-winning author Leilah Nadir launches her new book, The Orange Trees Of Baghdad, which has been recommended by Noam Chomsky. Free, prebook, 7pm

Saturday 15 March

The Poetry School is hosting a day-long poetry festival consisting of eight mini lectures and eight micro-workshops. Themes include The Poem Noir and The Poetry of Polar Exploration. £69, prebook, 10am

The Enemies Project at Rich Mix sees contemporary Danish and British poets collaborating to perform literary poetry readings. Featuring Morten Sondergaard, Cia Rinne, Martin Glaz Serup, SJ Fowler and Peter Jaeger. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Join Liz Bentley and Caroline Smith at the Poetry Cafe for a night of Louche Women. £7 / £5, just turn up, 8pm

Sunday 16 March

Word 4 Word, a live poetry and music event hosted by Kat Francois, takes place at Theatre Royal, Stratford East. This month includes Rhythm Of Men, an exciting and innovative three man performance poetry group. Free, just turn up, 7pm

This week’s Sunday Poetry Reading at Torriano Meeting House features Alan Price, Louise Warren and Claire Booker, introduced by Lisa Kelly. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 17 March

Somerset House hosts The Chronicler Of Ferrara. Peter Parker chairs a conversation between novelist Paul Bailey, who wrote and presented two BBC radio documentaries about Bassani, and poet Jamie McKendrick, who is translating Il Romanzo Di Ferrara for Penguin Modern Classics.£8/£5, prebook, 7pm

Karen Joy Fowler, author of worldwide bestseller The Jane Austen Book Club, speaks at Southbank Centre about her new novel, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. £10, prebook, 7.45pm

Polari at Southbank Centre is a platform for emerging LGBT literary talent. Today’s performers include Maureen Duffy, Angela Clerkin, Andrew Asibong, Carl Stanley and Nicolas Collins. £5, prebook, 7.45pm

The end of Coffee House Poetry‘s current season is heralded with an evening along the theme of Wake-Up Call. £8/£7, just turn up, 8pm

Tuesday 18 March

Three female authors will be discussing 18th Century Women: Prostitutes, Poets, Feminists, Firebrands with regards to their own books, at The Doodle Bar in Battersea. £10, prebook, 6.30pm

Lutyens & Rubinstein hosts Rebecca Mead in conversation with Fernanda Eberstadt about The Road to Middlemarch, Mead’s book about her relationship with novel Middlemarch. £8, prebook, 7pm

Head to Waterstones Hampstead to hear author Rita Goldberg talking about her novel, Motherland: Growing Up With The Holocaust. £4/£6, prebook, 7pm

Waterstones Piccadilly hosts an evening with Ben MacIntyre, author of A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

American poet Loren Kleinman visits Big Green Bookshop to discuss her new poetry book, The Dark Cave Between My Ribs. Free, prebook, 7pm

Niall O’Sullivan hosts open mic night Poetry Unplugged at the Poetry Cafe. £5 / £4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 19 March

The poets of New Poetries V reunite at London Review Bookshop to read from their new volumes. £10, prebook, 7pm

Housmans hosts a free debate to discuss women’s representation and experiences in the art world. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Natural Born Storytellers takes place at Camden Head, a perfect opportunity for those who believe they were born to share their stories with the world. The theme is Five Minutes of Fame. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

Poetry and spoken word meet over an open mic at Paper Tiger Poetry, hosted by Alain English at the victorian Tea House Theatre. £6, just turn up, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Intense – Olwen Fouéré in riverrun (credit Colm Hogan)

A performance described as a ‘sound-dance’ could go one of two ways. It could be a quirky piece of theatre that is uniquely brilliant. Or it could be one of those moments where, despite your greatest efforts to engage with the material, you find yourself at sea.

Of course, this could be the exact point of ‘riverrun’, an adaptation of the voice of the river in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. “The river life generates a powerful transformative energy as she dissolves into the great ocean of time” promises the sell-in material. In practice, what we have is an admirable 70 minute solo performance from Irish theatre-maker Olwen Fouéré, a silver haired firebrand of a stage presence, who whooshes her coat menacingly and inflects a mostly English language speech with eccentric words and foghorn noises. It’s not an experience to forget. We let the words such as ‘bug cotton falump trampa trampa’ wash over our ears while staring at the Dalek-like stage lights on the ceiling (not looking at the stage was a strangely effective way of getting into the mood).

Hard though it is to compare this performance to anything, and tough to put an opinion without having read Finnegans Wake, we’d still hazard that there is limited power in performing a fictional river through sound alone. Wind noises blown into the microphone got a bit repetitive after the first time round and we were disappointed there was little evocation of the river itself, visually. Stephen Dodd’s crafty lighting did cast intriguing shadows, however – Olwen’s slight figure became twin trolls inhabiting a Hobbit-like river underworld. But overall, the experience was a bit like wandering into a Martian language lecture where the tutor glares at you, evoking feelings of guilt and inadequacy for not understanding. We enjoyed the playfulness of the National Theatre, asking us to chalk up our most meaningful words on a blackboard in the foyer; the words ‘sod’ and ‘bron’ providing a suitably Tolkienesque full stop to the evening.

riverrun is at The Shed, the National Theatre, until 22 March. Tickets £12 / £22

Londonist saw this show on a complimentary review ticket.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Hip Hop Shakespeare comes to Southbank Centre.

Thursday 20 March

BEDSIT DISCO QUEEN: Waterstones Hampstead host An Evening with Tracey Thorn, author of Bedsit Disco Queen. See Tracey in conversation with Andrew Collins. £6/£4, prebook, 7pm

LONDON PICTURES: The Gentle Author, who produces Londonist favourite Spitalfields Life, heads to Daunt Books in Marylebone to show images from his new book, London Album, which contrasts historical and contemporary images of London. Right up our street. £8, prebook, 7pm

LEARN TO PERFORM: Want to move into performance poetry, or improve your public speaking generally? Veteran actress Eve Pearce is holding a workshop, Learn To Do Your Poems Justice, at Torriano Meeting House, to help people improve their projection and stage presence. £12, prebook, 7pm

SOMALI POETRY: The Mosaic Rooms in Kensington hosts Somali Sunrise, a night of music, poetry and film screenings. The event is led by Somali hip hop group Waayaha Cusub, whose work aims to guide young people away from extremism.  Free, prebook, 7pm 

