Book Grocer: 30 June-6 July

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 165 months ago
Book Grocer: 30 June-6 July

BookGrocer1.jpg The week ahead in literary London

Wednesday: Anthony Horowitz chats to psychoanalyst Peter Fonagy about Alex Rider and his other exciting heroes down at the British Library tonight at 6.30pm (£10 / £7.50).

Thursday: The London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre kicks off today with Ben Goldacre and oceanographer Sylvia Earle.

But don't go thinking it's the only game in town. On the contrary, tonight you are spoiled for choice. Zadie Smith is at Bookslam (7.30pm, £10 / £8 / £6) alongside Doc Brown, rapper Akala and R 'n' B dude Obenewa.

There's bee poetry at Poet in the City - literally, new poems about bees - with David Harsent, Jo Shapcott, Fiona Sampson, Matthew Welton and Luke Heeley, all at Gresham College (7pm).

Back on the Southbank, but this time at Udderbelly, Poejazzi puts on a show of fabulous performance poetry from Yungun, Benin City, Inua Ellams and Lail Arad (9pm, £12 / £10).

Toby Litt and translator Wieland Hoban discuss the lives and letters of German writers Paul Celan and Ingeborg Bachmann at the London Review Bookshop (7pm, £6).

War reporter James Brabazon tells his side of the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea at Foyles (6.30pm, free but email to reserve a place).

Niall O'Sullivan, Amy Key, Camellia Stafford, Lucy Leagrave and John Citizen are at the Poetry Cafe for Tall Lighthouse's monthly First Thursday (8pm, £5 / £3).

Former Young Storyteller of the Year Tom Bland is spinning yarns at the Tea Box in Richmond at 7.30pm (£6).

And finally - deep breath - Ali Smith and Jackie Kay are at Oxfam's Bloomsbury shop tonight at 7pm. As if you didn't have enough to choose from already.

Friday: Book Club Boutique is getting married at the House of St Barnabas. Exchanging rings, stories and songs are Melissa Mann, Robert Auton, Stuart Evers, Tony White and Malcolm Bennett (7pm. £8 / £6).

Graham High, Arlene Ang and Jude Rosen are the poets (plus you, if you want to grab an open mic spot) at the Camden Poetry Series (7pm, £5 / £4).

At the Southbank Centre, try physicist Brian Greene, 'gay geeks' or the science of beatboxing on for size.

Saturday: Marcus du Sautoy talks about the relationship between maths and music at the London Literature Festival. There are two panels looking at the implications of biotechnological advances and our desire for self improvement for the mind and body, while another ponders the nature of the machines we're creating. Families can explore the science of words and words of science all weekend.

Also: catch Francesca Martinez and Robin Ince, experience a 21st century Dante's Inferno among the walkways of the Southbank Centre, Lebanese novelist Hanan al-Shaykh tells the story of her mother's life, satirist Martin Rowson talks about turning The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy into a graphic novel, while the Southbank Centre's Book Club turns to Patricia Melo's Lost World.

Sunday: Keats House hosts an afternoon of poetry ideal for lazy summer days (3pm, free with entry to the house).

Then it's back to the Southbank Centre. Gabriel Weston, Adam Foulds and Samantha Harvey discuss science, psychiatry and art, Lemn Sissay performs six new poems about the relationship between science and art, fiction writers from Africa shortlisted for the 2010 Caine Prize read and talk about their work, writers and scientists debate the relationship between research and science fiction, Slavoj Zizek talks about the end of capitalism - doubtless with his usual take-no-prisoners approach - and the Book Club reads Tahmima Anam's debut A Golden Age.

Monday: A vast troupe of writers, including Mark Haddon, Esther Freud, Kate Mosse, Diran Adebayo, Deborah Moggach, Jake Arnott and Maggie O'Farrell, are taking part in the Oxfam Bookfest Readathon. It's a reading aloud session that starts at 8am in Oxfam's Marylebone High Street shop and continues into the night.

Coffee House Poetry wallows in broken hearts and unrequited love from poets past and present ( 8pm, £7 / £6).

Influential Caribbean poets John Agard, Val Bloom, Jean 'Binta' Breeze and Grace Nichols give a reading at the Southbank Centre, comic book artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá appear as part of Festival Brazil, Lana Citron considers kisses, and the Book Club reads the poetry anthology Dark Matter.

Tuesday: Philip Hensher, Lee Langley and Ali Smith chat about the many and various ways to make a sequel or a prequel to a classic book (including the method where you add zombies or sea monsters) at the Free Word Centre (6.30pm, £8 / £5).

Journalist Gary Younge discusses national identity at the Southbank Centre, and Lyndall Gordon talks about her biography of Emily Dickinson, joined by actress Emily Woof reading Dickinson's poems.

Last Updated 30 June 2010