Join Londonist for family storytelling onboard a boat on Sunday © Jenny Woolf

Thursday 18 September

SEWING BEE: Stuart Hillard, semi-finalist on BBC2’s Great British Sewing Bee,  is at John Lewis on Oxford Street to launch his sewing handbook, Sew Fabulous. 4pm

1945 FRANCE: Waterstone’s Piccadilly has an illustrated talk by documentary-maker Stuart Nimmo (also author of Perilous Moon: 1945 – War in the Sky) about Occupied France and the Normandy landings in 1945. Free, prebook, 7pm

VARIETY EVENING: Scriggler: Live is an evening of music, literature and debate, featuring spoken word artists, actors, writers, poets and musicians. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Liz Bentley and Paul Cree. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 19 September

Saturday 20 September

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, 8pm

Sunday 21 September

WORDS ON WATER: As part of Totally Thames Festival (which Londonist is part of), Wasafiri (an international contemporary writing magazine) celebrates its 30th birthday with six acclaimed contemporary writers sharing readings of their work, while aboard a boat on the Thames. £15 including a free copy of Wasafiri’s 30th birthday magazine, prebook, 2pm

FAMILY STORYTIME: To finish Londonist’s weekend aboard a boat, London Dreamtime take us on a family-friendly voyage through sea shanties, comedies, music hall songs and folklore, suitable for littlest Londonists and their grown-up friends. £7.50, prebook, 5pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Sue Hubbard and Margaret Eddershaw. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

PERFORMANCE POETRY: Poet Claire Trévien is at Rich Mix in Shoreditch to perform a stage version of her poetry collection, in collaboration with Penned in the Margins. The Shipwrecked House combines poetry, performance, sound and smell. £8/£6, prebook, 8pm

Monday 22 September

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS: In today’s National Theatre Platform, John Lahr talks to Nicholas Hytner about playwright Tennessee Williams, as Lahr’s biography of Williams, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, is published. Followed by a book signing. £4/£3, prebook, 6pm

AUTHOR FEEDBACK: Books talk back at the British Library this evening, when  a small, selected panel of unpublished authors read an extract of their novel to a published author and audience, then receive feedback from both. Organised by The Eccles Centre for American Studies. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

TED HUGHES: Alice Oswald discusses A Ted Hughes Bestiary, her selection of Hughes’ animal poems, with Paul Keegan, who edited Hughes’ Collected Poems, at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

ANDREW MARR: King’s College has a new series of events in which journalists talk about a novel which changed their lives. First up is Andrew Marr, talking about Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, interviewed by Mary-Kay Wilmers. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

CROMWELL: Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces Tracy Borman is at Hatchards on Piccadilly to talk about the life of the subject of her book, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII’s Most Faithful Servant. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION: The second in the new series of Words on Monday events at Kings Place is an  illustrated talk by Huw Lewis-Jones about Ernest Shackleton’s famous journey across Antarctica, 100 years ago. Particular focus is on Everest veteran George Lowe who was there to capture the journey on film. Lewis-Jones is the author of The Conquest of Everest, a book about Lowe’s photography. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

SHORTLISTED READINGS: Writers whose work has been shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize are at Rich Mix in Shoreditch to take part in readings and discussions of their work. Introduced by award-winning writer, broadcaster and journalist Dreda Say Mitchell. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

Tuesday 23 September

DOUGLAS COUPLAND: There are two Coupland appearances today — a free talk at the Royal Society of Arts off the Strand, inspired by his new book Kitten Clone: Inside Alcatel-Lucent, at 1pm; then later he’s appearing at the London Review Bookshop with Alain de Botton, £10, prebook, 7pm

PAUL MORLEY: In King’s College journalists talk about a novel which changed their lives with Paul Morley being interviewed by Adam Thirlwell about Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE: Jem Roberts, author of the first authorised biography of Douglas Adams, The Frood, is in conversation with best-selling author and devoted Adams fan Marie Phillips at Foyles Charing Cross. £5, prebook, 6.42pm

LONDON STORIES: Storytellers from The History Press are now at Waterstones Piccadilly every Tuesday to share legends, myths and tales for grown-ups. Tonight is the turn of Helen East and Rick Wilson who will tell the tale of 2000 years of London history. Free, prebook, 7pm

CRICK CRACK CLUB: The adult storytelling night is back, with a double-bill of fairy-tales courtesy of Ben Haggarty and Nell Phoenix. Takes place at The Forge in Camden. £10/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

Wednesday 24 September

LITERATURE FESTIVAL: Soho Literary Festival kicks off today with a veritable wealth of activities going on. Not sure what to go to? Here’s our pick of events. At Soho Theatre, all events £9, prebook, until 28 September

JAMES BOND: Matthew Parker, author of Goldeneye, is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly talking about James Bond author Ian Fleming’s home in Jamaica, and the creation of the James Bond character. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

AUTHOR TALK: Sue Monk Kidd, best-selling author of the critically acclaimed The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings is in conversation with Fanny Blake, books editor for Woman & Home. At Waterstones Piccadilly. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

ECONOMICS: John Lanchester, author of How to Speak Money, is in conversation with Guardian’s economics editor Larry Elliott about the book. It aims to demystify a lot of the technical jargon which surrounds economics. At Kings Place. £15-£25, prebook, 7pm

STANZA BONANZA: The Norwich and Tonbridge poetry teams go head to head in the Stanza Bonanza at Poetry Cafe tonight. Free, just turn up, 7pm

HOMEWORK: Literary cabaret night Homework takes place at Bethnal Green Working Mens Club and brings its current season to a close with an evening themed “Change Something”.  Writers prepare something in advance then perform it on the night. £8, just turn up, 7.30pm

***

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

Ongoing

Soho Literary Festival takes place at Soho Theatre until 28 September, covering everything from wine to the class divide. See the full line-up. Events are £9 each, and need to be prebooked.

Thursday 25 September

PAUL MERTON: The comedian is at Waterstones Leadenhall Market to sign copies of his autobiography, Only When I Laugh. Arrive early to avoid disappointment. 12.30pm

MAGIC OF BIRDS: Celia Fisher is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to talk abut her new British Library book, The Magic Of Birds. It covers how exotic birds were brought to attention in Europe through art, literature and legends. Free, prebook, 1pm

POETRY NIGHT: Enjoy the Tales of Autumn House exhibition in Bethnal Green alongside a poetry evening, with readings by Joanna Vale and James Rattue. Free, just turn up, 6pm

BRIAN ALDISS: Science fiction author Brian Aldiss OBE is at Foyles on Charing Cross Road to celebrate the publication of the first volume of his Complete Short Stories. He’ll be talking about his career and answering questions, and there’ll be a reading of his first-ever published short story. £5, prebook, 7pm

IRAQI POETRY: Keats House in Hampstead hosts the launch of Singing for Inanna, a collection of poems in English and Arabic by British poet Jenny Lewis and Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh. Free, prebook, 7pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Rosy Carrick and Malcom Head. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 26 September

Saturday 27 September

PSYCHOANALYTIC POETRY: The Freud Museum near Finchley Road hosts a day long Psychoanalytic Poetry Festival with five poets exploring different themes. £60/£45, prebook, 9.30am-5pm

DAVID WALLIAMS: The comedian turned TV star turned children’s author is at Daunt Books on Fulham Road signing copies of Awful Auntie. The event is strictly ticketed. Free, prebook, 10.30am

KEATS WALK: The ever-popular Keats in Hampstead walking tour starts at Hampstead station and passes through the town and Heath before finishing at Keats House.£10/£8, prebook, 11am

LONDON DREAMTIME: Join professional storytellers Vanessa and Nigel in a secret location close to Nunhead for stories and songs to welcome the arrival of autumn. Wrap up warm and bring a candle. Booking is essential. £3, prebook by email, 5.30pm

WIMBLEDON LIBRARY: Bestselling crime writer Sophie Hannah is in conversation with crime fiction critic Jake Kerridge at Wimbledon Library. She talks about her latest novel, The Monogram Murders. £7.50, prebook, 7pm

ADULT STORYTELLING: Performance storytelling for adults returns to Rich Mix in Shoreditch, courtesy of Crick Crack Club. Chirine El Ansary and Sheharazade are tonight’s storytellers, and the theme is A Thousand And One Nights. Age 14+. £9/£7, prebook, 7.30pm

Sunday 28 September

ZEPHANIAH: Poet Benjamin Zephaniah will be discussing his first book in seven years, Terror Kid, at Ealing Library, followed by a public signing at the library from 3pm. Prebook, 1pm

KEATS HOUSE POETS: Our Place Within It All by Keats House Poets is a workshop teaching people to use poetry to express their place in big world events, such as 9/11.  Free, prebook, 2pm

NOVEL LAUNCH: Gay’s The Word Bookshop is at New Bloomsbury Set bar on Marchmont Street for the launch of Rupert Smith’s new novel, Interlude. Smith will be reading from the novel, which explores the complexity of family relationships. Free, prebook, 4pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features John Harvey and Beata Duncan with music from blues duo Doc Stenson & Pete Burke, introduced by Hylda Sims. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 29 September

YOUTH POETRY: A ten-week introduction to poetry and spoken word for 15-21 year olds begins at Southbank Centre today. The course is led by poet and writer Hannah Lowe and concludes with a chance to perform your work at Southbank Centre. £25, prebook, 5.30pm – ten week course

DARK SOCIETIES: The Post-Apocalyptic Book Club meets at Waterstones Piccadilly to hear from authors Emily St John Mandel and Sarah Lotz, who discuss their forthcoming novels, Station Eleven and The Three. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

JOY OF INFLUENCE: Today’s Joy Of Influence event sees Jonathan Coe interview Gaby Wood on Italo Calvino’s The Castle of Crossed Destinies. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

WORDS ON MONDAY: Today’s Words on Monday at King’s Place sees Julian Barnes (author of Nothing To Be Frightened Of) in conversation with Hermione Lee, the biographer of Penelope Fitzgerald. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

Tuesday 30 September

BOOK SALE: The Courtauld Institute of Art is hosting its Annual Book Sale at Somerset House, an opportunity to buy both brand new and rare out-of-print editions of art, literature and culture books. Free, just turn up,  until 7 October

ESTHER FREUD: Bloomsbury Book Club descends on Bloomsbury Publishing in Bedford Square for an evening with Esther Freud. She will be discussing her new novel, Mr Mac And Me (based on the life of Charles Rennie Macintosh) with Bloomsbury Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Pringle. £25/£10, prebook, 6pm

DAVID NICHOLLS: The author of One Day discusses his new novel, Us, at Freemason Hall. £40 (including a pre-copy and signed copy), prebook, 6pm

SLIDESHOW: Local author Marjorie Ann Watts is at Waterstones Hampstead to discuss her new book, Slideshow, with Amanda Craig, author of Hearts and Minds. £3/£5, prebook, 6.45pm

TUBE LABYRINTH: Mark Wallinger, the artist behind the Tube labyrinths, is at London Review Bookshop to talk about the project with Will Self, and to sign copies of his book,  Labyrinth: A Journey Through London’s Underground. £10, prebook, 7pm