UP AND COMING: Head to Southbank Centre for the regular Scratch Mixer, where specially chosen up-and-coming poets and spoken word artists perform their work. We’re particularly intrigued by London Nocturn: A Rhapsody by Lloyd Ryan-Thomas. £5+bf, prebook, 7pm

THATCHER READING: Stonewall Writer Of The Year Damian Barr reads from Maggie & Me, a book about Margaret Thatcher’s life and legacy, at West End Lane Books in West Hampstead. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

TONGUE FU: Poets, storytellers, comedians and writers all perform against live soundtracks at Tongue Fu at Rich Mix. Guests include stand-up poet Laurie Bolger. £8/£6, prebook. 7.30pm

THEMED STORIES: Stories by The Invisible Dot sees poets, writers and speakers from across the country come together to share stories on a specific theme.  Tonight’s performers include Tom Allen and Shon Dale-Thomas. £10, prebook, 7.45pm

STAND-UP POETRY:Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry shindig takes place at The Roebuck and this week features Luke Wright and Talia Randall. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 21 March

AUTHOR DISCUSSION: Waterstones Piccadilly hosts bestselling author Anita Shreve in conversation with Viv Groskop about her new psychological mystery novel, The Lives of Stella Bain. £5/£3, prebook, 6pm

MAG LAUNCH: Literary mag The Alarmist launches its fourth issue with top live comedy, spoken word and DJs. Takes place at The Star of Kings near Kings Cross. £6/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Saturday 22 March

HAIKU: Haiku lovers, head to the Poetry Cafe for HaikuJAM, an afternoon of collaborative Haiku writing. Open to beginners and experienced Haiku writers. Free, prebook, 3pm

NEW POETRY:  Lipped Ink is a monthly event at the Poetry Cafe with an open mic and featured poet. Hosted by Mark Thompson, founder of The Cultural Chameleon Press, and Sarah Thompson. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

Sunday 23 March

FREE POETRY: Head to Keats House for a free afternoon of poetry performances set to a musical melody. Upcoming artists also have a chance to showcase their work. Free, prebook, 2pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s Sunday Poetry Reading at Torriano Meeting House features David Cooke and Sue Aldred, introduced by Peter Phillips. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm 

STORIES: Hidden Story Symposium at JW3 explores hidden stories and the impact they have on wider society. Panelists are Prof Stephen Frosh, Richard Goldstein, Leya Landau and Amichai Lau-Lavie. £15/£7.50, prebook, 7.30pm

Monday 24 March

STARTING TODAY: Head to Southbank Centre to hear Black Roses: The Killing Of Sophie Lancaster read aloud. The play, written by Simon Armitage, tells the real story of 20 year old Sophie Lancaster who was killed because she dressed differently. On until 28 March. £12, prebook, 7pm

ALAN TITCHMARSH: Orion Books have partnered up with Kings Place to bring us Fanny Blake, author of The Secrets Women Keep, interviewing Alan Titchmarsh, who will be discussing his new novel Bring Me Home. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

ROOM: Emma Donoghue talks to John Mullan about her award winning novel, Room, at Kings Place. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

Tuesday 25 March

BOOK SWAP: Foyles on Charing Cross Road host the Firestation Book Swap with Scott Pack and Marie Phillips. Bring along a book, eat cake, ask questions, leave with another book. Sounds good, no? Guest authors Nick Harkaway and Matt Rudd will also be present. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

AUTHOR TALK: Ben Macintyre, best-selling author of Operation Mincemeat and Double Cross, visits Lutyens Rubinstein to talk about his latest thriller, A Spy Among Friends. £8, prebook, 7pm

POETRY UNPLUGGED: The Poetry Cafe hosts Poetry Unplugged, a weekly open mic night. Anyone is welcome to sign up. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

POETRY/COMEDY: Poetry meets comedy in Rob Auton’s The Sky Show at Leicester Square Theatre,  a show all about, er, the sky. Also on tomorrow. £7/£6, prebook, 9pm

Wednesday 26 March

POETRY WARS: Drop by the Poetry Cafe to see Stanza Bonanza, a poetry stand-off. This week, Clapham vs. Colchester. Free, just turn up, 7pm

MODERN SHAKESPEARE: The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company presents Richard II LIVE at Southbank Centre, a medley of songs adapted from the scenes and themes of William Shakespeare’s Richard II. Also on tomorrow. £12, prebook, 7.45pm

FREE POETRY: Kat Francois hosts Jawdance at Rich Mix, with guest poet Naga MC and open mic. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

David Nicholls appears at North London Lit Fest
Photograph: © Kristofer Samuelsson

Festivals

Daunt Books Spring Festival takes place 27-28 March at the Marylebone shop. Several events are taking place including author talks, a waking book club, and events for kids. Prebook individual events via the website.

Cityread London 2014 takes place throughout April, with events including workshops, quizzes, film screenings, competitions and more. See the website for events schedule.

North London Lit Fest takes place 2-3 April. Authors in attendance include David Nicholls and Tom Chivers, plus up and coming writers will have a chance to participate in a speed-pitching session. See website for full programme.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Alexei Sayle talks about his autobiography, Stalin Ate My Homework.

Festivals

Cityread London 2014 takes place throughout April, with events including workshops, quizzes, film screenings, competitions and more. See the website for events schedule.

North London Lit Fest takes place 2-3 April. Authors in attendance include David Nicholls and Tom Chivers, plus up and coming writers will have a chance to participate in a speed-pitching session. See website for full programme.

Thursday 3 April

CANADIAN LITERATURE: Canadian short story authors Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant talk at the Canadian High Commission, chaired by Dr. Catherine Bates, research Fellow in English. Free, prebook, 10.30am

BOOK LAUNCH: First time author Timur Vernes launches his book, Look Who’s Back, about the celebrity media obsession. At Waterstones London Wall. £3, prebook, 6pm

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR: Eleanor Catton, youngest ever winner of the Man Booker prize, is interviewed by Robert MacFarlane at Union Chapel. £12/£9, prebook, 6pm. Can’t make tonight? Eleanor Catton is heading to Kings Place on Tuesday — details below.

