Book Grocer: 30 March-5 April

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 156 months ago
Book Grocer: 30 March-5 April

The week ahead in literary London

Wednesday: James Robertson takes a guid look at the Scots language at the British Library (6.30pm, £6 / £4).

The Free Word Centre hosts US poet and activist Jayne Cortez's only London appearance this year (6.30pm, £8).

Norman Manea is in conversation with Paul Bailey at the Romanian Cultural Institute (7pm, event is in association with the Royal Society of Literature so there will be some free tickets on the door).

Edward Hogan reads from and talks about his new novel The Hunger Trace at Pages of Hackney (7pm, £3).

Over at England's Lane Books, Andrew Saint looks at the history of Belsize Park (7.30pm, £3).

The Poetry Cafe hosts a Stanza Bonanza with perfomers from two London Stanza groups (7.30pm, free).

Thursday: Book Slam has an amazing line-up tonight: Simon Armitage, Nikesh Shukla and Gabby Young, all hosted by Joe 'Submarine' Dunthorne (7.30pm, £6 / £8).

Tessa de Loo discusses Albania and Byron in a Q&A at the Travel Bookshop (7pm, free but you should probably book ahead).

Tim Clare and Liv Torc join Dan Cockrill, Rob Auton and Martin Galton for fun and shenanigans at Bang Said the Gun (8pm, £5).

The Farrago spring SLAM! hits the RADA Foyer Bar with featured performances from Anna Chen, Keith Jarrett, Mab Jones, Kit Lambert, Niall Spooner-Harvey, Josh Tyas and the legendary Fran Landesman (7.30pm, £6 / £5).

Nigel McGilchrist talks about his enormous companion guides to the Greek Islands at the London Review Bookshop (8pm, £6).

If you like your literature a little more theatrical, the Broadway Barking puts a plethora of Jane Austen's female characters on the stage (7.30pm, £10 / £8).

Stephanie Gerra, Stephanie Goldberg, Irving Jones and Steve Keyworth from Future Perfect tell tales of animals at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £6 / £4).

Rhythm and Muse returns to Kingston with Chrissie Gittins and Mia Jerome (8.30pm, £6 / £5).

Friday: Kat Francois hosts a night of SLAM poetry at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5 / £3).

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Anne Stevenson and Penelope Shuttle at the Camden Poetry Series (7pm, £5 / £4).

Saturday: Paul Chandler launches his new book, Yeti Hugs and Other Horrors, with a reading at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, free).

Rosemary Ashton, who has a fabulous best academic title - Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College, London - discusses Coleridge and his contemporaries at Keats House (11am, £6 / £5).

Michael Arditti is signing copies of his latest, Jubilate, at Waterstone's at the Finchley Road O2 Centre (11am).

Danielle Hope and Mischa Pearlman are this week's Salisbury House Poets (7.30pm, £3.50 / £2.50).

Sunday: We don't know. Read a book.

Monday: Jennifer Langer hosts Exiled Writers Ink at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £4 / £2).

Bag a spot at tomorrow's Utter! Pointlessness with a writing session in the Sheephaven Bay (6.30pm, £4 / £2 / free).

Tuesday: Jo Shapcott launches the spring edition of Poetry Review at Foyles Charing Cross Road (6.30pm, £8 / £6).

Richard Tyrone Jones hosts Utter! Pointlessness at Camden's Green Note, with Matt Harvey, Young Dawkins, Paula Varjack, Rapunzel Wizard, Anna Mae and the winner of last night's writing contest (7.30pm, £5 / £7).

Niall O'Sullivan's encouraging the shy to give an open mic performance at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £4 / £3).

Chris Westwood, author of London ghost story Ministry of Pandemonium, is at Waterstone's Islington (6.30pm).

Last Updated 30 March 2011