POETRY PRIZE: The annual prize-giving ceremony for the Forward Prizes for Poetry takes place at Southbank Centre. The event is presented by Jeremy Paxman and there will be poetry readings alongside the awards. £12/£10, prebook, 7pm

DUNKIRK: Waterstones Kensington hosts an evening with Sinclair McKay. His new book, Dunkirk, collects together testimonies from the last survivors of Dunkirk. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

NOVEL LAUNCH: Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green hosts the launch of Katie Young’s new novel, The Other Lamb. Free, just turn up, 7pm

Wednesday 1 October

WELSH LITERATURE: Following the success of last year’s event, the second London Welsh Literature Festival begins at London Welsh Centre today, incorporating music, National Poetry Day, and a Gala Concert celebrating Dylan Thomas. Until 4 October

DARWIN’S APES: Author and conservationist Randal Keynes is the latest guest at ZSL London Zoo’s author talks. Along with scientists and zoo keepers, he’ll host an evening on Darwin’s Apes, chaired by poet and ZSL Council Member Ruth Padel. £12, prebook, 6.30pm 

STEPHEN FRY: Following on from the success of The Fry Chronicles, Stephen Fry launches his new volume of memoirs, More Fool Me, at Southbank Centre. £29.50 (including hardback copy of the book), prebook, 7.20pm

STORY NIGHT: StorySLAM:Live, a spoken word open mic night, celebrates its fifth anniversary at Southbank Centre. Bring along a five-minute flash fiction story on the theme of Freedom for your chance to read on the night. £8, prebook, 7.45pm

***

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

An evening with Benjamin Zephaniah

Ongoing

Throughout October, Footprints of London tour guides are running the Literary Footprints Festival, with over 40 author and book themed talks and walks dotted about the city.

Clare Balding is at Cadogan Hall interviewing the likes of Lorraine Pascale, Caitlin Moran and Kate Mosse. 3-4 October

Somewhere in a corner of south west London, Wimbledon Book Fest brings in the likes of Alexander McCall Smith, Colm Toibin and Victoria Hislop talking fiction, David Starkey (who the website refers to as Dave; we find this hilarious) and Tracy Borman for 9 days of literary goodness. 3-12 October

Thursday 2 October -National Poetry Day

Today is National Poetry Day. Several events are going on at venues around London including National Theatre, Southbank Centre and The Bloomsbury Hotel.

ROYAL SOCIETY: The Royal Society of Literature holds an event at its building on The Mall. And 50 years after the death of Rachel Carson, the American writer responsible for putting the environment on the political agenda, her 1962 poem Silent Spring is being debated. Does the poem persuade because of the strength of its arguments or the beauty of its language? And have Carson’s warnings been sufficiently heeded? Free, just turn up, 6pm

ALAN BENNETT: On National Poetry Day, the writer of the History Boys presents his anthology of verse, Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin, accompanied by his own commentary in a dedicated National Theatre Platform. £4/£3, prebook, 6pm

WAR POETRY: At Southbank Centre, four poets, Denise Riley, Steve Ely, Warsan Shire and Zaffar Kunia premiere work about the First World War. £10, prebook, 6pm

BLACK HISTORY: Poet Benjamin Zephaniah will speak about his latest work as part of a series of Black History Month events. At Stratford Picturehouse, in association with Newham Bookshop. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

QUEER SAY: Apples and Snakes presents a LGBT and queer spoken word night at Canada Water Culture Space. Hear three poets perform and then be interviewed by presenter Rosie Wilby.£8/£6, prebook, 7.30pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Jess Green and James Massiah. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

MICHAEL DONAGHY: The tenth anniversary of the death of UK poet Michael Donaghy at the age of 50 is marked at Southbank Centre. There will be readings from Sean O’Brien, Jo Shapcott, Paul Farley, Don Paterson, Eva Salzman, Greta Stoddart, John Stammers and Adam O’Riordan, as well as Michael’s partner Maddy Paxman and son Ruairi. £10, prebook, 8.15pm

Friday 3 October

Saturday 4 October

POETRY ADVICE: Need some help with your poetry writing? Get a slice of feedback from the Poetry Butchers at Southbank Centre. Only one poem should be brought along, which should be one page of A4 at the most. Free, just turn up, 12pm-5pm

BOROUGH TOUR: The inaugural Borough literary walk takes place, walking from Southwark station to Borough station and covering the many writers who hail from the area. £10, prebook, 2pm

NATURE WRITING: Nature writers Helen Macdonald and Mark Cocker are in conversation at Southbank Centre. £10, prebook, 6pm

Sunday 5 October

SCOTT WESTERFIELD: Teen author Scott Westerfeld will be signing his latest book, Afterworlds, at Waterstones in Bromley. 11am

WALKING BOOK CLUB: Daunt Books in Hampstead is the start point for a literary walk across Hampstead Heath, discussing Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s novel The Home-Maker. 11.30am

MAYA ANGELOU: Southbank Centre hosts a celebration of the life of Maya Angelou, one of the world’s most important writers and activists. £15, prebook, 7pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features poet Osita Nwankwo and musician Mark Mayoral. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 6 October

POETRY PORTRAITS: What does it mean to be a poet? Poets including the late Seamus Heaney, Sir Andrew Motion and Wendy Cope have been captured in a series of portraits at Kings Place, and this special event has live readings and conversations.  £9.50, prebook, 7pm

NAOMI KLEIN: Head to Central Hall Westminster for a Guardian Live event featuring author and journalist Naomi Klein, in conversation with columnist and writer Owen Jones. £20, prebook, 7pm

DETAINEE POEMS: Poet Holly Hopkins explores some of the poems written by detainees in a workshop with the Koestler Trust, to gain an insight into the thoughts and lives of the UK’s detainees. At Southbank Centre. £5, prebook, 7pm

SEAFARER: Drift, by Penned In The Margins is a performance inspired by the anonymous Anglo-Saxon poem The Seafarer. At The Forge in Camden. £10, prebook, 7.30pm

EXILED WRITERS: The monthly gathering of writers exiled from their homeland takes place at Poetry Cafe, with featured performances. Hosted by Jennifer Langer.£4/£2, just turn up, 7.30pm

Tuesday 7 October

TREVOR BROOKING: West Ham and footballing legend Sir Trevor Brooking is at Waterstones London Wall to sign copies of his new autobiography, My Life in Football. 1pm

QUEEN VICTORIA: A.N. Wilson is at Hatchards on Piccadilly to talk about his biography of Queen Victoria, which explores the curious set of circumstances that led to Victoria’s coronation, her strange and isolated childhood and her passionate marriage. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

TALE OF TWO AUTUMNS: There’s an evening evening of conversation and readings at Keats House in Hampstead, focusing on the Autumns of 1819 and 1820. Free, 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

BOOK BENCH AUCTION: Remember the book benches that were spread liberally throughout the city earlier in the year? They’re being sold off at a public auction at Southbank Centre, with all proceeds going to the National Literacy Trust’s vital work to raise literacy levels in the UK. Many of the artists and authors involved will be at the event. £25, prebook, 7.45pm

SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE: The life of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge is being discussed by poets Poets Malika Booker and Dorothea Smartt at Southbank Centre. £10, prebook, 8.15pm

Wednesday 8 October

POINTLESS: Head to Waterstones London Wall for a signing of the new pointless quiz book, The Very Pointless Quiz Book by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman. 1pm

RIO FERDINAND: Meet the footballer: he’s signing copies of his autobiography, #2Sides, at Waterstones Canary Wharf. Free, just turn up (get there early to avoid disappointment), 11am or at Waterstones Leadenhall Market at 5.30pm

MESSENGER OF FEAR: Michael Grant, the author of the global best-selling Gone series is in conversation with Journalist Lucy Mangan, where they will be discussing his new book Messenger of Fear. At Waterstones Piccadilly. £4/£3, prebook, 6.30pm

PETER F HAMILTON: The UK’s biggest selling science fiction author Peter F Hamilton is at Foyles on Charing Cross Road for a pre-launch event surrounding his new book, The Abyss Beyond Dreams. £5, prebook, 7pm

MUSIC AND POLITICS: John Hutnyk is at Housmans bookshop in King’s Cross to discuss his most recent book, Pantomime Terror: Music and Politics. £3, prebook, 7pm

ANDRES NEUMAN: Novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist Andres Neuman is in conversation with author Elif Shafak to discuss his recent novel, The Things We Don’t Do. At Waterstones Covent Garden. 7pm

DERMOT O’LEARY: The TV presenter is at Waterstones Piccadilly for the launch event for The Soundtrack To My Life, a memoir told through the songs that have shaped his life and career in TV and radio. £20, prebook, 7.30pm

BOOK SLAM: The event returns to Clapham Grand, with £1 from each ticket going to Women’s Aid. Writers involved in tonight’s event include Laura Bates from Everyday Sexism, Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty, and Salena Godden. From £7, prebook, 7.30pm

POLARI: The LGBT Literary Salon returns to Southbank Centre with award-winning writer Ali Smith and winner of The Polari First Book Prize 2013, Mari Hannah. The evening also features Will Davies, Karen Mcleod and Justin David. £10, prebook, 7.45pm

PLAY READING: An audience of 20 people read together from the latest edition of Tom Phillips’s ongoing project A Humument. The audience for this shared reading will each be given sections to read as the work is brought to life in the Poetry Library. £5, prebook, 8pm

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.£6/£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

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

Hilary Mantel is at Southbank Centre

Ongoing

Throughout October, Footprints of London tour guides are running the Literary Footprints Festival, with over 40 author and book themed talks and walks dotted about the city.

