Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday: Mark Haddon, Sam West, William Fiennes, Salena Godden and Lemn Sissay tell stories in a fundraiser for school creativity charity First Story at the Tabernacle (7pm, £35).
Simon Mole and a troop of emerging poets are at the Albany until Friday, exploring what happens when you start relating to your relations in his show Indiana Jones and the Extra Chair (7.15pm, £7 / £5.50).
The LSE Literary Festival starts with events featuring Jeanette Winterson, Jim al-Khalili, Nick Cohen, Heather Brooke and AS Byatt among others. Everything's free.
Patrick Williamson and Adnan al-Sayegh are poets reading their work at The Trace They Wished to Leave at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £5 / £3).
Thursday: It's World Book Day – find events at their website.
Mark Thomas reads from and talks about his book Extreme Rambling along the Israeli border, at the Deptford Lounge (7.30pm, free). We liked the comedy show based on Mark's experiences.
Mark Billingham, Richard T Kelly and Maggie Hamand are at Dalston's new CLR James library talking about their favourite books (7.30pm, free).
Sarwat Chadda and Steve Feasey talk about breaking into children's fiction at Dulwich Books (8pm, £15).
At the LSE, the only events that aren't booked up (though returns are available for others) are Patrick French, Professor Anatol Lieven, Reshma Ruia and Kamila Shamsie talking about India and Pakistan (1.15pm), the Index on Censorship 40th anniversary event with Pavel Litvinov, Michael Scammell and Jo Glanville (7pm) and there will be tickets on the door for a First Story prize giving event with Caroline Bird, William Fiennes, Meg Rosoff and Philip Womack (6pm).
The brilliant Natalie Haynes is at Salon XV, as well as Arthur I Miller and Susan Supercharged (7.30pm, £10).
There's a Big Book Swap at New Cross People's Library from 6pm.
Courttia Newland, Jonathan Heawood and Joy Francis discuss the barriers for black writers in Britain, at the Free Word Centre (6.30pm, £2).
Friday: Londonist's own Sally B talks about her more-than-just-a-recipe-book Veggiestan at Bookseller Crow on the Hill (7pm). There will be food. And what food.
John Sutherland, DJ Taylor and Justin Cartwright discussing finance and the novel (7pm) is our pick of the free LSE Literary Festival though if you're lucky there might be returns for Claire Tomalin and John Carey talking about Dickens at 12.30pm.
Neal Ascherson gives the first of the London Review of Books Winter Lectures, at the British Museum (6.30pm, £10 / £8). This one's on Europe.
Poets from Malika's Kitchen are guests of the Camden Poetry Series tonight from 7pm.
Kat Francois hosts a night of SLAM poetry at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5 / £3).
Saturday: Alex Wheatle, Chibundu Onuzo, Colin Grant, Sonja Lewis and Bim Adewunmi are the authors you can meet at the first ever Black Book Swap at Cottons Caribbean Restaurant on Exmouth Market (1pm, free but reserve a place by email).
Guests at the final day of the LSE Literary Festival include Sam Leith, Lord Douglas Hurd, Ian Leslie, Michael Rosen, Marina Lewycka, George Szirtes, John Lanchester and Elif Shafak. Everything's free and if an event's sold out you can try for returns or no-shows.
More SLAM poetry at the Poetry Cafe, this time from Farrago, with a Spanish vibe (8pm).
Glyn Maxwell, Elizabeth Cook and Cheryl Moskowitz perform Poetry in the Crypt (of St Mary's on Upper Street, 7pm, £4).
Sunday: If you didn't swap a book at New Cross People's Library on Thursday, try buying one to raise funds to keep it open, from 2pm.
Monday: Spark London tell stories of change at the Canal Cafe Theatre (7.30pm, £9.50 / £8).
Magma 52 launches at Coffee House Poetry, with guests Inua Ellams and Greta Stoddart (8pm, £7 / £6).
Be part of a tiny audience of five for J Fergus Evans's my heart is hitching down peachtree st at the Albany, all this week (various times, £8 / £6).
Head to Chalk Farm library for a Granta event with Helen Simpson and a rare chance to see American memoirist Laura Bell (7pm, free).
Ali Abdolrezaei hosts Exiled Writers Ink at the Poetry Cafe, with Amarjit Chandan, Julija Gulbinovic, Stephen Silverwood and Abol Froushan (7.30pm, £4 / £2).
Catherine Smith, Bernadette Read and Melinda Walker are the readers at More Poetry (7.45pm).
Tuesday: Tom Basden, Jarred McGinnis and Sam Taradash are launching a special relationship with Katy Darby and Kirsty Logan at the Queen of Hoxton (7pm, £5).
David Kynaston talks about his definitive history of the City of London at the Bishopsgate Institute (7.30pm, £8 / £6).
Chrissy Williams launches her new poetry pamphlet The Jam Trap – with illustrations from artists including John Aggs, Sarah McIntyre and Ellen Lindner – at The Phoenix Arts Club (7pm, free).
Niall O'Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe's regular open mic night from 7.30pm (£5 / £4).
Beyond Words is a new poetry night in Gipsy Hill. Ruth O'Callaghan is the first guest (7.30pm, £4 / £3).
Enjoy Clare Jacob talking about her new novel Ophelia in Pieces and tapas and drinks, at Dulwich Books (8pm, £10).
Alex Werner, curator of the Museum of London's Dickens and London exhibition, is talking about him at Foyles (6.30pm, free).
Book ahead: Places are going fast for Costa winner Andrew Miller's appearance at Foyles on 13 March. Email them to reserve your spot.
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events
