Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday: SJ Watson, author of hugely popular Before I Go To Sleep, is at Hampstead Waterstone's (7pm, £3).
Iain Sinclair and poet Inua Ellams are at the Richmond Literature Festival (7.30pm, £10 / £8.50)
Moris Farhi reads from his new poetry collection at Leighton House as part of the Nour Festival (7pm, free).
Norman Davies remembers Europe's lost realms at Waterstone's Kensington (7pm, £5 / £3), part of the London History Festival.
Donald Gardner, Judith Kazantis, Tony Lucas and Daphne Gloag are Ambit's guests at the Betsey Trotwood from 7pm (free).
Dan Simpson hosts Jawdance at Rich Mix, with spoken word from Radikal Queen, Robert Garnham, Julia Gwynne and Lisa Lore (7.30pm, free).
Ann Oakley, Tessa Blackstone and Margaretta Jolly talk about social reformer Barbara Wootton at the British Library (6.30pm, £7.50 / £5).
Polari hits Lo Profile in Soho, with authors DJ Connell, Timothy Graves and Jonathan Kemp (7pm, free).
Conn Iggulden's chatting about the last of his 'Conquerer' books at Waterstone's Piccadilly (7pm, £5 / £3).
Thursday: We've already told you why you should see Liz Bentley at the Deptford Albany tonight: consider this a reminder (7.30pm, £8 / £6).
Antipoet and Rachel Rose Reid join the regular crew for Bang Said the Gun's stand-up poetry (8pm, £5).
The Firestation Book Swap has a mother and daughter duo - Adele Geras and Sophie Hannah - joining hosts Scott Pack and Marie Phillips (7.45pm, £5 / free with homemade cake).
At the Richmond Literature Festival, David Kynaston and Stephen Armstrong talk about the City of London and revisiting Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier (6.30pm, £12 / £10.50), Sandy Nairne discusses art theft (8pm, £10 / £8.50) and an excellent pairing of Ross Sutherland and Laura Barton (7.30pm, £7 / £5.50).
Electric poetry from Jacob Sam-La Rose at Lewisham Library (8pm, free).
Romanian poet Vasile Gârneţ is joined by UK poet Mario Petrucci for a Poet in the City event (7pm, free but book ahead).
Get Max Hastings's view of World War Two at the London History Festival in Kensington (7pm, £5 / £3).
There's a theatrical celebration of Edgar Allen Poe at Stoke Newington's Church Street Theatre until 4th December (Tue-Sat 8pm, Sun 8.20pm, £14 / £12).
Liz Adams, Bronagh Fegan and Anna Selby are a Flock of Poets at the Rochelle School in Shoreditch (7.30pm, £3).
2011 Somerset Maugham winning poet Adam O'Riordan is at Lutyens & Rubinstein (7pm, £5).
Fay Avsec, Jim Alderson, Margaret Beston, Angela Croft, Susan Hughes, Sylvia Rowbottom, Fraser Southey, Norman Staines, Wisty Thomas, Karina Vidler and Linda White are Poets Unlimited at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £2).
Friday: In Richmond, Hallie Rubenhold and Rosie Thomas talk about sex and taboo in historical fiction (7.30pm, £15 / £13.50).
Paul Chandler marks the tenth anniversary of his collection Junk/Food at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, free).
Saturday: We loved Craig Taylor's Londoners; see him at Chipping Barnet library from 2.30pm (free).
See four new works responding to the August riots at Rich Mix, from Luke Wright, Sophie Woolley, Greg McLaren and theatre collectives The Hurly Burly and Circus Kinetica (7.30pm, £5).
Charlie Dark takes children on a hip hop poetry adventure (10.30am, £7) at the Richmond Literature Festival, while in the evening Sheila Rowbotham talks about women's social awakening in the late 19th / early 20th centuries (8pm, £10 / £8.50).
Poet Ronnie McGrath (who knows, you might get to witness his amazing mouth trumpet) is joined by musicians Andre Shlimon and Reynaldo Young for AgonyArt at Chisenhale Dance Space (7pm, £5).
Bernard O'Donoghue is at Poetry East (7.30pm, £7).
Amnesty's book sale in Blackheath is locally renowned - get your hands on cheap books from 10am.
Mimi Khalvati, Jane Duran, Gillian Allnutt, Jane Routh and Elizabeth Burns are reading at the Second Light Network of Women Poets (6.30pm, £7 / £5).
Sunday: Over in Richmond, Claire Tomalin discusses Charles Dickens over lunch at Thai Square (12.30pm, £25 / £12.50), Jeremy Paxman talks Empire (7pm, £18.50) and the sublime Joe Dunthorne talks about his books Submarine and Wild Abandon (7pm, £10 / £8.50).
Monday: Spark London's storytellers are on a fireworks theme at the Ritzy Picturehouse (7.30pm).
Polari announce the winner of their First Book Prize at the Southbank Centre, joined by SJ Watson (7.45pm, £5).
There's an actual whirling dervish at Persepolis, plus music and poetry for the Peckham Literary Festival (7pm, free).
What is history? That's the question Helen Castor, Roger Moorhouse and James Mather are attempting to answer at the London History Festival (7pm, £5 / £3).
Nicholas Vincent discusses the lost medieval library of England's kings, at the British Library (6.30pm, £7.50 / £5).
Penelope Lively, Geoff Dyer, Vendela Vida, Rebecca Frayn and Thomas Penn tell stories at The Tabernacle for 5x15 (7pm, £20 / £15).
Bloomsbury Voices at the Poetry Cafe has poetry with Wendy Shutler and music from Ivor Game and Ben Richardson (8pm, £5 / £4).
There's a celebration of American poet Robert Frost (miles to go before I sleep) at Kings Place (7pm, £9.50).
Tuesday: Saul David talks about his new BBC4 series, How to go to War, at the London History Festival (7pm, £5 / £3).
Simon Parke talks about Shelf Life, a view from the supermarket aisles, at the Peckham Literary Festival (7.30pm, free).
Novelists Cressida Connolly and Vendela Vida are in conversation at bookshop Lutyens & Rubinstein (7pm, £5).
Simon & Schuster editor Jessica Leeke is sharing her wisdom at London Writers' Club live (7.30pm, £10).
Grab an open mic slot at Poetry Unplugged at the Poetry Cafe, hosted by Niall O'Sullivan (7.30pm, £4 / £3).
Book ahead: Booker winner Julian Barnes's only public appearance this year is on 8th December at the Institute of Engineering and Technology in aid of Freedom from Torture. This is going to be very popular, even with tickets priced at £18.
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events