Somewhere in a corner of south west London, Wimbledon Book Fest brings in the likes of Alexander McCall Smith, Colm Toibin and Victoria Hislop talking fiction, David Starkey (who the website refers to as Dave; we find this hilarious) and Tracy Borman for 9 days of literary goodness. 3-12 October

Kings Place is the venue for London Lit Weekend, which explores all sorts of topics from religion to rock’n'roll, poetry to crime, and money to philosophy. Buy tickets to individual events, or get a day pass for £20. 10-12 October

ArchWay With Words festival brings the likes of Charlie Higson, Will Self, Stella Duffy, Lisa Jewell and John Hegley to the area around Archway Market. 11-24 October

Thursday 9 October

STREET CAT BOB: James Bowen and Bob the cat (of street cat fame) are at Waterstones in Covent Garden signing copies of A Gift From Bob. It’s a Christmassy one, don’t say we didn’t warn you. Free, just turn up (get there early) 12.30pm

JOHN CLEESE: The comedy legend, actor, writer and producer will be signing copies of his autobiography So, Anyway at Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, just turn up (get there early to avoid disappointment), 1pm

DUTCH COURAGE: Dutch-Moroccan writer Abdelkader Benali is at London Dutch Centre in the City for an interview about his books, his passions and his views on the everlasting problems in the Middle East. £10, prebook, 7pm

NAPOLEON: Writer Andrew Roberts and historian and novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore discuss he former’s new book, Napoleon the Great, at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

PORTRAITS OF INDIA: Claire Allfree, literary editor of Metro, chairs a conversation between Neel Mukherjee, author of Man Booker 2014 short-listed The Lives of Others, along with Mahesh Rao, author of The Smoke is Rising. At Waterstones Piccadilly. Free, prebook, 7pm

JULIE BURCHILL: Author, contrarian and self-declared militant feminist Julie Burchill is at Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green to discuss her new book, Unchosen; Memoirs of a Philo-Semite, with Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore. £20/£10, prebook, 7pm

MILITARY HISTORY: Author and military historian Antony Beevor is discussing his latest book The Second World War and signing copies at Dulwich Books in West Dulwich. £10/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Helen Mort and Daniel Piper. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

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

Friday 10 October

TREVOR BROOKING: The footballing legend will be at Waterstones in Leadenhall Market signing copies of his autobiography, My Life in Football. Free, just turn up (arrive early to avoid disappointment), 12.30pm

Saturday 11 October

JACQUELINE WILSON: The children’s author is launching her 100th book, Opal Plumstead, at the Lyric Theatre. She’ll be taking questions from the audience, and pre-signed books will be available to buy from Waterstones. £10.50/£6.50, prebook, 11am

BOOKS ARE MY BAG: Dulwich Books celebrates this year’s Books Are My Bag campaign with a day of events at the shop. The first 100 customers will receive a free Tracey Emin tote bag and free books, and authors and poets will be popping in throughout the day. Free, just turn up, 11am-3pm Foyles on Charing Cross Road and in Royal Festival Hall also have a Big Bookshop Party going on, with various events (prebooking required) including storytelling with the Roald Dahl Museum. From 11am

CINEMA BOOKSTALL: The Cinema Museum in Kennington opens its doors for a bookstall, selling books, magazines, stills, films, equipment and other items surplus to requirements. Free, just turn up, 2pm-5pm 

DYLAN THOMAS: Head to Keats House in Hampstead for an afternoon of poetry celebrating the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. Free with admission to Keats House, just turn up, 3pm

CRYPT POETRY: Poetry in the Crypt is an occasional reading series which takes place in the crypt below St Mary’s church on Upper Street, Islington. Expect readings by translators and editors Peter Daniels, Emily Jeremiah and Paul McLoughlin. £4, just turn up, 7pm

BURROUGHS: The 100th anniversary of the birth of satirical US writer William S Burroughs is celebrated at Southbank Centre, with an evening of evening of art, music, film, song and testimony £15/£25, prebook, 7.30pm

Sunday 12 October

PENNY READINGS: Head to the Clore Ballroom at Southbank Centre for The London Penny Readings. The event, which celebrates the triumph and struggles of human life,  follows on from the Victorian tradition where people could listen to literature being read aloud for the cost of a penny. Readers include writer and patron of The Reader Organisation Erwin James and Frank Heweston, Greenpeace activist. Free, prebook, 5pm

AFRICA39: A selection of 39 promising writers under 40 from Africa south of the Sahara and diaspora are at Southbank Centre to launch the the Africa39 anthology book. Writers present include Clifton Cachagua (Kenya), Nadifa Mohamed (Somalia) and Stanley Kenani (Malawi). £8, prebook, 6pm

ELIF SHAFAK: There’s a preview of Elif Shafak‘s new novel, The Architect’s Apprentice, at Queen Elizabeth Hall on Southbank. The novel is set in a 16th-century Istanbul bursting with colour, romance and white elephants. £8, prebook, 6pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Lynne Hjelmgaard and Danielle Hope. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 13 October

JAMAICAN LAUREATE: Mervyn Morris, recently appointed Poet Laureate of Jamaica, is at the British Library, joined by special guest poets John Hegley and Mimi Khalvati. £10/£7, prebook, 6.30pm

INTERNATIONAL WAR POETRY: Sir Andrew Motion is joined by Sasha Dugdale, poet and editor of MPT Magazine at Kings Place for an evening exploring international war poetry. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

ARTISTS: Art sociologist Sarah Thornton will be in conversation about her new book, 33 Artists in 3 Acts, with artist Isaac Julien at London Review Bookshop. £10, prebook, 7pm

ADULT STORYTELLING: Spark London storytelling takes over Hackney Picturehouse for an evening of stories along the theme of second chances. Listen to others, or take the chance to tell your own story. £4, prebook, 7.30pm

SHORTLISTED NOVELS: Head to Southbank Centre for readings and conversations about the shortlisted books for The Man Booker Prize. Authors on the shortlist include Karen Joy Fowler and Ali Smith. £10-£20, prebook, 7.30pm

Tuesday 14 October

MAN BOOKER: Brick Lane Bookshop hosts an alternative Man Booker Prize Party. Paul Ewen will be talking about his Booker-inspired debut novel, Francis Plug – How To Be A Public Author, in the run-up to the winner being announced. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

MOVIE BOOK: Foyles on Charing Cross Road is the venue for the launch of What I Love About Movies, the first book by the makers of movie magazine Little White Lies. £5, prebook, 7pm

POETRY LAUNCH: Templar Poetry is at Keats House in Hampstead for for the launch of Matthew Henley’s first collection, Beetle, alongside readings from Paul Maddern. Free, prebook, 7pm

LIARS LEAGUE: The Phoenix on Cavendish Square hosts the monthly Liars League. Actors and authors stand up to tell stories they have written along the theme of Slash & Burn. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm 

Wednesday 15 October

TIMOTHY DONNELLY: Psychoanalyst and critic Adam Phillips interviews poet Timothy Donnelly, author of two poetry books, at Lutyens & Rubinstein Bookshop near Ladbroke Grove. £8, prebook, 7pm

BLAIR PEACH: David Renton will be discussing his new pamphlet, Who Killed Blair Peach?, at Housmans radical bookstore in King’s Cross. Blair Peach was a 33 year old teacher killed on a demonstration on 23 April 1979 at Southall against the National Front. £3, prebook, 7pm

THE ESTABLISHMENT: Owen Jones, Guardian columnist and author of internationally best-selling book Chavs is at Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green to talk about his new book The Establishment, which has just been published. £18/£5, prebook, 7pm

***

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

Richard Madeley is the subject of this week’s Grosvenor House Literati.

Ongoing

Throughout October, Footprints of London tour guides are running the Literary Footprints Festival, with over 40 author- and book-themed talks and walks dotted about the city.

ArchWay With Words festival brings the likes of Charlie Higson, Will Self, Stella Duffy, Lisa Jewell and John Hegley to the area around Archway Market. 11-24 October

Thursday 16 October

KEVIN BRIDGES: The comedian is at Waterstones in Canary Wharf to sign copies of his memoir We Need To Talk About… Kevin Bridges. 12.30pm

CHOP CHOP: Debut novelist Simon Wroe is at Clapham Books to read from and talk about his new novel, Chop Chop. It focuses on a chef who takes a low paid job in a Camden gastropub. Free, just turn up, 7pm

SEX WORK: Gay’s The Word bookshop in Bloomsbury hosts the launch event for Male Sex Work & Society. The interdisciplinary book is a comprehensive account of male sex work. Free, prebook, 7pm

POETRY: Join the Emma Press at The College Arms in Bloomsbury for the launch party to celebrate Rachel Piercey and Stephen Sexton’s new poetry pamphlets. London poet Rachel Piercey and Belfast poet Stephen Sexton will give short readings from Rivers Wanted and Oils, and there will be themed biscuits. Free, just turn up, 7pm

JANINA MATTHEWSON: The author discusses her debut novel, Of Things Gone Astray, a whimsical tale of modern life and values following a group of individuals who all realise that they have lost something important to them. At Waterstones Richmond. £3, prebook, 7pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Kate Tempest and Sean Mahoney. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 17 October

RICHARD MADELEY: One half of duo Richard & Judy is the subject of tonight’s Grosvenor House Literati event at the hotel on Park Lane. Richard will present his new novel, The Way You Look Tonight, which is about a 16-year-old who finds out that her father is a killer, and will be answering questions about the book. £20, prebook, 6.30pm

BARCELONA SHADOWS: CSI and writer, Marc Pastor talks about the Vampire of Barcelona, and his novel about a real-life female serial killer at Waterstones Covent Garden. 7pm

DODO POETS: The poetry event returns to Poetry Cafe in Betterton Street with poetry readings from storyteller Richard Scott, newbie Lauretta Tomlinson and more. £3/£7, prebook, 8pm

Saturday 18 October

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, 8pm

Sunday 19 October

SONNET SUNDAY: During lunch service at the Swan restaurant next to Shakespeare’s Globe on Southbank, actors from the theatre will be performing some of Shakespeare’s sonnets to diners. Part of London Restaurant Festival. Free to diners, prebooking recommended, throughout lunch service

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Hamja Ahsan reading his brother Talha Ahsan’s poetry, and Kirsten Irving and Patric Cunnane introduced by Lisa Kelly. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 20 October

GRAPHIC NOVELS: Female-led graphic novel forum Laydeez Do Comics is back at Foyles on Charing Cross Road. The evenings provide a friendly and inspiring atmosphere for emerging artists and established practitioners to test new works and ideas. Men and women welcome, and cake is provided. £1 donation, prebook, 6pm

SUSAN HILL: The author of many novels, including The Woman in Black, is at British Library to talk to Stephanie Merritt (who writes novels as SJ Parris) about her approach to storytelling. £10/£8/£7, prebook, 6.30pm

DAVID HOCKNEY: Acclaimed writer, photographer and broadcaster Christopher Simon Sykes is at Waterstones King’s Road to talk about the second part of his David Hockney autobiography. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

Tuesday 21 October

BERNARD CORNWELL: Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner hosts author Bernard Cornwell presenting his new book — and his first non fiction title — Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles. He’ll be introduced by Lady Douro, wife of the eldest son of the current Duke of Wellington, Ticket price includes a copy of the book. £100, prebook, 5pm-9pm. He’s also at Waterstones on London Wall to sign copies of the book at 1pm

DYLAN THOMAS: As part of the British Academy‘s Dylan Thomas Centenary events, there’s an evening of five short talks on the theme of the power of the voice on radio. Free, prebook, 6pm-8pm

MONTMARTRE: Sue Roe, author of The Private Lives of the Impressionists and biographer of Gwen John, is at Hatchard’s to give a talk about turn-of-the-century Montmartre: the art that thrived in such an experimental and daring culture, and tales of genius artists Matisse and Picasso. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

BOOKSHOP BOOK: Bestselling author Jen Campbell is at Waterstones Hampstead to discuss her latest title The Bookshop Book, a unique love letter to bookshops in all their diverse glory around the world and across the ages. £3/£5, prebook, 7pm

JAMES FREY: The international bestselling author of A Million Little Pieces will be in conversation with Journalist Lucy Mangan at Waterstones Trafalgar Square, discussing his new project and book, Endgame. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

-ISM POETRY: The Green Note in Camden is better known for live music, but tonight it hosts five poets who will be tackling “ism” issues, including sexism, ageism and racism. Poets lined up include Hollie McNish and Kayo Chingonyi, hosted by Richard Tyrone Jones. £5/£7, prebook, 7pm

