Looking at the week ahead in literary London
Wednesday: Express Excess is back at the Enterprise in Chalk Farm tonight, with Will Self - doing something unannounced and spontaneous - and comic verse meister Logan Murray, hosted by Paul Lyalls. (8.30 for 9pm, £5)
Issue 3 of Long Poem launches tonight at the Barbican (6.30pm, free) with readings from Timothy Ades, Mike Bannister, Lynn Foote and more.
Thursday: Slightly beyond our usual boundary, but very much worth the trip, is the Firestation Bookswap in Windsor. An antidote to stuffy author events, the bookswap is a cosy chat where you can ask about anything from marmots to 80s revivals, and swap books with your fellow audience members. This month's guests are Marcus Chown and Matt Beaumont, hosted by Friday Project publisher Scott Pack and author Robbie Hudson (temporarily replacing the lovely Marie Phillips). (7.30pm, £5 or free if you bring cake. Seriously)
Been enjoying Kenneth Branagh's hangdog expression in Wallander? Then meet author Henning Mankell at the Institute of Education (7pm, £15).
Gill Gregory is reading from her memoir, The Sound of Turquoise, at West End Lane Books (8pm, free). It's the remarkable tale of Gill's grandfather's escape from pre-revolutionary Russia and his life among the artistic community of London.
A selection of poets from flipped eye publishing will be reading at the Whitechapel Art Gallery from 7.30pm (free), under the warm and guiding wing of 14 Hour.
Friday: Fourth Friday returns to the Poetry Cafe, with poetry from Mimi Khalvati and Danielle Hope. The Crispy Hot Club (we officially love that name) provide the music with Hylda Sims and Simon Hacking hosting as usual. (8pm, £6 / £5)
Francesca Beard, Charlie Dark and Salena Godden are a few of the poets taking part in the All-Star Poetry Olympics SuperJam (part of the Voices of Freedom season at RichMix in Bethnal Green, 7.30pm, £12 / £10). Get spoken word and music for your Friday night.
Saturday: Michael Lederer does a reading of his new play, Mundo Overloadus, at the Poetry Cafe tonight from 7pm.
Sunday: Ruth O'Callaghan reads poems inspired by her experience in Mongolia last year at Torriano Poets (Torriano Meeting House NW5, 7.30pm, £5 / £3).
Monday: Coffee House Poetry focuses on Smiths Knoll tonight, with introductions from the editors and readings from eight of their current contributors. (8pm, £7 / £6, The Troubador on Old Brompton Road)
Celebrate St Dwynwen's Day, the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine, at St Benet's church on Queen Victoria Street. Dannie Abse will be reading from his work from 7pm, so why not enjoy the Wren surroundings with the glass of wine included in the suggested £5 price?
Martin Amis's Time's Arrow is the current choice of the Guardian Review book club, and Amis is in conversation with John Mullan at King's Place from 7pm (£9.50).
Tuesday: The Arab-Israeli Book Club takes place upstairs at the Magdala, NW3, from 8pm (£7 / £5). Ariel Kahn and Samir El-Yussuf will be discussing Arabesques by Anton Shammas, the first Arab novel written in Hebrew.
And a couple of non-date specific goodies for you: visual arts booksellers Phaidon are having an-up-to-70% off sale running 22-31 January at their Kings Road store, and Black Dog Books, a 'pop up' antiquarian bookshop, has reappeared at Black Dog Gallery (Kingsland Viaduct, Rivington Street).
