Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Thursday 21 March: Three of Russia’s best contemporary writers – Andrei Makine, Mikhail Shishkin and Irina Prokhorova – talk about their work at the Southbank Centre (7.45pm, £10).
Tolu Agbelusi and Cezanne Poetess combine poetry and art at the CRE8 Gallery (7.30pm, £7 / £5).
Get a taste of romantic fiction with Choc-Lit authors Henriette Gyland and Christina Courtenay at the Big Green Bookshop (7pm, £3).
Celebrate International Poetry Day with readings at Keats House (3pm, £5 / £3).
Comedian Simon Munnery and James Bunting are the stand up poetry guests at Bang Said the Gun (8pm, £7 / £5).
Siobhan Curham, Aaron Daniel, Johnny Meme and Dzifa Benson are guests of Anjan Saha at London Literature Lounge at the Poetry Cafe (7pm, £5).
Friday 22 March: Gillian Slovo (pictured) talks about her latest novel, An Honourable Man, at Clapham Library (7pm, free).
There are poems from and for Iraq at Rich Mix, featuring Joe Dunthorne, Kirsty Irving, George Szirtes, Ghareeb Iskander, Sabreen Kadhim, Zahir Mousa and others (7.30pm, free).
Anjan Saha presents another Literature Lounge at Keats House, with spoken word and music (6pm, free).
Elbow Room magazine is putting on a night of art, poetry, music and cocktails at inSpiral in Camden (9pm, free).
Mimi Khalvati and Hylda Sims do the monthly Fourth Friday night at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £6 / £5).
Saturday 23 March: See Joe Dunthorne, Stuart Evers, Lane Ashfeldt and Hassan Blasim at Word Factory #8, The Society Club, Soho (6pm, £10).
Did you see poetry’s obituary in the Independent the other month? Come give it a decent burial at the Poetry Cafe with Lucy Gellman, Michael Clift, Roy Canty, Irina Jauhiainen and Tom Bland (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Ian Parks and Robert Stein perform poetry in the crypt of St Mary’s church on Upper Street (8pm, £4).
David Miller, Frances Presley and David Herd read at the the Centre for Creative Collaboration in King Cross (6.15pm).
Monday 25 March: Poet in the City has put together an evening of Coleridge, at Kings Place, with Dr. Shahidha Bari, Louise Foxcroft, Fabian Peake and James Vigus (7pm, £9.50).
Hear poems in Galician / Portuguese and English translation at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Tuesday 26 March: Liars’ League bring to life winners of the annual Writers & Artists Short Story Competition at the Bloomsbury Institute (6.30pm, £10 / £6).
Molly Naylor presents a show of spoken word and music, featuring love and robots, at Battersea Arts Centre until Thursday (8.30pm, £10 / £8).
Meet Diana Beaumont of Rupert Heath Literary Agency at London Writers’ Club Live (7pm, £15 / £20).
The North London Lit Fest is a free two day extravaganza at Middlesex University’s Hendon campus. Guests include Chibundu Onuzo, Rowan Coleman, Andrew Simms, Michele Roberts, Feona Attwood and David Rain.
Sign up early for Niall O’Sullivan’s open mic night at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Wednesday 27 March: Jodi Picoult discusses her new novel The Storyteller at Kings Place (7pm, £9.50).
James Herbert is the big draw at the free North London Lit Fest. Also catch Laura Hird, Lucy Caldwell, Elizabeth Buchan, Matt Haig, John Lucas and a poetry slam. Edit: we’ve just heard that James Herbert has passed away.
Apples and Snakes offer up some free spoken word with Jawdance at Rich Mix (7.30pm).
Join Tom Chivers and Rachel Lichtenstein as they delve below London’s streets at the Bishopsgate Institute (7.30pm, £8 / £6).
Poet Oli Hazzard talks to psychoanalyst and critic Adam Phillips at Lutyens & Rubinstein (7pm, £5).
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.