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA: Historian and travel writer Anthony Sattin is at Daunt Books in Marylebone to talk about his book, Young Lawrence: A Portrait of the Legend as a Young Man. £8, prebook, 7pm

ELEANOR MARX: Rachel Holmes introduces her new book on both the public and the private lives of Eleanor Marx, youngest daughter of Karl Marx, at Bishopsgate Institute. £9/£7, prebook, 7.30pm

Wednesday 22 October

SACKVILLE-WEST: Matthew Dennison, author of Behind the Mask: The Life of Vita Sackville-West, is at Hatchard’s to talk about the subject of his biography. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

EVERYDAY SEXISM: Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism project is at Waterstones Hampstead to talk about her book, which aims to raise awareness of sexist acts experienced by women all over the world on a daily basis. £3/£5, prebook, 7pm

SRI LANKAN LITERATURE: Writers Romesh Gunesekera and VV Ganeshananthan are in conversation with BBC journalist Razia Iqbal about the shadow that war has cast over Sri Lankan literature. Takes place at Courtauld Institute in Somerset House.£8/£5, prebook, 7pm

SYRIA AT CROSSROADS: Rooted in a turbulent history and struggling with a troubled present, Syria stands at the crossroads. In this evening’s talk at Waterstones Piccadilly, John McHugo, author of Syria: From the Great War to Civil War and Diana Darke, author of My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Revolution combine forces to offer an insight into Syria past, present and future. Free, prebook, 7pm

INDIAN SOLDIERS: Man Booker Prize judge Alistair Niven is at Housmans Bookshop in King’s Cross for an evening to discuss the politics of Indian soldiers involvement in the First World War, as explored in Mulk Raj Anand’s recently republished book on the subject, Across the Black Waters. Free, just turn up, 7pm

STANZA BONANZA: The Woking poetry team take on Barnes at the Poetry Cafe tonight. From Barnes: Dennis Tomlinson, Lara Charles, Dino Mahoney, Cathra Kelliher, Michael Weightman, and Nayna Kumari. Woking names to follow. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

***

Crick Crack Club is at The Forge on 29 October

Ongoing

Throughout October, Footprints of London tour guides are running the Literary Footprints Festival, with over 40 author- and book-themed talks and walks dotted about the city.

ArchWay With Words festival brings the likes of Charlie Higson, Will Self, Stella Duffy, Lisa Jewell and John Hegley to the area around Archway Market. 11-24 October

The Dylan Thomas in Fitzrovia Festival celebrates what would be Thomas’s 100th birthday with recitals, talks, art exhibitions and more. 20-26 October

Thursday 23 October

BORIS JOHNSON: The Mayor of London is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to sign copies of his new book, The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History. 12.3opm, or at Leadenhall Market Waterstone’s tomorrow, also 12.30pm

ANTHONY HOROWITZ: Several events are going on to celebrate the launch of Horowitz’s new book: Moriarty, which returns to the world of Sherlock Holmes. Set days after the events at the Reichenbach Falls, it follows the investigations of Pinkerton agent Frederick Chase, who, following the death of Moriarty, joins forces with a Scotland Yard officer who is a student of Holmes’ methods. From 3.30pm, Horowitz himself will be taking a carriage ride through London, on a whistle-stop tour of several Waterstones stores, 3.30pm-6pm. Waterstones Piccadilly has Horowitz talking about the book with Paul Blezard. £10/£5, prebook, 6.30pm. Read our interview with Anthony Horowitz here.

SHEILA HANCOCK: Bloomsbury Book Club hosts actress Sheila Hancock, who will be discussing her debut novel, Miss Carter’s War, with her friend and fellow author Kate Mosse. £25/£10, prebook, 6pm

DYLAN THOMAS: Attend the recording of a radio drama at the British Academy marking the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. In homage to Under Milk Wood, fellow poet and playwright Glyn Maxwell writes of his own home-town, Welwyn Garden City, the utopian dream of Ebenezer Howard, on its one hundredth birthday in 2020. Free, prebook, 6pm

LIT LOUNGE: London Literature Lounge at Keats House is an evening of poetry with open mic. Writer, broadcaster and Director of London Literature Lounge, Anjan Saha, will read from his collection Lost Luggage. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

LIBERTY: Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, is at Daunt Books in Marylebone to talk about her book, On Liberty, which explores the importance of defending fundamental rights and freedoms, and the pressure placed on them in the changed world post 9/11. £8, prebook, 7pm

LOCAL AUTHOR: Dulwich Books hosts the book launch of The Green Door with local author Christopher Bowden. Free, just turn up, 7pm 

NEW WRITERS: Foyles on Charing Cross Road tries out a new format event tonight, featuring a panel of up-and-coming authors and an audience of readers exploring the road to publication and what lies beyond. Chaired by journalist Alex Clark. Free, prebook, 7pm

SHAUN USHER: Waterstone’s Richmond has an evening with Shaun Usher, who is talking about his new book, Lists of Note. Hear what Snow White’s seven dwarves could have been called or what was on Leonardo da Vinci’s to-do list. £3, prebook, 7pm

70 FILMS: Iain Sinclair is at London Review Bookshop to discuss his new book,  70×70: Unlicensed Preaching, with novelist and film-maker Chris Petit and composer Susan Stenger. The book showcases the 70 seminal films that Iain chose to mark his 70th birthday, to be screened at a variety of venues across London. £10, prebook, 7pm

RAMAYANA ON STAGE: The Ramayana – stories of Rama’s quest to rescue his wife Sita from her abduction by Raavana, Lord of the Underworld – is brought to the Rich Mix stage by poet Daljit Nagra. £9/£7, prebook, 7.30pm

Friday 24 October

TALES OF TERROR: As part of British Library’s Gothic Terror season, Crick Crack Club and world-renowned storytellers Jan Blake and TUUP host an adult storytelling evening (14+ years) of sorcery, bloodsucking, and shape-shifting. £8/£6/£5, prebook, 6.30pm

ROGER McGOUGH: Redbridge Central Library hosts poet Roger McGough reading from his new book of poetry, As Far As I Know. £8/£5, prebook, 7pm

Saturday 25 October

KEATS WALK: Follow in the footsteps of John Keats on a guided walk starting at his birthplace, and visiting the areas where he lived and studied, including Cheapside, Apothecaries Hall and Guys Hospital. £10/£8, prebook, 11am

NON-VIOLENT CAMPAIGNS: Housman’s Bookshop hosts the launch of second edition of the Handbook for Nonviolent Campaigns. Speakers at the launch include Jungmin Choi of World Against War in South Korea, Hulya Ucpinar of the Nonviolence Research Center in Turkey, and more. Free, 6.30pm

SPORTS WRITERS: Roy Keane and Roddy Doyle are in conversation with BBC’s Matt Williams at Lord’s Cricket Ground, as part of London Sports Writing Festival. £10, prebook, 7.30pm

WAXING LYRICAL: Spoken word night Waxing Lyrical is back at The Dissenting Academy. Hosted by Deanna Rodger, there’s a headline set from celebrated Hammer And Tongue Slam Champ Tommy Sissons, live music and an open mic. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm

Sunday 26 October

JO BELL: Keats House Poets present a relaxed afternoon of poetry and spoken word with an open mic and performances from poets including Jo Bell. Free, just turn up, 2pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Dan Kennedy and Peter Donnelly. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

VELVET TONGUE: The erotic literature salon returns to The Book Club in Shoreditch, with contributions from Jacky Donovan, Daniel Richards, Nairobi Thompson and Jay Walker, as well as open mic slots. £5/£3, 7pm

DYLAN THOMAS: Southbank Centre hosts a gala night of music and words celebrating the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. The charity concert features Owain Arwel Hughes and Camerata Wales and readings by special guest stars including Robert Bathurst, Tom Hollander, Lesley Manville, John Owen-Jones, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce and Griff Rhys Jones. £15-£38, prebook, 8pm

DEATH MATCH: Chris O’Dowd and Nick Vincent Murphy are guest readers at this month’s Literary Death Match at Concrete in Shoreditch. Four authors read their own work for seven minutes or less. They’re judged by three well-known judges who respond to the work before choosing two finalists. £7/£9, prebook, 8pm

Monday 27 October

LIBRARY TOUR: Take a behind-the-scenes tour of Bishopsgate Institute Library. Find out what the ‘battle of the books’ was and why the Institute locked away one archive item from the public fearing it may cause revolution. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

ANTHONY HOROWITZ: Anthony Horowitz is at the Museum of London to talk about new novel Moriarty with Professor of Victorian Literature and Culture, Clare Pettitt (Kings College, London) and Sherlock exhibition curator, Alex Werner. £10/£8, prebook, 7pm

JOAN OF ARC: Helen Castor is at West End Lane Books to talk about her new book, Joan Of Arc. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

AL KENNEDY: New Cross Learning hosts an evening with AL Kennedy. The author will be reading from and signing her new book All The Rage. Proceeds from the event go towards keeping New Cross Learning open. £10/£8, prebook, 8pm

Tuesday 28 October

LONDON DATA: Stanfords’ Long Acre Store hosts geographer James Cheshire and designer Oliver Uberti to talk about their London-centric book, The Information Capital. Those clever chaps have taken all sorts of information about London and mapped it. Which borough of London is the happiest? Where are the city’s tweeting hot spots? How many animals does the fire brigade save each year? If you get hold of a copy of the book, keep an eye out for Londonist’s own contribution. £3, prebook, 6.30pm

AMBIT LAUNCH: The quarterly literary and art magazine launches its latest issue at the Sun and 13 Cantons in Soho. £5 (or free with a purchase of Ambit), 7pm

EDWARD LIMONOV: Emmanuel Carrère is at Lutyens & Rubinstein bookshop to discuss Limonov, his book originally in French and now translated, about the outrageous life of one of Russia’s greatest living enigmas, Edward Limonov. He’s in conversation with Robert McCrum, Associate Editor of the Guardian. £8, prebook, 7pm

SALENA GODDEN: Poet, writer and performer Salena Godden makes an appearance at Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green, celebrating the publication of her poetry collection Fishing in the Aftermath and her memoir Springfield Road. Free, prebooking essential, 8pm

Wednesday 29 October

FOR BOOK’S SAKE: Head to The Proud Archivist in Haggerston for a Halloween themed For Book’s Sake. Rosie Garland and Dr Wanda Wyporska will be reading from their respective books and then discussing the demonisation of women in history and historical fiction, followed by a Q&A. £6/£8/£10, prebook, 6.30pm

DISAPPEARING POETS: Tonight’s event at King’s Place explores the lives and motives of two poets, who disappeared separately. In 1873 the French poet Arthur Rimbaud disappeared to become an explorer and arms dealer in the Horn of Africa. In 1979 the British poet Rosemary Tonks, regarded as one of the leading poets of the time, similarly disappeared, severing all connection with the literary world, and spent the rest of her life living as a near recluse in Bournemouth. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

ANIMAL MADNESS: The Freud Museum near Finchley Road has an author’s talk by Laurel Braitman. Her book, Animal Madness, is about how mental illness can manifest itself in animals (particular reference to dogs) in the same way that it does in humans. £10/£7, prebook, 7pm

ADULT STORYTELLING: Crick Crack Club storytelling for adults is at The Forge in Camden. Storytellers Dominic Kelly, Mikael Oberg, Ben Haggarty and Emily Parrish lead a mythological themed evening, with music by Jonah Brody and Hannah Sanders. £10/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

MIDNIGHT BOOK LAUNCH: The British Library is the location for the midnight launch of Anne Rice’s new gothic novel, Prince Lestat, where ticket holders can get hold of a signed copy of the book and have an out of hours wander around the current exhibition, Terror And Wonder: The Gothic Imagination. £28, prebook, 10pm

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

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

Graham Norton speaks about his new memoir at Southbank Centre

Ongoing

Richmond Literature Festival is going on throughout November in Richmond-upon-Thames. Take a look at the festival calendar for a full list of events.