SLAM!: The Farrago Showcase and Haiku SLAM! is at the Poetry Cafe, with visiting New York poet Tantra Zawadi, Niall O’Sullivan, Anna Kahn, Marlon Balraj, Sophie Rammy and John Paul O’Neill. £6 / £5, 8pm

LOCAL INTEREST: Head to Swiss Cottage Library to hear author David Burke talk about his new book, The Lawn Road Flats, which tells the story of the local landmark and the people drawn to it. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

MAGAZINE LAUNCH: Head to Dogstar in Brixton for the launch of the second issue of hybrid art magazine Verse Kraken. Includes readings from contributors such as Alex Dally MacFarlane and Yvonne Reddick. £2/£1, just turn up, 7pm

POETRY VS. COMEDY: The comedians take on the poets at another Stand Up And Slam face-off at the Comedy Cafe. Team leaders are Dan Simpson (Canterbury Poet Laureate) and Paul Sweeney (Doc Brown tour support). Is it a comedy night? Or is is a poetry reading? Who knows. £8, prebook, 8pm

STAND-UP POETRY: Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry shindig takes place at The Roebuck in Borough and this week features Bohdan Piasecki and Francesca Beard. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 4 April

POETRY CAFE: Lipped Ink is a monthly event at The Poetry Cafe with poetry open mic slots and a featured poet. Hosted by Mark “Mr T” Thompson, founder of The Cultural Chameleon Press and Sarah Thompson. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

POETRY PALOOZA: Big Green Bookshop’s Poetry Palooza is hosted by performance poet Anne Meryt and also features poet Kate B Hall, actress Eve Pearce, and more. £3, prebook, 8pm 

STORYTELLING FOR ADULTS: The Tea Box in Richmond hosts a storytelling event, and evening of tales for adults with unexpected twists. £6, prebook, 8pm

Saturday 5 April

THEATRE BOOK SIGNING: Twitter celebrity and theatre critic, West End Producer, will be at the National Theatre Book Shop on South Bank signing copies of his book, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Acting (But Were Afraid to Ask, Dear). Free, just turn up, 1-3pm

KEATS POETRY: Keats House hosts an afternoon of poems along the themes of love and death, two topics often linked by Keats himself. Includes extracts from his letters and narrative poems such as Isabella and Lamia. Free, just turn up, 3pm

Sunday 6 April

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s Sunday Poetry Reading at Torriano Meeting House features Anna Selby and Hannah Lowe. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 7 April

SHELF HELP: Words on Monday at Kings Place hosts Shelf Help with Tim Parks, with the author discussing his book Teach Us To Sit Still, which he wrote after overcoming illness. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

DAWN O’PORTER: Television presenter and journalist Dawn O’Porter will be in conversation with Glamour magazine editor Jo Elvin, discussing her novels Paper Aeroplanes and Goose. Takes place at Waterstones Piccadilly. £3/£4, prebook, 7pm

STORYTELLING: Best Of Spark London gives a handpicked group of London-based storytellers a chance to perform at the Canal Cafe Theatre. All artists have performed previously at open mic nights around London. £8, prebook, 7.30pm

INTERNATIONAL POETRY: Exiled Writers Ink is a monthly gathering of writers exiled from their homeland with featured performances, hosted by Jennifer Langer. Takes place at The Poetry Cafe. £4/£2, just turn up, 7.30pm

Tuesday 8 April

WRITING TIPS: Southbank Centre Creative Writing School hosts a session on female crime writers. Lesley Thomson, author of The Detective’s Daughter, offers tips on writing detective fiction. £15, prebook, 6.30pm

AUTHOR MINGLING: Literati gives the public a chance to interact with leading authors in an elegant setting at Grosvenor House. This month’s author is Santa Montefiore who will present her new novel, Secrets of the Lighthouse, ahead of its UK release. £20, prebook, 6.30pm

KINGS PLACE: Following on from her appearance at Union Chapel on Thursday, author Eleanor Catton speaks at Guardian Review Book Club at Kings Place. The event is hosted by John Mullan, professor of English at UCL. £9.50/£11.50, prebook, 7pm

COOKBOOK LAUNCH: London Review Bookshop celebrates the publication of The Bloomsbury Cookbook, giving an insight into the world of the Bloomsbury group. £25, prebook, 7pm

COOKBOOK SAMPLING: Diana Henry talks about her new cookbook, A Change Of Appetite, at Waterstones Hampstead. Plus samples from her recipes will be available to try. £5, prebook, 7pm

CRIME FICTION: Crime fiction author Donna Leon talks about her latest novel, By Its Cover, at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

SPEAKEASY: Drink Shop Do in Kings Cross host a Speakeasy evening, with stories performed against the clock, on a theme chosen by the audience. Authors attending include Essie Fox, Naomi Wood, Jason Hewitt and Claire McGowan. Free, just turn up, from 7pm

POETRY UNPLUGGED: The Poetry Cafe hosts Poetry Unplugged, a weekly open mic night. Anyone is welcome to sign up. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

SHAKESPEARE STORIES: Liars League takes place at The Phoenix on Cavendish Square. Listen to stories along the theme of Sling And Arrows (to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth), and take part in the famous half-time book quiz. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 9 April

CHARITY TALK:  Novel and short fiction writer Kate Mosse gives a talk at Cadogan Hall, followed by a Q&A session. All proceeds go to the Parkinson’s Society. 11am

PHOTOGRAPHY: To celebrate the third volume of their Photobook series, Martin Parr and Gerry Badger are in conversation at Foyles on Charing Cross Road. £3, prebook, 6.30pm

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL TALK: At Housmans, author Alexei Sayle talks about his autobiography, Stalin Ate My Homework, recounting growing up within a Jewish atheist communist family in Liverpool. Followed by a Q&A session. £3, just turn up, 7pm

WOMEN WRITERS: Loose Muse is an event for female writers of all genres, with an open mic spot. At Poetry Cafe. £5/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

A celebration of the work of PG Wodehouse at Kings Place

Festivals

Cityread London 2014 takes place throughout April, with events including workshops, quizzes, film screenings, competitions and more. See the website for events schedule.

London Metropolitan Archive’s Spring Festival takes place 11- 12 April with writing workshops, performances,  and author readings including Meltem Arikan, Catherine Webb, Chris Fowler and Mike Carey. £15/£25 (extra charge for some events), prebook.

