A selection of bookshop readings, performances, literary lunches, salons, festivals and other writerly goings-on are listed here and regularly updated.
When the Covid pandemic decimated traditional book tours and public events, a wide range of bookshops, cultural organisations and publishers stepped up to the plate with a series of virtual panels and discussions, attracting large audiences. While online events and live streaming have become a popular alternative or addition, in-person events are now back in full swing. For your wider literary and cultural fix, check out the video, podcast and event listings at the British Library, the London Review Bookshop, Waterstones, English PEN, the Southbank Centre, publisher and author websites and social media streams, as well as those of your local organisations and venues.
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Ongoing
Arvon courses and retreats
Online or in-person, from one hour at home to five weeks at historic writers’ houses in Devon, Shropshire and Yorkshire, you can find inspiration, support and transform your writing with Arvon. Discover a range of creative writing courses and events for writers of any genre and any level of experience. Tutors for Spring 2024 include Jessie Greengrass, Jon McGregor, Liz, Hyder, Rachel Clarke, Sadie Jones, Wendy Erskine, Sarah Howe, Ruth Padel, Rupert Thomson, Irenosen Okojie, Kirsty Logan, Deborah Moggach and many more.
Pictured: Totleigh Barton in Devon, the first ever Arvon centre
Read more and book
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to Saturday 25 May
Lynne Jones Sorry for the Inconvenience But This Is an Emergency book tour
Doctor and aid worker Lynne Jones delivers a compelling, grassroots perspective on the last five years of protests in the UK, examining the motivations behind ordinary citizens’ adoption of extraordinary tactics to combat the global climate and nature crises.
Wednesday 13 March, 7 pm
Trouble Club, London
Thursday 14 March, 7:30 pm
Newham Bookshop, London
Friday 15 March, 7 pm
Crab Museum, Margate
Monday 18 March, 7 pm
Lighthouse Bookshop, Edinburgh (online event)
Thursday 21 March, 7 pm
Conway Hall, London
with Chris Packham and Lucy Siegle
Thursday 4 April, 7:30 pm
Edge of the World Bookshop, Penzance
Saturday 25 May, 2:30 pm
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, with Farhana Yamin
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Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 April 2024
Cambridge Literary Festival
Various venues; events individually priced
Tickets for the Spring 2024 programme are now on general sale, with featured authors including Naomi Alderman, Clare Balding, Joseph Coelho, Margaret Drabble, Jackie Kay, George the Poet, David Kynaston, Caroline Lucas, Paul Lynch, Val McDermid, Hisham Matar, Armistead Maupin (pictured), Cathy Newman, Andrew O’Hagan, Jacqueline Rose, Sathnam Sanghera, Elif Shafak, Alex T. Smith, Joelle Taylor and many more.
More info and book
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Saturday 4 to Sunday 26 May
Brighton Festival
Various venues; events individually priced
Established in 1967, Brighton Festival is the largest annual curated multi-arts festival in England. This year, guest director Frank Cottrell-Boyce invites everyone to experience the Hope, Magic and Wonder of the arts, with an inclusive and accessible programme of events across the city. A host of children’s writers, spoken-word artists and acclaimed novelists in attendance include Joseph Coelho, Julia Donaldson, Sarah Perry, Michael Morpurgo and Kae Tempest. Among the new books introduced by their authors are Sarah Perry’s unforgettable love story Enlightenment, (7 May), Salena Godden’s collection of poems for people and the planet, With Love, Grief & Fury (9 May), and Brighton’s own Caroline Lucas’ vision of a greener, fairer future, Another England (5 May), in discussion with Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
More info and book
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Saturday 18 to Sunday 19 May
European Writers’ Festival
British Library, London
The second European Writers’ Festival is a unique opportunity to enjoy some of the best European prose and poetry in English translation over one star-studded weekend. Featured emerging and established authors include Dean Atta (Cyprus), Selcuk Altan (Turkey), Anne Berest (France), Christos Chomenidis (Greece), Emma Dabiri (Ireland), Joanna Elmy (Bulgaria), Ioana Parvulescu (Romania), Margo Rejmer (Poland), Iryna Shuvalova (Ukraine), and special guest Andrey Kurkov in conversation with the Guardian’s Luke Harding. As Europe is once again shaken to the core by conflict and upheaval, the festival addresses the theme of Transformation, aiming to demonstrate that community, debate, entertainment and storytelling can unite us in creating hope and positive change.
More info and book