Christopher Brett Bailey’s show This Is How We Die opens at Battersea Arts Centre this week. The show of spoken word and storytelling was inspired by William Burroughs, beat poetry and B-movies.

Thursday 30 October

POETRY READINGS: Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden hosts readings by John Torrance and Neil Donnelly from their recently published poetry collections, and by Catherine Fried who will read poems by the late Erich Fried. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

DEEP SOUTH: Author Kate Mayfield is in conversation with literary critic Jake Kerridge for an evening of bourbon and Southern delights. The author will discuss her new memoir, The Undertaker’s Daughter, a portrait of a childhood spent growing up in a funeral parlour in 1960′s Kentucky. At Waterstones Hampstead. £3/£5, prebook, 7pm

MATHS PUZZLES: Matt Parker, maths teacher by day and stand-up comedian by night celebrates the launch of his first book, Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension, at Foyles on Charing Cross Road. The book contains maths puzzles and games which aim to solve some of the biggest mysteries of maths. £5, prebook, 7pm

RUTH RENDELL: In partnership with Newham Bookshop, crime writer Ruth Rendell is at Bishopsgate Institute to mark the publication of a 50th anniversary edition of her first book, From Doon with Death. The book, first published in 1964, introduced the character Chief Inspector Wexford, who has been in 24 of Rendell’s books to date. £12/£10, prebook, 7.30pm

Friday 31 October

SLAMBASSADORS: The youth spoken word and poetry slam is at Southbank Centre for the national final, with a guest appearance by poet Mark Grist and a set from spoken-word sensation and SLAMbassadors UK Artistic Director Joelle Taylor. Free, just turn up, 4pm 

TOMAS GONZALEZ: Colombian author and translator Tomas Gonzalez talks about his novel, In the Beginning was the Sea, at London Review Bookshop. The book was first published in 1983 and has recently been translated into English. £10, prebook, 7pm

LATE NIGHT KEATS: Keats House in Hampstead hosts a Halloween special adults only evening of Gothic literature, music and a poetry open mic compered by the Keats House Poet in Residence, Daljit Nagra. £8, prebook, 7pm

YETI POETICS: Paul Chandler presents a night of very spooky verse, special guests and an opportunity for open-mic readings at the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden. Pay what you can afford, just turn up, 7.30pm

Saturday 1 November

MARY BERRY: The celebrity food wizard is at Waterstones King’s Road to sign copies of her new book, Cooks the Perfect. Arrive early to avoid disappointment. 1.30pm

LONDON TREASURE HUNT: Hatchards in Piccadilly hosts a London Literary Treasure Hunt. Ten leading authors with a strong connection to London have been hidden among the bookshelves of the oldest bookshop in the UK and will be waiting to read and talk to successful treasure hunters. Free, prebook, 6pm

Sunday 2 November

STORIES: The Invisible Dot in King’s Cross hosts the first event in a new season of Stories, where  young poets, writers, thinkers, and speakers come together to share stories on a theme. Tonight’s performers include Liam Williams, Alfie Brown and Katy Wix. £10/£8.50, prebook, 4pm

GRAHAM NORTON: The TV personality is at Southbank Centre to discuss his new memoir, The Life and Loves of a He Devil, which covers his life from childhood in Ireland to the present day. £30 (includes a pre-signed hardback copy of the book), prebook, 7.30pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Kate Foley and Donald Gardner, introduced by Angela Kirby. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 3 November

LERNER’S LIFE:Dominic McHugh, author of Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist’s Letters, is in conversation with Lerner’s widow, Liz Robertson at Samuel French Bookshop in Fitzrovia. They discuss the life and legacy of the musical theatre legend behind My Fair Lady, Camelot and Gigi who worked with the likes of Julie Andrews and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Includes a Q&A and book signing. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

COMIC CRASH: As part of the Comica Festival, Darryl Cunningham is in conversation with Danny Dorling at Foyles. They’re discussing Cunningham’s new graphic book Supercrash: How to Hijack the Global Economy, a study of the origins of the 2008 financial crash and the philosophy that caused it to happen. £8, prebook, 6.30pm

JAMES ELLROY: At tonight’s Guardian Book Club, James Ellroy talks to John Mullan about corrupt cops, femme fatales and his classic crime novel, The Black Dahlia. At the Royal Institution in Mayfair. £20, prebook, 7pm

FABER SOCIAL: The Social on Little Portland Street is the venue for a special Faber Social curated by celebrated artist and writer Stanley Donwood. Actor, writer and artist Ric Jerrom will be reading from Stanley’s forthcoming collection of fiction, Humor. Paul Kingsnorth reads from The Wake, recently long-listed for the Man Booker Prize, plus more readings, and live music. £10, prebook, 7pm

Tuesday 4 November

UNKNOWN SOLDIER: A new exhibition opens at the Poetry Library at Southbank Centre today. An Unknown Soldier is a series of printed poems responding to remembrance, DNA technology and propaganda. The exhibition also includes new works for the centenary year of the outbreak of the war, commissioned to highlight the 43 million pocket Gospels of St John that were given to servicemen. Free, just turn up, until 4 January

SELINA HASTINGS: At today’s Bloomsbury Book Club event, Selina Hastings, biographer of Evelyn Waugh and Nancy Mitford among others, discusses her memoir of her father, The Red Earl: The Extraordinary Life of the 16th Earl of Huntingdon, with her publisher, Robin Baird-Smith. £10/£25, prebook, 6pm

CREATIVE WRITING: The focus of tonight’s Southbank Centre Creative Writing School is finding inspiration in the landscape. Get help with your writing from experts. £15, prebook, 6.30pm

LITERARY FUNDRAISER: Head to the Book Club in Shoreditch for an evening of literary entertainment from the likes of actress Katy Wix, author Naomi Wood, and lecturer Kate Maclean. Money raised goes to the East End social enterprise, The LUMINARY BAKERY. £5, prebook, 7pm

1920s IOWA: Pulitzer Prize winning author Jane Smiley is at London Review Bookshop to read from her latest novel, Some Luck, and to sign copies. The book is expected to be the first in a trilogy, and is set in 1920s Iowa. £10, prebook, 7pm

INSIDE ANONYMOUS: Gabriella Coleman presents her new book, Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous, at Foyles. She has spent the past six years studying the rise of Anonymous, a group of hackers, activists and technologists. £5, prebook, 7pm

VIRGINIA WOOLF: Maggie Gee is at Waterstones Piccadilly to talk about her new book, Virginia Woolf in Manhattan. It’s an evening of readings, discussion and pure inspiration chaired by Palestinian novelist Salma Debbagh. Free, prebook, 7pm

OUTSPOKEN: The night of poetry, spoken word and live music is at The Forge in Camden, with poetry from Dean Atta, Charlotte Higgins and Kat Francois £10/£12, prebook, 7.30pm

BEYOND WORDS: The Gipsy Hill Tavern hosts an evening with performance poet Mabs Jones and prize-winning poet Chris Hardy. £4/£3, just turn up, 7.30pm

BURN AFTER READING: Hosted by a community of emerging young poets and each month featuring the foremost voices of poetry and spoken word. This month features Yomi ‘GREEdS’ Sode and Katie Bonna alongside the Burn After Reading Poets. Held in Seven Dials Club, Covent Garden. £5, just turn up, 7.45pm

DISRAELI’S DOUBLE LIVES: Meet historian Douglas Hurd at London Jewish Cultural Centre in Camden. Hurd is the author of Disraeli: The Great Prime Minister or the Dandy Gambler, and is in conversation with Edward Young about the paradoxes at the centre of Disraeli’s ‘two lives’: a dandy and gambler on the one hand, a devoted servant and favourite Prime Minister of the Queen on the other. £12/£15, prebook, 8pm

Wednesday 5 November

WRITING ABOUT MONSTERS: The Royal Society of Literature holds The Roy Jenkins Memorial Meeting at Courtauld Institute. In a conversation chaired by Selina Hastings, authors Richard Davenport-Hines, Lucy Hughes-Hallett discuss the art of bringing dark characters to life on the page. £8/£5, prebook, 7pm

ANTHOLOGY LAUNCH: Black & BLUE present the launch of their new anthology, Revolution, at The Red Lion in Hoxton. The event is also a book swap; bring along a book you’ve enjoyed and a piece of writing about why you enjoyed the book, and try to convince a stranger to swap with you. £5 in advance which includes a copy of Revolution, or £2 entry on the door, 7pm

CRICK CRACK CLUB: The storytelling club hosts an evening with mythologist Dr Martin Shaw at Swedenborg House in Holborn. The theme is The Eloquence of a Fairytale, and Shaw tells the Indo-European wondertale, popularised by the Brothers Grimm, Faithful John, with a simultaneous commentary. £8, prebook, 7pm

PRISON POETRIES: Head to Southbank Centre for a panel discussion about writing poetry in prison. Pat Winslow, ex prison writer-in-residence is in conversation with Marek Kazmierski, editor of Not Shut Up magazine, and human rights campaigner Hamja Ahsan. Free, prebook via email, 8pm

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

The people behind Richmond Literary Festival firmly advocate book igloos

Ongoing

Richmond Literature Festival is going on throughout November in Richmond-upon-Thames. Take a look at the festival calendar for a full list of events.

