Book Grocer: 11-17 May

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 154 months ago
Book Grocer: 11-17 May

The week ahead in literary London

Wednesday: Doing battle at this month's Literary Death Match are Leo Benedictus, Sam Leith, Chimene Suleyman and Sophie Cameron; passing judgement are Isy Suttie, Josie Long and Rich Fulcher. Todd Zuniga attempts to keep order (8.15pm, £8 / £5).

Rosie Goldsmith chairs European Literature Night at the British Library (6.30pm, £6 / £4), with Emil Hakl (Czech Republic), Nora Ikstena (Latvia), Anna Kim (Austria), Peter Terrin (Flanders) and Bożena Umińska-Keff (Poland).

If you're lucky you'll snaffle the few remaining tickets for David Flusfeder and David Miller at Lutyens & Rubinstein (6.30pm, £5).

Laura Dockrill, Joe Dunthorne and John Osborne help celebrate six months of Ministry of Stories (7pm, £7).

Nikesh Shukla and Zaiba Malik talk about being Asian in Britain at the Festival of Asian Literature (6.45pm, £8 / £6).

Ambit are back at the Betsey Trotwood, this time with Naomi Foyle, David Swann and Jeremy Worman (7pm, free).

Alan Thornett describes the struggles of the British car workers in the 60s and 70s, at Housmans (7pm, £3).

Travel writer Sara Wheeler is at Keats House for Daunt Books, talking about her new collection Access All Areas (7pm, £5).

Agnes Meadow hosts Loose Muse, the event for women writers, at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5 / £3).

Thursday: Join Kate McLuskie, Catherine Bunting and Russ McDonald at the British Academy Literature Week to discuss Shakespeare's cultural impact (6pm), followed by Robert Hewison chairing a panel on staging biography with Michael Pennington, Jonathan Bate and Mary Luckhurst (7.15pm, both events free but you'll need to register).

Tahmima Anam is in conversation with Claire Armistead about her novel The Good Muslim at the Festival of Asian Literature (6.45pm, £10 / £7).

The Big Green Bookshop hosts a launch party for Jayne Joso's Perfect Architect (7pm, free).

The Waltham Forest Literature Festival starts here, with Linda Stratmann talking about crime in Walthamstow Library (7pm, £3).

Bijan Omrabi brings to life the Silk Road of yesteryear at the Travel Bookshop (7pm, £5).

There's poetry at Lauderdale House from John Haynes, Tim Liardet, Fiona Sampson and Carole Satyamurti (8pm, £5 / £3).

Friday: Elvis McGonagall brings his Caravan of Poetry to Balham Bowls Club, joined by John Osborne, Mab Jones and John Citizen (8pm, free).

Rabindranath Tagore's 150th anniversary is marked at the British Library today and tomorrow with a performance of The Post Office (Friday 6.30pm / Saturday 2.30pm, £7.50 / £5).

David Boote is talking about libraries in, appropriately, Leytonstone Library (7pm, free).

Anna Le hosts an open mic night at the Tea Box in Richmond (8pm, free).

Saturday: Satisfy your rumbly stomach at the Wellcome Library with a talk about spices, food and trade, illustrated by books and manuscripts from the Library collection (2pm, free but book a place in advance). Then on your way out, why not enjoy some Dirt?

Anjali Joseph, Siddhartha Bose and Gyan Prakash turn the spotlight on Mumbai at the Festival of Asian Literature (12pm, £8). Plus the Vayu Naidu Company are telling stories from 2.30pm (free).

Canadian poet and Waltham Forest resident John Stiles gives a poetry reading at Leytonstone Library (3pm, free), followed by more poetry at the Vestry House Museum from Gerda Mayer, Kathy Towers, Lorraine Mariner and Graham Clifford (6.30pm, £4).

Niall O'Sullivan hosts a night of new performance poets in The Cellar of the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £4 / £3).

Sunday: Xanthe Gresham tells stories for all the family to enjoy at the Vestry House Museum (2pm / 3pm, free).

Monday: Edmund de Waal talks to Penelope Lively at the Royal Society of Literature - the RSL always has a few tickets on the door for members of the public (6pm, £8 / £5).

Wendy Law Yone, Taiye Selasi, and Moni Mohsin talk about feminism around the world, particularly in Asian countries, at the Festival of Asian Literature (6.45pm, £12 / £10).

Will Hutton, Bettany Hughes, Tahmima Anam, Gerald Scarfe and Molly Dineen all have 15 minutes at 5x15 (6.45pm, £20 / £15).

Historian and biographer Stella Tillyard talks about her first novel with Peter Snow, at Daunt Books in Marylebone (7pm, £8).

Find out how to write for children in a workshop at Walthamstow Library (7pm, free) or head to North Chingford Library to share your favourite piece of literature (7.30pm, free).

European poets Marcelijus Martinaitis, Robert Bebek, Marzanna Kielar and Daniel Jonas are at Kings Place, thinking about geographical and cultural borders (7pm, £9.50).

Coffee House Poetry welcomes Roisín Tierney, Jennifer Martin, Martyn Crucefix, Jacqueline Saphra, Geraldine Paine, Robert vas Dias, Eve Grubin, Carrie Etter and Henry Fajemirokun to the Troubadour (8pm, £7 / £6).

Tuesday: Jake Arnott, Alex Butterworth and Andy Croft look at London as a city of protest, rebellion and unrest, at the Bishopsgate Institute (7.30pm, £8 / £6).

Patrick French paints a portrait of India in the 21 century at the Festival of Asian Literature (6.45pm, £10 / £7).

Brandon Robshaw, otherwise known as Dan Lee, talks about his children's series Tangsham Tigers at Walthamstow Library (4pm, free). Bobbie Darbyshire is also at Walthamstow explaining how to get published (7pm, free).

Imogen Robertson and Matt Lynn discuss writing about historical crime and contemporary thrillers, at Manor House Library (6.45pm, free).

China Mieville chats about his new book, Embassytown, at Wanstead Library (7.15pm, £5).

It's open mic night at the Poetry Cafe, with Niall O'Sullivan encouraging the nervous (7.30pm, £4 / £3).

Ruth O'Callaghan hosts the Lumen Poetry Series - Imtiaz Dharker and Stephen Watts perform (6.30pm, £5 / £4).

All aboard the Blue Bus for its 50th edition! Zoe Skoulding and Frances Presley help the celebrations (7.30pm, £5 / £3).

Last Updated 10 May 2011