Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Five authors talk for 15 minutes each on Monday.
Literary Festivals
KEATS HOUSE: The Keats House Festival is now underway. Theatrical tours of Keats House, afternoon tea, writing workshops, poetry readings and film screenings all take place. It ends with a Family Fun Day on 15 June. 7-15 June
FOYLES FLAGSHIP: The new Foyles flagship store on Charing Cross Road is now open. The Grand Reopening Festival begins on 11 June. See full programme for individual events. 11 June- 5 July
LITERARY KITCHEN: Aimed at writers, aspiring writers, and people passionate about books and the arts, the Literary Kitchen Festival takes place at The Peckham Pelican in Peckham. There are writer talks, reading groups, meet the agent panels and more, with many events free to attend. See website for pricing and booking details. 16-22 June
SHORT STORY FESTIVAL: The first ever London Short Story Festival takes place in June, with panel events, workshops and masterclasses, author Q&As, readings and inspiring writing activities. 20-22 June
Thursday 12 June
GEORGE COHEN: The ex-England footballer will be at Waterstone’s London Wall signing copies of The World Cup: A Complete History. 12.30pm
SCULPTURE AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Wilfred and Jeannette Cass, founders of the Cass Sculpture Park, will be in conversation at Hatchards Bookshop in Piccadilly to promote Here Comes Mr Cass, Wilfred’s new autobiography. He has worked with contemporary British
DAGENHAM HISTORY: Author Sheila Cohen talks about her new book, Notoriously Militant, at Waterstone’s Islington. The book is about women fighting for equal pay, based on the events at the Dagenham Ford factory, featured in the film Made In Dagenham. £5, prebook, 6.30pm
BARBER MEMOIR: Daunt Books in Marylebone hosts Lynn Barber in conversation with Deborah Ross, with Barber talking about the next instalment in her memoir. £8, prebook, 7pm
AUTHOR EVENING: Waterstone’s Hampstead has an evening with Tina Seskis, author of One Step Too Far. £5, prebook, 7pm
SURVIVORS POETRY: Head to Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden for an evening of poetry, music, variety floor spots and special guests. £3.50/£2.50/£1.50, just turn up, 8pm
Friday 13 June
ACTOR PLATFORM: In this National Theatre Platform, actress Rebecca Front shares Curious, a collection of stories loosely based on anecdotes from her own life. Actor Michael Simkins also shares his new book, The Rules of Acting. The evening is chaired by Mark Lawson and is followed by a book signing. £4/£3, prebook, 6pm
JAPANESE WRITER: London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury hosts an evening with Masatsugu Ono. The Japanese author is also an academic specialising in world Francophone literature. He will be in conversation with Tash Aw, author of The Harmony Silk Factory, Map of the Invisible World and Five Star Billionaire. £10, prebook, 7pm
POETRY JAM: There is a poetry jam at The Tea Box in Richmond, hosted by Cecilia Delatori and Julie Mullen, followed by open mic slots. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
POETRY PERFORMANCE: Platform 1, at Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, is an opportunity for up and coming poets to perform alongside established acts. £5/£4, just turn up, 8pm
Saturday 14 June
DOM GILES: Local author and adventurer Dom Giles is at Waterstone’s Stratford signing copies of his book Gone Riding in which he describes his travels around the world on his trusty motorcycle ‘Heidi’. 11am
FATHER’S DAY READING: Head to Fulham Library for a reading from Daughters Across Borders: An Anthology of Stories by Daughters to Fathers. The book consists of eight women aged 20 to 50 writing about their relationships with fathers. Free, just turn up, 2pm
LOCAL BOOK SIGNING: At Waterstone’s Chiswick, Sunday Times journalist Bryan Appleyard signs copies of his new novel Bedford Park which is set locally. Prebook, 2pm
Sunday 15 June
TORRIANO POETS: At this week’s Torriano Poets meeting, Daphne Gloag and Carol DeVaughn read their poetry. Poets from the floor are welcome. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm
POETRY TRAILS: Vestry House Museum in Walthamstow has a free guided poetry trail. It coincides with the installation of poems by members of Forest Poets which is also on display. Free, just turn up, 11am/2.30pm
Monday 16 June
ULYSSES READING: The Lord Palmerston in Tufnell Park hosts a celebration of James Joyce’s literary masterpiece, Ulysses, which is set on 16 June. Readings from the book are interspersed with live Irish and Italian music, plus an introduction on The Life of Joyce. £10, prebook, 6pm
VIRGINIA WOOLF: If Virginia Woolf came back to life today, what would she make of the world? This is being discussed at The Courtauld Institute of Art at Somerset House tonight. Author Maggie Gee publishes her new novel, Virginia Woolf in Manhattan, this month and will be in discussion with Alexandra Harris, author of Romantic Moderns about Woolf’s life and legacy. £8, prebook, 7pm
SPOKEN WORD: 5×15 gives five speakers fifteen minutes each to tell a story. It takes place at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill, featuring Paddy Ashdown, Lynn Barber, Jonathan Beckman, Rupert Isaacson and Ben Macintyre. £26.75, prebook, 7pm
AUTHOR SIGNING: Following on from the actor platform on Friday, Rebecca Front is at West End Lane Books in West Hampstead to read from and sign copies of her book, Curious. Free, prebook, 7.30pm
IRISH STORYTELLING: Crick Crack Club storytelling comes to Soho Theatre for an evening of Irish performance storytelling by Clare Muireann Murphy. £9/£7, prebook, 8pm
Tuesday 17 June
DON KENEFICK: As part of Adult Learner’s Week at Pimlico Library, author Don Kenefick discusses his novel The Captive Shadow. Free, prebook, 6pm
LONDON POETRY: Templar Poetry is at Keats House to launch Penelope Shuttle’s poetry pamphlet In the Snowy Air, which was inspired by a guided walk of London. Poet Jane Weir also reads from her collections. Free, prebook, 7pm
TAPAS RECIPES: Tapas and mezze restaurant Morito launches a new cookbook at Daunt Books in Marylebone. £8, prebook, 7pm
POETRY OPEN MIC: Poetry Unplugged is an open mic night hosted by Niall O’Sullivan. Takes place at Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm
Wednesday 18 June
CHINESE POETRY: The Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden celebrates 100 years of new poetry in China, with readings from visiting poets Jiang Tao and Ming Di. Free, just turn up, 6pm
SHORTLISTED AUTHORS: Robert Allison, Eimar McBride and DW Wilson have all been shortlisted for this year’s Desmond Elliott Prize and read from their novels at Waterstone’s Piccadilly tonight. £5/£2, prebook, 6.30pm
JORGE LUIS BORGES: Belgravia Books in Victoria celebrates the life of Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges with readings from his books and a talk from Norman Thomas di Giovanni, who wrote a biography of the writer and his wife. Prebook, 7pm
WAR WRITINGS: Housmans bookshop in King’s Cross has a double book launch with a war theme. Bruce Kent introduces Ernst Friedrich’s photobook War against War! and Anthony Zurbrugg will introduce his new book. £3, prebook, 7pm
LONDON UNDERGROUND: Photographer Bob Mazzer is at Waterstone’s Piccadilly to talk about his photographs telling stories of the Tube in the 1980s. Free, prebook, 7pm
OBSESSIVE STORYTELLING: Go to The Camden Head for Natural Born Storytellers. Five storytellers tells stories on the themes of obsession, and audience members are also welcome to take part. Free, just turn up, 7.45pm
LOUCHE WOMEN: Comedy performance poet Liz Bentley and writer/performer Caroline Smith will talk and read about topical issues at Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.