For those who want to venture slightly outside of London, Chorleywood Literature Festival begins on 10 November, with names such as Jodi Picoult, Tracy Borman and Sheila Hancock taking part. Various prices, prebook, until 16 November

Thursday 6 November

DYSLEXIA AWARENESS WEEK: Bloomsbury Institute in Bedford Sqaure hosts an event in partnership with the British Dsylexia Association. Children’s authors Tom McLaughlin and Sally Gardner explore dyslexia, its links with creativity and how it impacts on their ideas and their writing. They will be interviewed by Dr. Kate Saunders. £10/£7/£6, prebook, 6pm

GALLERY POETRY: The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow stays open late tonight. As well as art, music, food and drink, Walthamstow-based Forest Poets and Sarah Doyle, the Pre-Raphaelite Society’s poet-in-residence, will explore the poet’s preoccupation with metre, rhyme and metaphor with readings in the Gallery’s Acanthus Room. Free, just turn up, 6.30pm

POLITICAL CARTOONS: Head to Waterstones Trafalgar Square for an evening celebrating the publication of The Best of Britain’s Political Cartoons 2014. Editor Tim Benson, the UK’s leading political cartoon expert, will be in discussion with some of the cartoonists whose work is included in the collection about the images that defined the year. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

LITERARY DISSIDENT: London School of Economics hosts a discussion and film screening about the story of China’s first literary dissident’s Kafkaesque journey through the prisons of the Cultural Revolution. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

SIMON ARMITAGE: The poet discusses and reads from Paper Aeroplane, a selection of his own work over the last 25 years. It draws upon all of his award-winning collections, from his debut Zoom to his latest uncollected work. At Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

FANTASY FICTION: Graham Hancock, author of the War God series of books is at Foyles on Charing Cross Road to talk about his new fantasy fiction novel, Return of the Plumed Serpent. £5, prebook, 7pm

GREAT WAR: The Working Men’s College in Mornington Crescent hosts a literary night focused on the Great War. Timothy Adès will be reading poems in translation about The Great War. Judith Allnatt will be reading from her latest novel The Moon Field, Pete Ayrton will be reading from No Man’s Land, an international anthology of First World War fiction, plus more readings. Free, prebook, 7pm

IN PRAISE OF BEES: Elizabeth Burchell, author of In Praise Of Bees, is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to explore the bee’s place in human society from prehistoric cave paintings and inscribed clay tablets through to our contemporary world. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Ross Sutherland and Amy McAllister. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

Friday 7 November

VON FURSTENBERG: Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to sign copies of her new book, The Woman I Wanted To Be. 1pm

CRICKET AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Meet cricketer Sachin Tendulkar at Waterstones Canary Wharf Jubilee, where he’s signing copies of his autobiography, Playing It My Way. 1pm

FLEETWOOD MAC: Meet Mick Fleetwood, drummer and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, at Waterstones Piccadilly. He’s signing copies of his autobiography, Now, Then, And Fleetwood Mac. 5pm

CULT COMICS: What makes a cult comic? That’s the topic of debate at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, part of Comica Festival. £8/£5, prebook, 6.30pm

FIRST FRIDAYS: Poetry in London’s second live event takes place at the Poetry Cafe with open mic spots, a surprise feature act, a discussion on this month’s theme, the media, and the opportunity to network. Either come up with a short solo poem or team up with another poet and produce a 1 minute piece to be shared on the night. £5/£7, prebook, 7.30pm

Saturday 8 November

C20 SOCIETY: The Simpson Building, now home to Waterstones Piccadilly, represents 1936 in 100 Buildings 100 Years, a new book by C20 Society. The store celebrates the book with an illustrated talk by C20 on the streamlined and sophisticated architecture of the 1930s. Free, prebook, 2pm

WAR POETRY: Some of the finest poetry ever produced came from the devastation and bravery witnessed during the First World War. This afternoon’s readings by the Keats House Poetry Ambassadors at Keats House in Hampstead will focus on the unique perspective of women writers. Free with admission, just turn up, 3pm

Sunday 9 November

FEMALE WAR POETS: On Remembrance Sunday, Southbank Centre runs an event to give the public a chance to learn more about female war poets. Join experts, including Jane Potter and Angela K Smith, to explore the work of some the First World War’s greatest writers. Chaired by Judith Palmer, Director of The Poetry Society. Free, just turn up, 6.45pm Other Remembrance events at Southbank Centre include a dramatic reading by Neil Bartlett and a reading of Wildred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est by Andrew Motion.

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Jennifer Johnson, John Snelling, Richard Leigh and Murray Shelmerdine. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 10 November

THE BONE CLOCKS: Waterstones Piccadilly hosts an evening with David Mitchell. The author of Cloud Atlas will be in conversation with Sam Leith, discussing the Booker Prize longlisted The Bone Clocks. £8/£6, prebook, 6.30pm

INFORMATION IS BEAUTIFUL: David McCandless, data journalist and designer, and author of the best-selling Information is Beautiful, is the subject of tonight’s Guardian Live event at One Canada Square. He’ll be presenting some of his new infographics on a range of topics. £20, prebook, 7pm

WORDS ON MONDAY: Poet Wendy Cope marks the publication of her prose collection of a lifetime of published and unpublished work, at King’s Place. £9.50, prebook, 7pm

SCOTLAND: Kathleen Jamie is at London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury to read from new and forthcoming work, and to talk about the fate of Scottish writing in the aftermath of the referendum. £10, prebook, 7pm

AMERICAS POETRY: Poet in the City is at King’s Place for an evening of Poetry From The Americas. Adélia Prado is one of Brazil’s most important living poets and award-winning Thomas Lux has had work published widely in the USA. Hear them both reading in this one-off intimate event.£9.50, prebook, 7pm

HOCKNEY: Christopher Simon Sykes talks about the life and work of Hockney, Britain’s most popular living artist, following the publication of the second volume of his biography. At Hatchard’s on Piccadilly. £8, prebook, 7.30pm

CRICK CRACK CLUB: Soho Theatre hosts an evening of Performance Storytelling by Xanthe Gresham, combining wigs, Irish mythology, wild deities, on-line dating and the city of London. £9/£7, prebook, 8pm

NEW STEPHEN KING BOOK: Head to Waterstones Piccadilly to celebrate the launch of Stephen King’s new book, Revival, and the exclusive opportunity to be one the first to get your hands on a hardback copy of Revival in the UK at midnight, and enjoy some surprise treats. The first 50 in the queue will also be able to purchase a special limited edition of Revival. 11.30pm

Tuesday 11 November

FOXGLOVE SUMMER: Ben Aaronovitch signs copies of Foxglove Summer at Hatchard’s in St Pancras. In the fifth of his best-selling series Ben Aaronovitch takes Peter Grant out of whatever comfort zone he might have found and takes him out of London — to a small village in Herefordshire. 1pm

GRAYSON PERRY: Artist Grayson Perry will be signing copies of his new book, Playing to the Gallery, at Waterstones Piccadilly. 5.30pm

LITERATURE PRIZE: The Royal Society of Literature’s V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize is presented tonight. Writer A.L. Kennedy is in conversation with Paula Johnson, who reads from her work and explores the craft of the short story. After the announcement and presentation of the V.S. Pritchett Prize for 2014, the winning entry will be read by its author. £8/£5, prebook, 7pm

HOW TO WRITE: Journalist, broadcaster and comedy writer David Quantick is at London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury to present his new book, How to Write Everything. £10, prebook, 7pm

FASHION ON FLEET STREET: Felicity Green, ex-Mirror fashion journalist, and Penny Vincenzi discuss Green’s new book, Sex, Sense and Nonsense at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm

LIARS LEAGUE: The Phoenix on Cavendish Square hosts the monthly Liars League. Actors and authors stand up to tell stories they have written along the theme of Vice & Virtue. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

POETRY PANEL SHOW: Never Mind The Full Stops at Hackney Picturehouse is a poetry comedy panel show. two teams compete with couplets and score with sonnets to see who will make victory from their verse. £5/£4, prebook, 7.30pm

LAST POST: Alwyn W Turner is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to talk about new book, The Last Post, which looks at the origins of the traditional Remembrance bugle call in 1919. £5, prebook, 8pm

POEJAZZI: The Elgar Room at Royal Albert Hall is the venue for Poejazzi, a night of music and spoken word from established and up-and-coming talents. Speculative fiction author/Orange Prize Long-list nominee Leone Ross tells humorous tales and spoken word artist and activist Anthony Anaxagorou will be performing poems from his critically acclaimed EP, I Will Come To You. £14.26, prebook, 8pm

Wednesday 12 November

SIR ALEX FERGUSON: No, not the man himself. Professor Damian Hughes is at Waterstones on Trafalgar Square to talk about his new book, How To Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson. £3, prebook, 7pm

DUNKIRK: Sinclair McKay is the author of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park. In his new book he draws on interviews with Dunkirk veterans, illuminating letters and a host of fascinating archival material to explore the evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk. He’s at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to talk about the book. £8, prebook, 7.30pm

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

See a performance of The Shipwrecked House on Thursday courtesy of Penned In The Margins

Ongoing

Richmond Literature Festival is going on throughout November in Richmond-upon-Thames. Take a look at the festival calendar for a full list of events.

For those who want to venture slightly outside of London, Chorleywood Literature Festival has names such as Jodi Picoult, Tracy Borman and Sheila Hancock taking part. Various prices, prebook, until 16 November

Writeidea Festival takes over the Idea Store in Whitechapel for four days of free literary events. Line up includes Jake Arnott talking about The Art of Writing the Streets of London,  as well as authors Tom Holland, Jill Dawson and Simon Gough talking about their latest books. Free, prebook, 14-16 November

Thursday 13 November

ALAN CUMMING: The world-renowned actor and tireless LGBT rights campaigner, has written a memoir full of sadness, humour and warmth. Hear him discuss Not My Father’s Son: A Family Memoir at Waterstones on Gower Street. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

HORST AT V&A: Susanna Brown is Curator of Photographs at the V&A and the current exhibition Horst: Photographer of Style. She hosts an illustrated talk at Waterstones Piccadilly which will explain the processes of creating this major exhibition and provide an insight into the key themes of the show and stories behind Horst’s most iconic images. Free, prebook, 7pm

MICHAEL FRAYN: Daunt Books in Marylebone has Michael Frayn in discussion with Marcel Theroux on Matchbox Theatre, Frayn’s new work which assumes the form of a sketch show, featuring 30 mini monologues and dialogues. £8, prebook, 7pm

ARCHIVE POETRY: Poet in the City and Archives for London have commissioned new poetry from seven leading UK poets to uncover the stories of London’s archives. Tonight at Freemason’s Hall, award winning poet David Harsent will be joined by archivist Susan Snell, who will look in detail at the history of the Freemasons. Free, prebook, 7.30pm

PERFORMANCE POETRY: Poet Claire Trévien is at Canada Water Culture Space to perform a stage version of her poetry collection, in collaboration with Penned in the Margins. The Shipwrecked House combines poetry, performance, sound and smell. £10/£8, prebook, 7.30pm

MARILYNNE ROBINSON: Contemporary author Marilynne Robinson is at Southbank Centre talking about her new novel, Lila. It revisits the characters and setting of her past novels, Gilead and Home. £10, prebook, 7.45pm

BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Jodi Ann Bickley and Angry Sam. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm

SURVIVORS’ POETRY: The Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden hosts Survivors Poetry with work from Helmut Scholz, plus there’s an open mic. £3.50/£2.50/£1.50, 8pm

ROMANTIC FICTION: Head to Waterstones Kensington to meet Adrienne Vaughan, Lizzie Lamb, June Kearns and Mags Cullingford. 8.30pm

Friday 14 November

TRICKSTERS: Russell Brand, illustrator Chris Riddell and their band of tricksters present a one-off, multi-media performance of The Pied Piper of Hamelin at the Royal Albert Hall. All tickets include a copy of Russell Brand’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin. All profits go to literary charities. From £22.90, prebook, 6.30pm