Thursday 10 April

WINE AND WRITING: Beyond Retro in Dalston is hosting a wine-tasting and creative writing evening, led by wine expert Carlo Lupori and guest writer Rob Self-Pierson. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

HOUSMANS FUNDRAISER: There is a fundraising event for Housman’s Bookshop featuring artists, authors and activists at Surya on Pentonville Rd. £5, prebook, 7pm

TOLSTOY MYSTERY: Writer and journalist Pavel Basinksy talks about his book Flight From Paradise, which  looks at why writer Leo Tolstoy fled from his home shortly before his death. Takes place at Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, prebooking essential, 7pm

BOOK LAUNCH: Waterstones Hampstead hosts the launch of Hermione Eyre’s debut novel Viper Wine, about 17th century Britain. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

FOODIE AUTHOR TALKS: Three authors discuss their foodie-themed books at Daunt Books in Marylebone. Helena Attlee talks about The Land Where Lemons Grow, Pen Vogler discusses Dinner with Mr Darcy and Mina Holland talks about The Edible Atlas: Around the World in 80 Cuisines. £8, prebook, 7pm

EAST END MIDWIVES: Stoke Newington Bookshop hosts an evening to celebrate the launch of Sarah Beeson’s new novel, The New Arrival, which tells the story of a trainee midwife in Hackney in the 1970s. £2.50, prebook, 8pm

KOREAN POETRY: Southbank Centre hosts an evening of poetry by one of South Korea’s most important contemporary poets, Kim Hyesoon. Free, prebooking essential, 8pm

VARIETY EVENING: Survivors Poetry at the Poetry Cafe features Poetry, music, variety floor spots and special guests. £3.50/£2.50/£1.50, just turn up, 8pm

STAND-UP POETRY: Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry shindig takes place at The Roebuck in Borough and this week features Jonny Fluffypunk and Malika Booker. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 11 April

AUTHOR DINNER: As part of Cityread London, Literary Dinners invites you to join Louisa Young, author of My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You. There will be readings from the book. £30, prebook, 6.30pm

WAR POETRY READING: Poets Michael Hofmann, Kathryn Maris and Sam Riviere read poems specially-commissioned by the Poetry Society and the British Museum, inspired by the exhibition Germany divided: Baselitz and his generation. Takes place at the British Museum. £5, prebook, 7pm

PLAY LAUNCH: Head to Rich Mix for the launch of playwright Patricia Cumper’s anthology, Inner Yardie: three plays. Includes readings from the anthology and a discussion. Free, prebook, 7pm

SOVIET CHILDHOOD: Meike Ziervogel and Hamid Ismailov will be discussing the Soviet Childhood in Hamid Ismailov’s novels The Railway, The Underground and The Dead Lake at Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, prebooking essential, 7pm

MODERN POETS: Dodo Modern Poets aims to bring new and established poets to as wide an audience as possible and especially to venues off the beaten track. This month’s poets are Isabel Bermudez, Jenny Ridley and Patric Cunnane. At Poetry Cafe. £7/£6, prebook, 8pm

Saturday 12 April

LOCAL AUTHOR SIGNING: Local author and ghost hunter Jason Hollis will be signing copies of his new book, Haunted Enfield, at Waterstones in Enfield. Free, just turn up, 12.30pm 

BOOK SIGNING: Bestselling author Harlan Coben will be signing copies of his new thriller novel Missing You at Waterstones Piccadilly. We think this will be a popular one, so get there early. Free, just turn up, 1pm

Sunday 13 April

WALKING BOOK CLUB: Emily’s Walking Book Club reads Carlo Levi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli. Sets off from Daunt Books on South End Road. Free, just turn up, 11.30am

JAZZ VERSE JUKEBOX: Celebrate Jazz Verse Jukebox‘s fifth birthday at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. There will be spoken word performances, live music, plus an open mic for poets. £8, just turn up, 7.30pm 

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s Sunday Poetry Reading at Torriano Meeting House features Happenstance, introduced by Helena Nelson £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 14 April

FEMALE GRAPHIC NOVELS: Laydeez Do Comics is a women-led graphic novel forum. The guest speakers are comic artist James McKay, illustrator Joanna Wilkinson and artist Annie Fielder. Takes place at Foyles Charing Cross Road. Free, prebook, 6pm

PG WODEHOUSE: Words on Monday at Kings Place hosts a celebration of P.G. Wodehouse with various performances of some of his written works. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

SHORT STORIES: Faber Social presents Short Stories, an evening of readings by writers such as Jon McGregor, Sarah Hall, Ben Marcus, Evie Wyld and Robert Williams. Takes place at The Social on Little Portland St. £6/£8, prebook, 8pm

AGATHA CHRISTIE: Hillary Macaskill, author of Dickens At Home and du Maurier At Home has written her latest book about Agatha Christie. An event takes place at Stoke Newington Bookshop to celebrate the launch. £3, prebook, 8pm

Tuesday 15 April

AUTHOR TALK: Author Mick Herron will be reading from his award winning novel Dead Lions, and discussing his Slough House crime thriller series at Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, prebook, 7pm

IRISH STORYTELLING: Waterstones Piccadilly hosts an evening of live Irish storytelling with June Peters and Xanthe Gresham and introduced by Christina Oakley Harrington to celebrate the publication of Cuchulainn and the Crow Queen. Free, prebooking essential, 7pm

POETRY UNPLUGGED: The Poetry Cafe hosts Poetry Unplugged, a weekly open mic night. Anyone is welcome to sign up. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 16 April

POETRY EVENING: Waterstones Piccadilly presents an evening of poetry and discussion with the celebrated poet and author Elaine Feinstein.£6.50/£5, prebook, 6.30pm

RADIO HISTORY: Dave VJ and Lindsay Wesker will be at Housmans to discuss their book Masters of the Airwaves: The Rise and Rise of Underground Radio which looks at the history of radio becoming mainstream. £3, just turn up, 7pm

WAR LITERATURE: Lara Feigel discusses her new book, The Love-Charm of Bombs, with Selina Hastings at Keats House. The book is put together from the work of five World War Two writers, and looks at why World War Two was a time of romantic excitement and literary achievement. £5, prebook, 7pm

CHILDHOOD MEMOIRS: Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson talks about This Boy, his memoir of a childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. At Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

FOUR MINUTE MOVIES: Poetry Cafe hosts a new open mic/filming session for poets, storytellers and comedians, allowing four-minute, storytelling slots to be filmed. £4, just turn up, 7.30pm

BOOK LAUNCH: Head to Riverside Studios in Hammersmith for the UK launch of novel Mission London by Alek Popov. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing. £9.50/£8.50, prebook, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Lit in Pit with Wendy Meakin and Toby Brothers

Plan Ahead

On 25 May, the UK’s first ever edible book launch takes place at Box Park in Shoreditch. Author Sarah Holt has teams up with edible experience company Edible Stories to design a six-course menu that’s been designed to tell the story of her first novel, Love and Eskimo Snow. £57.50, prebook here.

