London Book And Poetry Events: 23-29 May

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 142 months ago
London Book And Poetry Events: 23-29 May

Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Wednesday: Rachel Caine talks books and vampires at Foyles from 6.30pm (free, but reservations recommended).

Sarah Butler, Sangeeta Bhargava, Tina Sederholm, Paul Askew, Kate Walton, Marc Nash, Davy Mac, Clare Waters and Davy Mac look at our colloquial past at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5).

GREEdS hosts the latest Jawdance at Rich Mix, with Abir Ibrahim, Selina Nwulu, Laurie Bolger and Anthony Fairweather (7.30pm, free).

Thursday: Marina Warner and Hanan al Shaykh discuss bringing the Arabian Nights into the 21st century, at the Festival of Asian Literature (6.45pm, £10 / £8).

Mark Niel and Paul Lyalls are the guest poets at Bang Said the Gun (8pm, £5).

Mark 200 years of Edward Lear with a night of nonsense poetry at the Poetry Cafe (7pm, free).

Mexican poet Homero Aridjis reads from his work at the Swedenborg Society (7pm, free). Ali Smith reads English translations.

Friday: Celebrate five years of Caught By The River at the Southbank Centre, with Tim Burgess, Roy Wilkinson, John Andrews, Michael Smith, Chris Yates and Richard King (7pm, £17.50).

Do you know where your towel is? You might need it if venturing to the Vogon Poetry Slam at Hackney Picturehouse Attic (7.30pm, £5 / £3 in costume or with towel).

Have lunch with Paul French and Misha Glenny at the Festival of Asian Literature (1pm, £15 / £12).

Farrago mark the time of year with an Exam Blues SLAM, with performances from Brother Niyi, Keith Jarrett, Hollie McNish, Rhys Rodger, Hannah Joshua and Lori King (7.30pm, SLAM sign-up from 7pm).

Saturday: Cassandra Clare talks about her latest book, City of Lost Souls, with Shades of London author Maureen Johnson at Theatre Royal Stratford East (2pm, £8 / £13 including copy of book).

Liz Berry, Jenna Butler and Nancy Mattson are the poets performing in St Mary's church crypt on Upper Street (7pm, £4).

Sunday: Celebrate the work of former laureate John Masefield at Keats House (3pm, £5 / £3).

Monday: The Festival of Asian Literature looks at the Arab Spring, with Ahdaf Soueif, Kamin Mohammadi, Paul Mason and Mishal Husain (6.45pm, £10 / £8).

Kate Mosse talks to Rosamund Lupton about getting published, and then chairs a panel of agents and publishers in a writers clinic, for an Orange and Grazia event at the Southbank Centre (6.45pm, £10).

Ivor Game and Wendy Shutler have some summery poems at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5 / £3.50).

Tuesday: Authors shortlisted for the Not-Going-To-Be-Called-Orange-Much-Longer Prize – Esi Edugyan, Anne Enright, Georgina Harding, Madeline Miller, Cynthia Ozick and Ann Patchett – read from their nominated books at the Southbank Centre (7.30pm, £12).

Glyn Maxwell gives a talk based on his new collection of essays, On Poetry, at Keats House in Hampstead (6.30pm, free but email the Poetry Society to reserve a place by Friday).

James Sallis talks about his new book Driven, a sequel to Drive (now a major motion picture, so the saying goes) with Iain Sinclair at Belgravia Books (7.30pm, £5).

Perform your own work at the Poetry Cafe's open mic night (7.30pm, £5 / £4). Niall O'Sullivan hosts.

Mohammed Hanif, Madeline Thien, Nikita Lalwani, Kim Thuy and Claire Armitstead bust some stereotypes at the Festival of Asian Literature (6.45pm, £8 / £7).

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Last Updated 23 May 2012