PLAYING POETRY: The Poetry Cafe presents Playing Poetry, an exciting evening of experimental performance poetry and music for singers, songwriters, poets, actors, writers, rappers, musicians and audience members. £6/£5, 7.30pm

Saturday 15 November

ART BOOK FAIR: Waterstones on Piccadilly hosts its first ever Art Book Fair. Expect signings and mini-workshops by artists, curators and authors including David Campany, Marion Deuchars, Mireille Fauchon, Owen Gildersleeve, Sophie Gordon and many more. 1pm-5pm

WRITING MASTERCLASS: Publisher Simon & Schuster is running a creative writing masterclass for writers of commercial women’s fiction. The one-day event aims to help unpublished writers find their way to being published, with tips from editors, a literary agent, a bestselling author, a bookseller from Waterstones and a book reviewer from Heat magazine. The morning consists of one-to-one fifteen minute sessions, and the afternoon is a broader, more general panel event. Takes place at Books and the City HQ in Holborn. Tickets have sold out for the morning event but some remain for the afternoon session. £60, prebook, 1.30pm

GRAPHIC NOVELS: Comica and the London Graphic Novel Network present S.M.A.S.H. at Barbican Library, an afternoon looking at the art of the graphic novel. Three subjects will be explored in depth: the art in comic books, the history of comic books and the importance of storytelling to comics. Free, 12.30pm-3.30pm

POETRY IN THE CRYPT: Poetry in the Crypt is an occasional reading series which takes place in the crypt below St Mary’s Church on Upper Street, Islington. Tonight’s featured readers are Yvonne Green, John Harvey and Lorraine Mariner .£4, 7pm

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, 8pm

Sunday 16 November

POETRY LIBRARY: Southbank Centre’s Poetry Library has an open day focusing on a world in which text becomes material, featuring art objects that manifest text in unusual ways. They include poems in boxes, poems that move, poems without words, edible poems, poems as mail art, postcards, T-shirts and teabags. Artists include Colin Sackett, zimZalla and Robert Lax. At 8pm, there’s a live event in the Poetry Library to hear three very different poets read new work in response to the open day. Free, just turn up, 11am-7pm

WITCHES AND WIZARDS: Head to Keats House in Hampstead for a family day of tales, songs and poems with a magical flavour from the storyteller. Learn some of the secrets of Merlin and invent your own magic spell. All included in entry price, just turn up, 1pm-4pm

TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features Chrys Salt and Ghareeb Iskander. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm

Monday 17 November

WALLACE STEVENS: Poet in the City presents poet Wallace Stevens at Kings Place. In this special event exploring his life and work, hear live readings of classics like The Emperor of Ice Cream and The Man with the Blue Guitar. Event also features live poetry and discussion from a host of acclaimed speakers, including the award winning novelist Ali Smith, broadcaster Sarah Churchwell, President of the Royal Academy Christopher Le Brun and poet Lachlan McKinnon. £9.50/£11.50, prebook, 7pm 

STORYTELLING: John Yorke, author of Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them, is at Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to talk about the Nature and Structure of Stories. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

LOUCHE WOMEN: A live poetry-chat show featuring poetry, singalongalouche, guests and live music. The audience is encouraged to bring A Thing for the chance to win a prize. Co-hosted by Caroline Smith and Sue Kreitzman, at Poetry Cafe. 8pm

Tuesday 18 November

NORMAN CONQUEST: Slightly Foxed on Gloucester Road hosts Paul Kingsnorth, who will be giving a talk on the Norman Conquest followed by a reading from The Wake, his award-winning fiction debut. Erica Wagner, former editor of The Times and one of this year’s Man Booker Prize judges, chairs the event. £5, prebook, 6.30pm

TEMPLAR POETRY: Keats House in Hampstead hosts an evening with Christopher James, Beatrice Garland and the winner of the 2014 Straid Collection Award (yet to be announced). Award-winning, Scottish-born poet, Christopher James will read a selection of his darkly comic and quintessentially English works. Supported by Arts Council England. Free, prebook, 7pm

JOAN OF ARC: Helen Castor explores the facts behind the myth of Joan of Arc – reexamining the story and giving a fresh perspective to an already extraordinary tale, at Waterstones Kensington. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm

MARGOT AT WAR: Anne de Courcy discusses Margot at War at Daunt Books in Marylebone. The novel offers an unconventional view of the First World War from inside Downing Street. £8, prebook, 7pm

PLACE WRITING: Philip Marsden, Julian Hoffman and Ken Worpole are all known for writing about place. Tonight they’re at London Review Bookshop to discuss the future of the sub-genre. £10, prebook, 7pm

SYRIA SPEAKS: As part of Nour Festival, Syrian poet Golan Haji and authors Robin Yassin Kassab and Zaher Omareen read from new anthology Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline at Chelsea Theatre. £10, prebook, 7.30pm

Wednesday 19 November

BHOPAL DISASTER: Bhopal: Facing 30 is the culmination of a photographic project that portrays the site of the 1984 Bhopal disaster, in which 7 tons of the deadly gas methyl isocyanate leaked, and the people that continued to be affected.  The book was produced to commemorate the 30th anniversary, and tonight photographer Francesca Moore, and Colin Toogood, campaigns manager for the Bhopal Medical Appeal, are at Housmans Bookshop to discuss the book. £3, 7pm

STANZA BONANZA: Kent & Sussex and Brixton go head to head in tonight’s Stanza Bonanza at The Poetry Cafe with members of both teams performing and doing poetry readings. 7.30pm

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.

Photo of Rob Auton by Wasi Daniju.

The days of stuffy, pretentious performance poetry in empty hipster cafés are long gone. The contemporary spoken word scene is dynamic, playful and far from dull. This oft misunderstood medium is an explosive, thought provoking and beautiful (not to mention considerably liberal and left-wing) form of expression, and there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy it for yourself.

The other glorious thing about the world of performance poetry is that it’s not strictly a spectator sport. If you want to get up on the stage and reel off some self-penned prose about the state of the government, that person at work who steals your sandwiches or the charming bastard that broke your heart — dedicated open mic nights and slots featured in main events are an ideal stomping ground for those wanting to cut their teeth. There’s a vast range of workshops to sharpen your skills, too.

Spoken word events

Bang Said The Gun

With a sharp comedic edge and huge dose of irreverence, Bang Said The Gun proudly pegs itself as ‘the poetry event for people who don’t like poetry’. Emphasis on audience participation and having a damn good time has earned it a stellar reputation as one of the liveliest, loudest and most raucous poetry gatherings in the country and, according to co-founder Daniel Cockrill, ‘probably the whole universe’.  Showcasing the talents of some of some of best spoken word artists around — from Kate Tempest to John Hegley — it’s a two hour word-ridden riot that takes place every Thursday at the Roebuck, south east London.

How does it work? Part of the night features the ‘Raw Meat Stew Golden Gun Award’, a quick-fire open mic slot, where the winner is chosen by the audience and awarded a 10 minute stint the following week.

Bang Said The Gun is on every Thursday at The Roebuck, 50 Great Dover Street, SE1 4YG. Tickets £8 / £6 on the door

Chill Pill

Feted as one of the most laid-back, friendly and varied night on the circuit, Chill Pill is a space where up-and-comers are welcome to showcase their work, billed alongside more established names. A collective formed of artists Mr Gee, Adam Kammerling, Deanna Rodger, Raymond Antrobus and Simon Mole, it regularly venue-hops from The Albany in Deptford to Soho Theatre, although the next instalment takes place at Canada Water Culture Space. Expect lashings of witty chat, some headline-inspired rhymes and a special evening out.

If you liked the video, you can check out more brilliant Chill Pill Shorts on YouTube.

How does it work? It’s a straight forward ‘first come, first served’ sign up sheet, so get in quick.

Chill Pill returns 26 February, Canada Water Culture Space 21 Surrey Quays Rd, Canada Water SE16 7AR. Tickets £5

Hammer + Tongue

Originally founded by Steve Larkin in Oxford, Hammer + Tongue is still going strong after 10 years, currently hosting two nights in north/east London.

Green Note in Camden is the older, more experienced sibling of the London slam network (it started in 2007), created and run by Michelle Madsen; poet, writer and journalist. It’s on the second Monday of the month, and dwellers of the north can check out Mancunian ‘punk poet’ Thick Richard performing in February.

Then there’s the newly relaunched Hackney shows, which are the latest residency at The Book Club, Shoreditch. Curated by poet Sam Berkson, these shows are held the first Tuesday of every month, with two guest performers and an open mic slam. Def Jam poet Staceyann Chin takes to the stage next month.

How does it work? Slots are open to the first eight poets who sign up on the night, but it’s a serious slam — far from getting up there, ‘doing your thang’, sitting down and rewarding yourself with a nice glass of pinot nior afterwards. It’s a fully fledged, fierce competition where each contender has three and half minutes of stage time, and is judged by five random audience members. The victor goes through to the June final, which leads to the national finals.

Hammer + Tongue Hackney, The Book Club, 100 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH. Tickets £6 / £5 on the door

Hammer + Tongue Camden, Green Note, 106 Parkway, NW1 7AN. Tickets £6 plus booking fee in advance

Tongue Fu

Everyone from The Guardian to The Independent to Time Out is enamoured with the Tongue Fu collective, hosted by founder Chris Redmond (who has some seriously impressive credentials behind him, including Scroobius Pip’s The Beatdown) due to their mixture of live literature, music, and heaps of improvisation. The result is exciting, raw and unpolished. They have an autumn/winter residency at Rich Mix, Shoreditch every other month, with stints around London and the UK, including hanging out at festivals during the summer months. Following on from that, they’ll be spending the autumn touring with Animal, their new spoken word comedy musical.

How does it work? While they don’t have an open mic spot, they are still dedicated to nurturing new talent, and are running a two day workshop at The Roundhouse on 27 and 28 May, as part of the Last Word festival. The info will be live in the next couple of weeks, so if you’re a young spoken word artist, and interested in developing your art with with music, pop by the the venue’s website next month.

The next Tongue Fu shows is on March 12, at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. Tickets £7 / £5

Jawdance

Presented by Apple and Snakes (more about those guys in a bit) Jawdance is one of the most eclectic and unpredictable nights on the list, chock full with a roving rota of billed acts, celluloid, and music — with the main focus on the open mic. It holds court on the fourth Wednesday of every month. And it’s free.

How does it work? As we said, it’s all about the open mic here, yo. But you are strongly advised to turn up early and bag a place quickly — an array of talented performers got their start here, so it’s a mecca for those making their debut, or the slightly more seasoned trying out new material.

Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA

Workshops, support and other resources

So you’ve got the stage bug, but running material by your cat isn’t generating much feedback. Or maybe you want to explore other nights. Below are some fantastic places to get more information and support if you’re considering improving your set and making it audience-worthy.

Apples and Snakes: An almost encyclopaedic portal of information, busting with information for poetry lovers and aspiring artists alike. Events, development schemes, advice. It’s all here.