Your chance to see Keats’s letters on display at Keats House is running out, as the exhibition closes on 27 April. Free, with admission to the house.

Festivals

Cityread London 2014 takes place throughout April, with events including workshops, quizzes, film screenings, competitions and more. See the website for events schedule.

Wednesday 23 April is World Book Night. Events taking place in London include Dorothy Koomson talking about her latest book in Woolwich, and pop-up Shakespeare theatre in Wembley. Visit the WBN website and scroll down for more information on these events and more.

23 April is also the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. Find out about the celebrations going on across town.

Thursday 17 April

HOUSING CRISIS: Danny Dorling’s new book All That Is Solid argues that inequality is the problem behind the housing crisis. He discusses the book with Ed Howker at Southbank Centre. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

FOOD FICTION: Head to Waterstones Piccadilly for an evening with Michael Gibney, chef and author of Sous Chef: 24 Hours in the Kitchen, and Simon Wroe, author of Chop Chop, chaired by food journalist, Andrew Webb. They will discussing the differences between representations of a professional kitchen in fact and fiction. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

HORROR NOVELLA: Waterstones Piccadilly hosts the UK launch of The Fifty Year Sword, Mark Danielewski’s horror novella. Free, prebook, 7pm

SALON DINNER: Pitfield cafe and shop in Shoreditch hosts a Lit in Pit Salon dinner. Discuss T.S. Eliot’s poem The Wasteland over dinner with Wendy Meakin (Channel 4′s Four Rooms) and Toby Brothers (London Literary Salon). £55, prebook, 7pm

POETRY READING: At Waterstones Hampstead, Fawzia Kane reads from her poetry collection Houses of the Dead, and is joined by the poet Jacqueline Gabbitas. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

POETRY READING: June English’s Poetry Reading takes place at Poetry Cafe with Alison Brackenburg and Anne Drysdale. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

WRITE IT MIC IT: Write It: Mic It at Hackney Attic gives upcoming performers a chance to try out monologues, duologues, poetry and prose on an audience. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

STAND-UP POETRY: Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry shindig takes place at The Roebuck in Borough and this week features Hannah Silva + A.F. Harrold. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

JAMAICAN STORYTELLING: Tonight is the culmination of a 9-day project for young people which features spoken word performances based on the Jamaican dialect, telling hidden stories of Jamaica. Takes place at Rich Mix. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

Friday 18 April

As part of Cityread London, the Gallery at Foyles in Charing Cross Road will transform into an interactive First World War hospital ward. Free, just turn up, 11am-4pm 

Saturday 19 April

LIPPED INK: Lipped Ink features poetry open mic slots, a featured poet and spoken word performances. At the Poetry Cafe. £5, just turn up, 8pm

Sunday 20 April

FAMILY STORYTELLING: Newham City Farm hosts an afternoon of family storytelling. Storyteller Helen East tells stories in the setting of the barn. Free, just turn up, 1pm/3pm

POETRY SLAM: Theatre Royal Stratford East hosts Word4Word, a poetry slam with 10 poets competing for the crown. There’s also an open mic. Free, just turn up, 7pm

SHANE KOYCZAN: Canadian poet Shane Koyczan, who performed at the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics, comes to Rich Mix for one night only. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

Monday 21 April

STORYTELLING: Stories at Invisible Dot gives writers, poets and spoken words performers a chance to share stories along a specific theme. Tonight’s performers are Mark Watson, John Rogers, Tim Clare, Joe Dunthorne and Daran Johnson. £10, prebook, 7.45pm

Tuesday 22 April

NEUROSURGERY: Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh talks about his new book (and memoir), Do No Harm, at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

BRAZILIAN POETRY: Brazilian restaurant Made in Brasil in Camden hosts an evening of Brazilian poetry, with poets living in the UK using poetry to describe Brazil. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

POETRY UNPLUGGED: The Poetry Cafe hosts Poetry Unplugged, a weekly open mic night. Anyone is welcome to sign up. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

DEATH MATCH: It’s fair to say Literary Death Match isn’t your usual spoken word night. Authors Dixe Wills, Natalie Young, Luke Brown and Jason Hewitt read their work, before being whittled down to a final two by the judges and playing a literary game to decide the winner. £10, prebook, 7pm

Wednesday 23 April

World Book Night takes place today. See above for details.

AUTHOR TALK: Author Prajwal Parajuly heads to Pimlico Library to discuss his new book, Land Where I Flee. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

UNDERGROUND DISCUSSION: Before the sad death of Bob Crow, he was due to talk at Housmans tonight. The event will go ahead as a memorial event, with Janine Booth, and Peter Pinkney discussing Booth’s book Plundering London Underground, which tells the story of the privatisation of the Underground. £3, prebook, 7pm

POETRY OPEN MIC: Rich Mix hosts Jawdance, an evening of poetry open mic performances and short poetry films. Free, just turn up (get there early for a seat), 7.30pm

SHORT STORIES: Head to Southbank Centre for Short Stories, where authors Helen Simpson, AL Kennedy, and Sarah Hall read stories about what it means to be human. £10, prebook, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

The Story Of St Katharine’s launches. Details below.

Plan Ahead

Your chance to see Keats’s letters on display at Keats House is running out, as the exhibition closes on 27 April. Free, with admission to the house.

Festivals

Cityread London 2014 takes place throughout April, with events including workshops, quizzes, film screenings, competitions and more. See the website for events schedule.

