London Book And Poetry Events: 27 June-3 July

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 141 months ago
London Book And Poetry Events: 27 June-3 July


Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Wednesday: Poetry Parnassus continues at the Southbank Centre until Sunday, with a ton of paid for and free events (including the Poetry Takeaway).

The brilliant Homework starts a new season tonight, with resident poets Tim Clare, Joe Dunthorne, Ross Sutherland, John Osborne, Chris Hicks and Luke Wright, plus guests Emmy the Great and Elizabeth Sankey (7.30pm, £5).

Take your pick of events at Daunt Books: either Francesca Segal at Keats House (7pm, £5) or Adam Phillips at Marylebone (7pm, £8).

The Gruntlers celebrate Dickens at the Poetry Cafe (7pm).

Thursday: Jean Sprackland and Olivia Laing talk watery landscapes at the London Review Bookshop (7pm, £7).

SAVE Britain's Heritage is holding a book fair at the Gallery on Cowcross Street 12-7pm.

Giles Coren is signing copies of his new book at Selfridges from 5.30pm.

John Hegley and Francesca Beard are two fantastic guests for Bang Said the Gun (8pm, £5).

Poetry Parnassus events include poems from six of the 30,000 Pacific islands (7pm, free), readings by leading poets from all over the world (6.45pm, £5), poetry karaoke (12pm, free) and a marathon reading to uncover the world (from 12pm, free).

Friday: Chris Cleave talks about his third novel, Gold, at Wanstead Library (7pm, £5).

Back at the Southbank Centre for Poetry Parnassus, highlights include Simon Armitage and Jo Shapcott introducing six poets from around the world (7pm, £15 / £12), intimate readings with Jo Shapcott (10.30am, £10) and Imtiaz Dharker (12.30pm, £10), a poetic duel (3pm, free) and lunch poems (12pm, free).

Saturday: The Charing Cross Road festival has lots of authors in the various bookshops on this famous bookish road, including Ben Aaronovitch, Alex Preston and Simon Callow.

Crime writers Claire Seeber and Tom Wood are at Downham Library from 11am (free).

Poetry Parnassus highlights: Paul Muldoon gives the Poetry Society annual lecture (4.30pm, £8), performances by women poets from around the world (7pm, £8), free readings set up by publishers and magazines Salt (1pm), Arc (12pm) and Wolf (4pm), death poetry (2pm, free), poems about love and heartbreak (3pm) – oh, just turn up and wander round, you'll soon find something.

New writers perform at the Poetry Cafe for Pigeon Poetry (7.30pm, £3).

Myra Schneider is at Poetry East (7.30pm, £7).

Sunday: It's the final day of the Southbank Centre's Poetry Parnassus: Christopher Reid, Simon Armitage and David Constantine celebrate Ted Hughes (12pm, £8), Simon Armitage launches his book about walking the Pennine Way at 6pm (£8), Bill Manhire (1pm, £10) and John Agard (3pm,£10) give intimate readings plus lots more free stuff.

Wander Hampstead Heath and discuss Vita Sackville-West's All Passion Spent with the Daunt walking book club (11.30am).

Monday: Chris Yates, Robert McFarlane, Alice Oswald, Kirsty Gunn and Will Atkins are the guests at the Caught By The River / Faber Social in Little Portland Street (8pm, £5).

Poet in the City presents an evening of Shakespeare's poetry at Kings Place (7pm, £9.50).

If you're around Brixton head to the Brixton Book Jam at the Hootananny, a night for readers and writers (7pm, free).

Tuesday: Michael Palin's at Foyles, talking about his latest novel, Monty Python and all the rest (6.30pm, free).

Stella Duffy is at Clapham Books talking about the follow up to Theodora (7pm).

After a day's break from Poetry Parnassus, the Southbank Centre launches the London Literature Festival. Today's highlights include Michael Murpurgo, Baaba Maal and a performance based around the Complete Works of Shakespeare that was smuggled into Robben Island.

Gabriel Josipovici and Kirsty Gunn talk about their novels, both with music at the centre, at the London Review Bookshop (7pm, £7).

Boxer, Beetle author Ned Beauman and The Gone-Away World author Nick Harkaway talk about their new novels at Lutyens and Rubinstein (7pm, £5).

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

Last Updated 27 June 2012