Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday 20 February: Jami Attenberg and Melissa Harrison will read from novels The Middlesteins and Clay at Bookseller Crow on the Hill (7.30pm, free).
Moroccan poet, novelist, playwright, translator and political activist Abdellatif Laâbi launches his novel The Bottom of the Jar at the Mosaic Rooms (7pm, free, RSVP).
Thursday 21 February: Paul Watson, Iain Macintosh and Neil White talk about how football stole their lives at the Review Bookshop (7pm, free).
Errol McGlashan and Kristiana Colon are Bang Said the Gun‘s guests at The Roebuck pub (8pm, £7 / £5).
DJ Connell, VG Lee, Alex Hopkins and host Paul Burston bring the extremely popular salon Polari to Waterstones Islington (6.30pm, free).
Michael Hofmann, André Naffis-Sahely and Julian Stannard are at London Review Bookshop to talk about the influence of Michael Hofmann (7pm, £7).
Nicholas Sparks is signing copies of his novel Safe Haven at Foyles Westfield White City, with actors Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough from the film adaptation (4pm, free).
David Walliams talks about his kids’ book Ratburger at the Southbank Centre (11am, £8 / £4).
Hear stories and comedy inspired by pop songs with Jukebox Story at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5 / £4).
Simon Barraclough, Isobel Dixon and Chris McCabe push the boundaries of poetry at Rich Mix, joined by Jack Wake-Walker and Oli Barrett (7.30pm, £8 / £6).
Friday 22 February: Young Adult author Cathy Cassidy is chatting at the Southbank Centre (2.30pm, £8 / £4). Also, Jeremy Strong, Gareth P Jones and Tom Banks present a fantastic afternoon of storytelling (3.30pm, £8 / £4).
Chimene Suleyman, Anthony Anaxagorou and Dan Cockrill, off Bang Said duties for a night, join Deanna Rodger and Dean Atta for Come Rhyme With Me (7pm, £7.50 / £6).
John Godfrey and Eve Pearce join Hylda Sims for Fourth Friday at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £6 / £5).
Saturday 23 February: Cressida Cowell reveals how to train your dragon at the Southbank Centre (3.45pm, £8 / £4).
John Hegley and guests pause for a spot of Elevenses at the Poetry Cafe (11am, £6 / £5).
The Crick Crack Club presents The King and the Corpse storytelling for adults at Rich Mix (7.30pm, £9 / £7).
Sunday 24 February: Jewish Book Week is under way at Kings Place, with speakers including John McCarthy, Naomi Alderman, Howard Jacobson, Laurent Binet, Matti Friedman, Jake Simons and Francesca Segal. Lots of events for this week have already sold out so we advise you to have a browse of the website and snap up anything that looks interesting.
Also at Kings Place for Jewish Book Week, drop into the Live Literary Lounge (12pm-5.30pm, free) to get a one-on-one encounter with writers including Jonathan Kemp, Lisa Gornick and Sophie Robinson; Gemma Seltzer will be writing short stories based on the festival crowd; or help Chris Meade create a collection of ‘Nearly’ stories.
Daunt Books‘s walking book club roams Hampstead Heath discussing Penelope Fitzgerald’s The Blue Flower. Meet at the South End Road shop for 11.30am (free).
Monday 25 February: Jane Ridley discusses writing about royalty at the Royal Society of Literature (7pm, £8 / £5).
David Harsent performs poems about darkness, at the Southbank Centre (7.45pm, £8).
Clare Pollard and Penelope Shuttle help launch Magma 55 at Coffee House Poetry (8pm, £7 / £6).
Neil McKenna talks about Victorian cross-dressing at Islington Central Library (6pm, free).
Tuesday 26 February: India Knight is Big Green Bookshop‘s special guest at their book swap (7.30pm, £5).
James Smythe talks to Nikesh Shukla about science fiction and computer games at Review Bookshop in Peckham (7pm, free).
Richard Davenport-Hines talks about the Profumo Affair at Daunt Books Marylebone (7pm, £8).
Victoria Brittain and Louise Christian discuss the lives of the wives of terror suspects, at the London Review Bookshop (7pm, £7).
Literary agent David Haviland is speaking at London Writers’ Club live (7pm, £15 / £20).
After an excursion to Islington earlier in the week, Polari is back at the Southbank Centre with Clare Summerskill (7.45pm, £5).
Events at Kings Place for Jewish Book Week include Anne Sebba and Ellen Cassidy talking about Lithuania, Shani Boianjiu on her debut novel The People of Forever are Not Afraid, a discussion about the Holocaust in Italian culture and a writing workshop with Shaun Levin.
The LSE’s Space for Thought Literary Festival starts today, with events featuring PD James, Helena Kennedy, Sarah Harper and Hans Rosling debating big issues of our age and David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton wondering if technology can rejuvenate philosophy. All events are free but should be pre-booked.
Niall O’Sullivan hosts an open mic night at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Random: Protagonists – 100 books from London is a project asking people to submit the title of the book of their life. The results will be made into a short film.
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.