Thursday 24 April

NOVEL LAUNCH: Orange Prize shortlisted author Kamila Shamsie discusses her new novel, A God in Every Stone, with her editor Alexandra Pringle at Bloomsbury Publishing in Bedford Square. £25/£10, prebook, 6.30pm

IRISH POETRY: Five contemporary Irish poets will be reading their work at London Irish Centre this evening, including Deirdre Shanahan and Michael McKimm. Free, prebook, 7pm

NOVEL CONVERSATION: Novelists Alice Greenway and Rebecca Hunt are in conversation at Lutyens & Rubinstein, both having released their second novels. Greenway’s  The Bird Skinner is a story of lost love and rebirth, while Hunt’s Everland is the story of two Antarctic expeditions, a century apart. £8, prebook, 7pm

MATHS BOOK: At Daunt Books in Marylebone, Alex Bellos talks about his latest book of mathematical discovery, Alex Through The Looking Glass. £8, prebook, 7pm

MAGAZINE LAUNCH: Ambit magazine hosts the launch of Ambit 216 at The Sun and 13 Cantons, with readings from James Brookes, Tim Dooley, Jacqueline Saphra and Navid Hamzavi. £5, just turn up, 7pm

POETRY AND PROTEST: Head to Rich Mix for an evening of poetry and music celebrating how literature and activism can come together. Featuring poets James Byrne, Sophie Mayer and more. With an open mic, and a panel discussion. £5/£3, prebook, 7.30pm

SPOKEN WORD: The Albany in Deptford hosts Chill Pill: The Big One, a spoken word night featuring 2012 Dickens Young Writer in Residence, Femi Martin, and many other performance poets. Followed by a live DJ set continuing into the wee hours. £9/£6, prebook, 7.30pm

STAND-UP POETRY: Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry shindig takes place at The Roebuck in Borough and this week features Kat Francois and Zia Ahmed. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

POETRY VS COMEDY: Poetry Cafe hosts Stand Up And Slam. See spoken word and poetry go head to head with comedy. The audience decides the outcome. £8, prebook, 8pm

Friday 25 April

FOURTH FRIDAY: Today is Fourth Friday at the Poetry Cafe, hosted by Hylda Sims. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Saturday 26 April

ZOO POETRY: This weekend, ZSL London Zoo hosts it’s first poetry workshop of the season. The course is led by poets Pascale Petit and Astrid Alben, and includes a chance to visit some of the zoo’s animals including pygmy hippos, tigers, seahorses and Komodo dragons. £200, prebook, 26-27 April

POETRY BUTCHER: Get some feedback on your poetry at Southbank Centre with Poetry Butcher Clare Pollard dissecting your work. Free, prebook a session, from 12pm

WORD FACTORY: April’s Word Factory Salon at Waterstones Piccadilly involve writers Nicholas Royle and KJ Orr reading from their new work, and AL Kennedy will be in conversation about her writing with Cathy Galvin £12/£8, prebook, 6pm

PERIODICAL LAUNCH: Head to Housman’s bookstore for the launch of the second issue of HYSTERIA, a non-profit radical feminist periodical. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

PERFORMANCE STORYTELLING: Crick Crack Club’s latest Rich Mix event, Shifter, features storytelling by Afro-Caribbean expert Jan Blake and TUUP (The Unorthodox, Unprecedented Preacher). £9/£7, prebook, 7.30pm

LUKE WRIGHT: Poet Luke Wright performs a collection of his best work at Southbank Centre £10, prebook, 7.45pm

Sunday 27 April

TORRIANO POETS: After the Easter break. Torriano Poets are back. This week’s Sunday Poetry Reading at Torriano Meeting House features Viv Fogel, Tracey Martin and Geraldine Paine, with music from Liz Hanns. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm 

Monday 28 April

ST KATHARINE’S: Christopher West will be talking about, and signing copies of, his new book, The Story of St Katharine’s which covers the history of the docks. Takes place on the Thames barge, Lady Daphne, on the pontoon in West Dock, close to International House. £5, prebook, 5.45pm

FOODIE: Restaurateur and food writer Bill Granger launches his new cookbook, Bill’s Italian Food, at Waterstone’s Piccadilly. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

LONDON FICTION: London Historical Fiction Book Group‘s April meet-up centres around Patricia Bracewell’s Shadow On The Crown. Takes place at the bar in Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, just turn up, 6.45pm

WRITING SHOWCASE: Members of Apples and Snakes Writing Room take to the stage at Rich Mix for the Showcase, performing their work. Free, just turn up, 7pm

NAKED CINEMA: London Review Bookshop hosts the launch of Sally Potter’s book, Naked Cinema, which gives an insight into directing for the camera. £10, prebook, 7pm

LGBT WRITING: Philip Hensher reads from his new novel The Emperor Waltz, at Southbank Centre. The event, Polari salon, provides a platform for new and emerging LGBT literary talent and showcases the very best in queer writing. £5, prebook, 7.45pm

Tuesday 29 April

EMOTIONAL POETRY: The National Theatre hosts Poems That Make Grown Men Cry, readings from an anthology of poems which 100 men confess have made a lasting impression on them. Followed by a book signing. In collaboration with Amnesty International.  £4/£3, prebook, 6pm *please note that this event is now sold out*

POETRY WORKSHOP: Poet and musician Simon Pomery hosts a poetry workshop for adults at Parasol unit in Islington. £5/£6, prebook, 6pm

WAR POETRY: Biographer Guy Cuthbertson discusses the work of war poet Wilfred Owen at Waterstone’s Piccadilly. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

BUSES: Travis Elborough, author of The Bus We Loved, is at London Transport Museum to celebrate the 60th anniversary of one of London’s most enduring symbols, the Routemaster bus. £10, prebook, 6.30pm

CRIME FICTION: British crime fiction writers Tom Rob Smith and Mark Billingham head to Lutyens & Rubinstein to discuss their new novels, The Farm, and The Bones Beneath. £8, prebook, 7pm

IRANIAN THRILLER: To celebrate the launch of A Good Place To Die, author James Buchan is in conversation with Michael Axworthy at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

NORDIC NOVEL: Nordic author Jo Nesbo discusses his third Harry Hole novel, The Redbreast, at King’s Place. Hosted by John Mullan. £9.50/£11.50, prebook, 7pm

BOOK BARGE: Hear from Sarah Henshaw, owner of the Book Barge, at Big Green Bookshop. She launches her book, The Bookshop that Floated Away, which chronicles her time taking the barge around the country’s waterways. Free, just turn up, 7pm

SPOKEN WORD: BoxPark in Shoreditch hosts BoxedIn, an evening of spoken word performances. Free, just turn up, 7pm 

HUMAN BODY: Anthropoetry at Rich Mix is a night of poetry and music led by BBC R4 Slam Champion Ben Mellor, looking at how we refer to the human body in modern life. £7/£5, prebook, 7.30pm