Spread the Word: Funded by Arts Council England, this writer development organisation is the best friend of any fledgling young poet, running the Young Poet Laureate for London scheme, Podium Poets (for those who made the long list) and Lewisham In Poetry (LIP) for teens.

In addition, they cultivate workshops with the likes of Joelle Taylor (who in turn has her Slambassadors programme) and work closely with the Poetry Society and Barbican Young poets, and with much more in the pipeline — this is most definitely a site for your bookmarks folder.

The Ideas Tap Spa: Yet another fantastic resource, Ideas Tap regularly offers free talks and workshops for writers and poets (as well as actors, dancers and singers, if that happens to be your field) on the ‘Spa’ section of its website. All you have to do is sign up and log in. Event you want to attend booked out? Join the wait list and check emails regularly — tickets usually start being returned in the hours leading up to the event.

Photo: Paul Blakemore

Londonist Rating: ★★★★★

It shouldn’t work

This is just one man and a video screen with clips of telly from the 90s. How then — really, how? — does that turn into one of the most beautiful things you’ll ever see? When Ross Sutherland‘s grandparents died, he inherited a videotape that contained a messy mash of stuff his grandad had recorded. Ross found himself watching the tape over and over, as a way of dealing with his grief and an episode of ill health and depression. The tape plays as Ross talks to the audience. But, oh, it’s so much more…

It’s visually stunning

Those TV clips loop and time shift, broken up by static. Even though we’re looking at the title sequence of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, a tiny bit of Ghostbusters and an episode of The Crystal Maze, the snippets take on a hypnotic quality through repetition and an eerie, overlaid soundtrack. Never have we been so fascinated by a slow-mo close-up of Bill Murray’s face, and we are always fascinated by Bill Murray’s face.

It’s so damn clever

Here’s what turns Standby For Tape Back-Up from a gimmick into art: Ross’s dialogue seamlessly matches what’s being shown on the tape. But he’s not referencing the video, no; he’s talking about death, or his childhood, or his relationships. What he said to us moments earlier is given extra meaning when repeated in synchronicity with Will Smith jumping in a cab. It sounds ludicrous, but it’s true. And because Ross is a performance poet, and a bloody good one, his speech has a rhythm that approaches rap at times. If you’ve ever wrinkled your nose at the idea of spoken word, seeing this guy lose his mind to a loop of that ‘it’s not all work, work, work‘ NatWest ad will change your perception forever.

For all that, it’s not pretentious or worthy

We’re aware this could sound like the worst kind of naval-gazing, art-school wank. It isn’t. Ross has a self-deprecating sense of humour, an impish charm and enough full-frontal honesty to turn this into an hour of funny, raw, touching… what is it? Comedy? Performance art? Poetry? All and none of the above? Whatever it is, it’s vital. Go see.

Standby For Tape Back-Up is on at Shoreditch Town Hall, Old Street EC1, until 2 May, tickets £12.50, and at the Soho Theatre, Dean Street W1, 6-11 July, tickets £10-£16. We saw this performance on a complimentary ticket.

Today I will lose my virginity in the back streets of London. As I walk along cobbled roads in Soho lined with neon signs of dancing bodies, I’m starting to freak out about my performance this evening. But I’ve been assured there will be other first-timers going through the potential embarrassment with me.

I’m not talking about sex, but something more knee trembling — poetry reading.

A little further on, hidden away from the bustling bodies of the West End is the Poetry Place on Betterton Street, a small café run by arts charity the Poetry Society. Tuesday is open mic night, when “Poetry Unplugged virgins” are introduced to the world of spoken word, and the more experienced bards can share their work.

According to Poetry Unplugged host Niall O’Sullivan, the popularity of performance poetry “comes in waves”. After a decade of running the evening, O’Sullivan says poetry is having a come-back with the emergence of spoken word artists such as 24-year-old George the Poet. The Brits Critics’ Choice and BBC Sound of 2015 nominee has, according to his record label, twice as many YouTube hits as the poet laureate. George Mpanga has made poetry cool.

But in the basement of this quaint London café, the wordsmiths don’t look like future rap artists — about half of the 50 people in the room are grey-haired and have the knowing look of your GCSE English teacher.

Orange plastic chairs face the makeshift stage. The cramped seats are filled by adults in chunky knitted jumpers with wild hair while others sport suits and sip on red wine. On the stage, a white sheet hangs as a backdrop with POETRY UNPLUGGED stamped across it. It’s a far cry from the Globe, but for amateurs like me it’ll do.

A yellow lamp shines on the first poet standing behind the microphone. He’s in his early twenties and his face is scared with memories of teenage blemishes. “This one’s called ‘Fuck vitamins’ — excuse my language,” he says and recites confidently: “Fuck vitamins and your shitty death metal too.” This is the type of poetry I can connect with.

O’Sullivan introduces each reader as a poet, regardless of their level of experience. The audience listens in examining silence, savouring each spoken word as I become increasingly nervous.

Anyone who is willing to say a few words on stage can take part in Poetry Unplugged. It lasts for about four hours with a 15 minute break half way. It’s a long time to listen to poetry, especially as you’re never told in advance when you’ll be on.

A grey-haired man and fellow Unplugged virgin stumbles awkwardly to the microphone. “There’s not enough pornography in dirty magazines,” he says in a broken voice that squeaks when he mentions a woman. The audience are momentarily stunned, but give him equal applause as the other readers.

The variety of skills, performance quality and subject matter make the minutes pass surprisingly quickly. I expected to feel trapped in a room listening to self-righteous word vomit but it’s intriguing to hear strangers’ private thoughts.

Some work is particularly personal. A young girl with cropped hair dedicates a love poem to her girlfriend who sits in the audience in front of me. Following her, a softly spoken troubadour recites words about her Asian friend who plans to come out as gay to his strict parents.

At the end of the evening, O’Sullivan announces that there’s one Poetry Unplugged virgin left. My arm hairs instantly prick up and my face is damp and hot. After a final swig of wine, the stage is mine.

Avoiding eye contact with the attentive audience that sits just a few feet in front of me, I can hear my voice shaking as I speak. My attempts at dramatic pauses and pressing emphasis on words fail. “Sun, please rise in me for I’m cold and I need to be warm. Boy, stay close to me for I cannot be alone.” A few words I’d noted down years ago in teenage angst are recited so quickly it feels unintelligible. But when I finish, the crowd still erupts in applause. I’ve now graduated from a Poetry Unplugged virgin to a “poetry ninja” as I spoke in under a minute.

By 11pm the night is over and the poets move up the creaking stairs back into the dark city street. A few stick around finishing drinks and loosely throw names like Byron and Keats into conversation. The Unplugged regulars politely critique each other’s poems, and I’m told I wasn’t bad for a first-time rhymer. This is a perfect evening for any poetry virgins or more experienced bards wanting to try something new and creative in London.

By Naomi Larsson

Poetry Unplugged open mic night is held at The Poetry Place, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9BX. The evening starts at 7.30pm but to read you must sign up between 6 and 7pm. Tickets are bought on the door, £4 for readers and £5 for audience members.

The world’s most celebrated spoken word artists will be wrapping their tongues around a fortnight dedicated to the art form at The Last Word festival this month.

With performances at the Roundhouse from Mark Grist, Tim Clare and Tongue Fu, new work from London poets including Talia Randall, Sophie Rose and Cecelia Knapp plus a play by Polarbear, scratch afternoons, poetry collective appearances and one-man poetry shows, you’ll need a guide to help you decide what to see. Lettie McKie spoke to some of those taking part and asked them for their tips.

John Hegley and Michael Horovitz. Photo by Simon Albury.

Roundhouse Radio’s spoken word poetry host, Laurie Bolger is looking forward to Poetry Reincarnation; it’s the first time poetry has taken over the main space at the Roundhouse.

Claire Leavey told us about her plans for this huge show on 30 May: “50 years ago Allen Ginsberg’s Poetry Incarnation was a major event at the Royal Albert Hall, an iconic moment in the beat poetry era with an unprecedented audience of 7,000 people. We’ve worked with Ginsberg’s peer, Michael Horovitz, who is in his 80s and has curated a show which includes some of the biggest names in spoken word, across two generations. John Hegley, Patience Agabi and John Cooper Clarke are among those performing in this extravaganza of spoken word hosted by Bang Said the Gun creator Dan Cockrill. We’re reinventing  the revolutionary spirit of the Poetry Incarnation and there will also be screening of Wholly Communion which documents the original event.”

Dan Cockrill.

On 31 May Cockrill is also hosting the finals of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, which gives budding poets a rare opportunity to be noticed. Many of these will have come through the Roundhouse programme of workshops for young people.

“I’ve hosted the slam for the last five years and I’m always blown away by the standard of the young poets taking part,” Cockrill tells Londonist, citing Rob Auton’s Water Show as a must-see. “Rob’s work is always very original, funny and extremely poignant,” he says. “Jack Rooke’s Good Grief on 29 May is a comedy about the highs and lows of losing someone who is close to you. What’s not to like? Death with jokes. I’ll also definitely be buying a ticket to Mark Grist and Tim Clare’s Shitty Poetry on 29 May.”

Mark Grist.

Grist tells us about his expletively-titled show: “Tim Clare and I have teamed up to see if we can write the worst poems we can think of. Teaching poetry to young people we’ve noticed that they get frustrated when they don’t think their stuff is good. We want to highlight the fact that the greatest, most revered poets wrote some absolute stinkers and that it’s actually good for writers to get it wrong, as that’s how you learn. We’re exploring what makes a really shit poem, in the hope that will help us and the audience understand good poetry better. We’ll be inspired by shit poems we’ve found that were written by famous poets. The event also includes the final of the Anti-Slam where poets compete to be as deliberately bad as possible.”

Elsewhere several poets have been commissioned to make new work for the festival. Talia Randall, who started as a member of Roundhouse Poetry Collective is performing Bloodlines on 26 and 31 May.

“The show is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between myself and a sound-designer,” Randall explains. “We’re exploring how words can be broken down into sounds to make music. It’s about how to speak the unspeakable and coming to terms with the baggage of your past using comedy to mask the hard stuff. The set will include loads of repurposed objects hooked up to microphones and will be an insight into my life and mind via an 80s jumble sale.”

On 30 May Paul Cree’s show The 90 Sick EP also sees him collaborating with a sound designer on stage, telling “autobiographical stories all set in the 90s”.

As well as performances there will be workshops and other opportunities to participate, plus meeting the poets involved. On 28 May Deanna Rodger is curating a show called Home. “It’s a sort of live Gogglebox event with ideas and opinions coming from a range of viewpoints — poets, activists, filmmakers and theatre makers,” she explains. On 31 May Deanna is also running a workshop with South African poet Xabiso where anyone involved can write their own piece and have it filmed.

And The Poetry Takeaway will be onsite; order up a poem like you would a chicken chow mein! Just ask the poetry ‘chefs’ what you want and they’ll cook it for you, for free.

Last Word runs 16-31 May. Tickets various prices, see the website for details.

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 *NOTE: This exhibition will now start on 6 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.