The Hampstead & Highgate Literary Festival is an object lesson in packing lots of very good things into a relatively small space; we're going to ask them to do our holiday luggage.
Pick of the authors appearing over the three days include crime writers Mark Billingham and Robert Ryan; Tracy Chevalier, best known for Girl with a Pearl Earring, talking about The Last Runaway; food blogger and writer Esther Walker; Maggie O'Farrell on her novel set in the 1976 heatwave; Susie Orbach and Lisa Appignanesi discussing feminism; Guardian stablemates John Crace and Lucy Mangan on funny books; cricket heaven with Harry Pearson, Miles Jupp and Ian Bloom; Deborah and Lottie Moggach (whose debut, Kiss Me First, you really should read); Mark Easton discussing contemporary Britain; and Ruby Wax.
There's also a parallel strand running on Sunday 15 September just for kids. Your little ones go for £1, adults cost between £5 and £10 each. See Lauren Crace, Judith Kerr, Conrad Mason and a Horrible Histories panel with Henry VIII himself, Ben Willbond. (Cue actual screams.)
Yes, that really is just a selection, over a mere three days. Roll up your sleeves and have a wander round the programme yourself. Previous festivals have had events sell out, so if anything takes your fancy we recommend booking early.
The Hampstead & Highgate Literary Festival runs 15-17 September, tickets £7-£12, at Ivy House, 94-96 North End Road, London NW11. For more information and how to book, see the festival website.