POETRY UNPLUGGED: The Poetry Cafe hosts Poetry Unplugged, a weekly open mic night. Anyone is welcome to sign up. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

BOOK TALK: Persephone Books’ founder Nicola Beauman visits West End Lane Books to talk about the industry. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

Wednesday 30 April

INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE: Foyles on Charing Cross Road hosts the launch of the new World Bookshelf, an online gateway to international literature. The evening includes talks from Elif Shafak, Nikita Lalwani and Frank Wynne. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

APARTHEID BOOK TALK: At Housman’s, Alan Wieder discusses his new book ‘Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War to End Apartheid’, the first extended biography of the husband and wife who committed their lives to the war to end apartheid in South Africa. £3, prebook, 7pm

BOOK SWAP: Head to the Great Northern Railway Tavern on Hornsey High Street for Big Green Bookshop‘s book swap, with comic book authors Mike Carey and Joel Meadows. Bring along a book to swap. £3, prebook, 7.30pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Playwright Alan Bennett comes to the National Theatre.

Plan Ahead

LITERATURE FESTIVAL: The Asia House Literature Festival runs from 6-21 May, with authors such as Brigid Keenan, Kamila Shamsie and John Keay taking part in various events. See full programme here.

Thursday 1 May

TIME FOR TEA: Waterstones Piccadilly hosts the book launch of Chai: The Experience of Indian Tea, followed by a tea demonstration. Free, prebook, 4pm

MRS HEMINGWAY: Naomi Wood, author of Mrs Hemingway, talks about the book and signs copies at Beyond Retro in Dalston. The book tells the story of Ernest Hemingway’s life through the voices of his four wives, and it’s one we’ve been looking forward to. Free, prebook, 6.3opm

ART AND DESIGN: Deyan Sudjic, author of B is for Bauhaus and Director of the Design Museum is in conversation with author and design critic Stephen Bayley at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

STAND-UP POETRY: Bang Said The Gun‘s weekly stand-up poetry shindig takes place at The Roebuck in Borough and this week features Amber Tamblyn and Keith Jarrett. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 2 May

BOOKSHOP EXHIBITION: Iconic bookstore Foyles will soon be moving out of its flagship home of the last 80 years, and into a new store. To mark the occasion, there will be an exhibition about the store’s history at the Charing Cross Road shop, launching today. Free, just turn up, until 30 May

LITERARY PARTY: The Alarmist brings its literary parties to record store Rough Trade East in Brick Lane. Acts include spoken word artist Emma Jones, poet Fran Lock and storyteller Wesley Cooke. £6, prebook, 6pm

FILM PREVIEW: 22 year old novelist Samantha Shannon’s debut novel, The Bone Season, has been bought by film company The Imaginarium Studios. She discusses the book with director Andy Serkis. At Waterstones Piccadilly.  £8, prebook, 6.30pm

MURDER MYSTERY: Author Joël Dicker will be at Daunt Books in Marylebone to talk about his murder mystery book, The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair. £8, prebook, 7.30pm

LIPPED INK: With open mic slots, a featured poet and a spoken word session, Lipped Ink at the Poetry Cafe has something for everyone. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

Saturday 3 May

NORTH INDIA: Sufi poetry and music society have an evening of poetry and songs from North India, at Poetry Cafe. £10/£8/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Sunday 4 May

TORRIANO POETS: At this week’s Torriano Poets meeting, Dinah Livingstone launches her new collection The Vision Splendid. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 5 May

STORYTELLING COURSE: Torriano Meeting House has paired up with Nell Phoenix to offer a beginner’s storytelling course, starting today. £163, prebook, for 9 weeks

IRVINE WELSH: Author Irvine Welsh discusses his new book, The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, with Alex Clark at Southbank Centre. £10, prebook, 7.45pm

Tuesday 6 May

MICHAEL HUTCHINSON: Cyclist Michael Hutchinson will be at the Bloomsbury Institute to talk about his new book, Faster: The Obsession, Science and Luck Behind the World’s Fastest Cyclists. Few tickets left at time of writing. £10, prebook, 6pm

AUTHOR TALK: Authors Ned Beauman and Zoe Pilger discuss their new books, Glow, and Eat My Heart out. Takes place at Lutyens Rubinstein bookshop. £8, prebook, 7pm

OPEN MIC: Poetry Unplugged is an open mic night at the Poetry Cafe. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 7 May

ZOO TALK: Author Louise Doughty heads to London Zoo for the latest in the series of writers’ talks. She discusses her reactions to the okapi. £12, prebook, 6.30pm

NOVEL READING: At Clapham Books, debut author Rebecca Wait reads from her novel The View On The Way Down.  Free, just turn up, 7pm

ALAN BENNETT: The well-known playwright discusses his works with Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre. £4/£3, prebook, 7pm

LONDON CLASSICS: To mark the release of their tenth London Classics title, author-publishers Martin Knight and John King discuss There Ain’t No Justice by James Curtis at Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, prebook, 7pm

RUSSIAN POET: Head to Rich Mix for a celebration of the life of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky. It will be an evening of poetry, prose, music, discussion and film. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

STRANGER THAN FICTION: A new literary night launches at Phoenix Artists Club hosted by author and travel writers Dixe Wills, along the theme of first love. £6, just turn up, 7.30pm

DODO POETS: The Dodo Modern Poets aim to give new poets a chance to showcase their work. Tonight they are at Southbank Centre with regular performers Sue Johns, PR Murry, and special guest Jasmine Ann Cooray. Free, just turn up, 8pm

LOUCHE WOMEN: Comedy performance poet Liz Bentley and writer/performer Caroline Smith will talk and read about topical issues, with the audience invited to take part in discussions. At Poetry Cafe. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

The Radical Bookfair comes to Bishopsgate. Image: www.inkopinko.com.

Plan Ahead

LITERATURE FESTIVAL: The Asia House Literature Festival runs from 6-21 May, with authors such as Brigid Keenan, Kamila Shamsie and John Keay taking part in various events. See full programme here.

FOYLES REOPENING: When Foyles on Charing Cross Road relocates to, er, further down Charing Cross Road, there will be a Grand Reopening Festival, with the likes of Hilary Mantel, Michael Palin and Jarvis Cocker. More information here. 11 June-5 July

KEATS FESTIVAL: Booking is now open for the events at the Keats Festival 2014, celebrating 200 years since Keats wrote his first poem. See full programme and book tickets here. 7-15 June

Thursday 8 May

FREE MILKSHAKE: On the off chance that you buy a copy of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair from Foyles on Charing Cross Road today, take it round the corner to Ed’s Easy Diner in Soho and claim a free milkshake. All day.

