Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday 12 December: Waterstones Covent Garden is having a meet-the-author night, with Simon Garfield, Russell Norman, The Gentle Author (of Spitalfields Life), Eva Katzler and more (6pm).
Mike Marqusee reads from his poetry collection Street Music at Housmans (7pm, £3).
The 1901 Arts Club in Waterloo screens the 1994 South Bank Show that launched Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Glyn Maxwell, Moniza Alvi and others to the public (6.30pm, £12.50).
Thursday 13 December: Bidisha gives a talk on Iris Murdoch at the National Portrait Gallery (7pm, £5 / £4).
Poet Aurélia Lassaque is joined by guest readers Amy Key, SJ Fowler, Jessica Pujol and Nia Davies at Housmans (7pm, free).
The Bang Said the Gun Christmas Extravaganza features Chris Lynam, Katie Bonna, Richard Marsh and the rest of the Bang Said crew at The Roebuck (8pm, £5).
Another chance to meet The Gentle Author and hear tales of Spitalfields, this time at the Brick Lane Bookshop (7pm, free, book ahead).
Foyles in Westfield White City hosts a Penguin Books pop up shop from 3pm.
Friday 14 December: PR Murray launches a new poetry collection, The Glowing Nightsoil Of The Concealed Emu, and readings from Zolan Quobble, Sue Johns, Emile Sercombe and Patric Cunnane at Dodo Modern Poets at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £6 / £5).
Saturday 15 December: Young writers Paul Cree, Ben Fensome, Elliot Barnes Worrell and Tori Truslow perform poetry and short stories at Pigeon Poetry at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £3).
Sunday 16 December: Be part of the cashmob at Wood Green’s Big Green Bookshop between 2-2.30pm.
Christine Webb, Fiona Moore, Jon Sayers and John Mackinnon read translations of poems at Torriano Poets (7.30pm, £5 / £3).
Monday 17 December: Coffee House Poetry has readings on the theme of Lost (8pm, £7 / £6).
Tuesday 18 December: Michael Rosen starts six days of poems, stories, songs and jokes at the Pleasance in Islington (10.30am and 12.30pm, £9).
The Crick Crack Club presents a haunting fairy tale of loss by Daniel Morden, at the Soho Theatre (8pm, £9 / £7).
David Aaronovitch, TED fellow Rachel Armstrong, Carole Stone of YouGov and others gather at Foyles to decide who will win a battle of the books (6.15pm, free).
Niall O’Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe‘s regular open mic night (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Ruth O’Callaghan hosts the Lumen Poetry Series, with guests John Gohorry and Iain Johnson (7pm, £5 / £4).
Wednesday 19 December: Ross Sutherland starts three nights at Battersea Arts Centre doing one of our favourite things from this year, his show Standby For Tape Back-Up: Scratch, a hypnotic poetry/video mashup (8.45pm, £5 / £3).
Vanessa Hidary presents The Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega at Woolfson & Tay, plus an appearance by the North London Yiddish Choir (7pm, free).
Rosie Garland, David Ayres and Arnold Jansen op de Haar are at Poetry & Translation‘s Christmas party at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, free).
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.