BOOK LAUNCH: At Daunt Books in Marylebone, best-selling travel writer Tim Butcher talks about his new book, The Trigger, which is about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. £8, prebook, 7pm

STAND-UP POETRY: Bang Said The Gun is a stand-up poetry gig at The Roebuck on Great Dover Street. Tonight’s poets are Salena Godden and Deanna Rodger. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

POETRY: Survivors Poetry at the Poetry Cafe consist of poetry, music, variety floor spots and special guests. £3.50/2.50/1.50, just turn up, 8pm

SPOKEN WORD: Apples and Snakes is a showcase of queer spoken word, hosted by Rosie Wilby, with Joelle Taylor, Sophia Blackwell and Keith Jarrett. Part of Wandsworth Arts Festival. £5, prebook, 8pm

Friday 9 May

PRIVATE EYE: At the National Theatre, Craig Brown hosts an evening of literary goodness with Eleanor Bron,
Jan Ravens and Peter Serafinowicz, author A N Wilson, and editor of Private Eye, Ian Hislop. £4, prebook, 6pm

STRUGGLING AUTHORS: Sir Ronald Harwood hosts a panel discussion about the financial perils of being a writer and the assistance the Royal Literary Fund offers. Panelists are Claire Tomalin, Jeremy Lewis and Richard Holmes. £5/£4/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

MIMIC POETRY: The Betsey Trotwood in Clerkenwell hosts the launch of The Mimic Octopus, a poetry anthology celebrating a time when poets were encouraged to mimic the work of others. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

SPOKEN WORD: Head to the Poetry Cafe for Talking To Strangers, a spoken word evening with music and comedy thrown in.£5/£4, just turn up, 8pm

Saturday 10 May

RADICAL BOOKS: The London Radical Bookfair takes place at Bishopsgate Institute with stalls from radical booksellers, publishers, zine makers, artists and activists. Free, just turn up, 10am-5pm

WAR POETRY: Afternoon Poems at Keats House takes on the theme of the First World War. The Keats House Poetry Ambassadors will read poetry and prose from some of the most well known writers of the war. Free with Keats House admission, just turn up, 3pm

POETRY: Platform 1 at the Poetry Cafe is an opportunity for up and coming poets to perform alongside established acts. £5/£4, just turn up, 7pm

Sunday 11 May

BANGLADESH: Rich Mix hosts the Boishakhi Literature Festival, an event focusing on literature from Bangladesh, with a book fair, poetry recitals, and guest speakers. Free, just turn up, 11am/7.30pm

STORYTELLING WORKSHOP: Parasol unit in Islington have a family storytelling workshop, with a theme of ‘My Brother the Alien’. For children age 5-15 years. £5, prebook, 2.30pm

EAST END WOMEN: Head to Rich Mix for the launch of The Fox And The Tiger, a book put together in collaboration with the women of East London, exploring the themes of identity and bravery. Meet some of the local women and artists involved in making the book. Free, just turn up, 3pm

TORRIANO POETS: At this week’s Torriano Poets meeting, Ruth Ingram, Jack Stanley, Anna Meryt, Jo Brandon and Diana Bishop share their work. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 12 May

LOCAL PERFORMERS: Up-and-coming London spoken word artists will all perform at Rich Mix, alongside singers, rappers and more. Free, tweet @Allsortz1 to book, 7pm

EXILED WRITERS: Exiled Writers is a monthly gathering for writers who have been exiled from their home country. Takes place at the Poetry Cafe. £4/£2, just turn up, 8pm

Tuesday 13 May

FANTASY SPEAKEASY: Drink Shop Do hosts a Speakeasy evening with a fantasy theme. Authors will give readings, and storytellers will create stories on the spot, with themes chosen by the audience. Free, just turn up, 7pm

HISTORIC INTEREST: Andrew Collins head to Foyles on Charing Cross Road to celebrate the publication of his new book Göbekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods, about an ancient cave complex he discovered in Turkey. He will be answering questions and signing copies. £3, prebook, 7pm

BOOK LAUNCH: Patrick Ness, author of the Chaos Walking trilogy, launches his new book for young adults, More Than This, at Lutyens & Rubinstein. £8, prebook, 7pm

ADULT STORYTELLING: Crick Crack Club, the adult storytelling night at The Forge in Camden, has a theme of Eros & Psyche tonight, explored by performance storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton. £10/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

THEMED STORIES: The monthly Liars’ League takes place at the Phoenix, with actors telling new stories written specifically for the night along the theme of Beginning & End. If that’s not enough, join in the famous half-time book quiz. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm 

OPEN MIC: Poetry Unplugged is an open mic night at the Poetry Cafe. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Wednesday 14 May

EUROPEAN LITERATURE NIGHT: The British Library supports European Literature Night with an evening with six authors from across the continent: Jonas T Bengtsson, Julia Franck, Antoine Laurain, Diego Marani,  Witold Szablowski and Dimitri Verhulst. £10, prebook, 6.30pm

BRICK LANE: At Waterstones Piccadilly, Phil Maxwell talks about his project photographing Brick Lane daily for 30 years. Free, prebook, 7pm

LOOSE MUSE: Hosted by Agnes Meadow, Loose Muse at the Poetry Cafe is event for women writers of all genres, with an open mic spot.£5/£3, just turn up, 8pm

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

This is a sponsored article on behalf of the Roundhouse. 

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? How did it make you feel? We’ve all done things we regret, but they make us who we are.

Shame is a new work of spoken word hip hop theatre by John Berkavitch, which explores the feeling through narrative spoken-word, hip-hop and contemporary dance, illustration, animation and music. It stars some of the country’s most innovative break dancers alongside “artist, vandal, poet, writer, b-boy, rapper, comic, conceptual thinker, collaborator, human-beatbox, educator and surrealist” Berkavitch, and features original music by Jamie Woon and Royce Wood Junior.

Don’t miss this chance to confront your shame in the intimate Roundhouse Studio Theatre.

Shame by John Berkavitch is in the Studio Theatre at Roundhouse from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 May at 8pm. Tickets £12.50+bkg.