The Book Grocer

By Julie PH Last edited 186 months ago
The Book Grocer
Book_by_the_bridge.jpg

The book grocer returns from August hiatus to find all kinds of lovely literary events with which to fill up our diary for September. And having remembered a lesson or two from primary school (beer before liquor, never sicker? No, not that one), we share them with you below.

Tuesday: Want some explication of Red State America? Joe Bageant will be at the Southbank Centre to discuss his book, Deer Hunting with Jesus: Guns, Votes, Debt and Delusion in Redneck America, as part of the America Decides series (tag line: Think you know America? Think again). 7.45pm, £7.50, 50 percent concession discount.

Or if your interest tends more towards a different continent, skip on over to the ICA, to hear French philosopher Luce Irigaray discuss her two most recent books, Conversations and Teaching. Irigaray will be in conversation with UCL vice-provost Michael Worton. 6.45pm, £10/£9 concessions/£8 members.

Wednesday: David Sedaris at the Bloomsbury Theatre would be your hot ticket for the week and, accordingly, has already sold out. Head to the Southbank Centre instead to hear Nadeem Aslam read from his latest novel, The Wasted Vigil, set in modern-day Afghanistan. 7.45pm, £7.50, 50 percent concession discount.

Thursday: Pakistan expert Tariq Ali is at the London Review Bookshop this evening discussing The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power. Pakistan rarely strays far from newspaper headlines, but this talk seems particularly timely given the recent presidential election.

Friday: Support your local poets! Julia Bird launches her first collection of poetry, Hannah and the Monk, published by Salt Publishing, at the Scooterworks Cafe. Discover for yourself why Bird’s collection has been praised for its “charm, freshness and agility”. 6.30pm.

Saturday: So, unlike some unnamed members of the Londonist literati, you put that annoyingly ubiquitous meme, the staycation, to good use this summer and, in a prodigious outburst of creativity, banged out your first book in two weeks flat. Well done, you! (Cough *overachiever* cough.) Now what? Your magnum opus needs an audience, surely. Do it and yourself a favour and stop in at Brompton Library for tips from Deborah Gaye of Avalanche Books on how to get that masterpiece published. 2.30pm, free.

Sunday: Way back in February, at a Jewish Book Week event, we were handed an advert informing us that if we liked Jewish Book Week, we’d love Hackney Day Limmud! We noted the September date, stuck it in our diary, and promptly forgot about it – it seemed so very far away. Lo and behold [insert truism about alarming speed of passage of time], it’s here and features an interesting array of events, exhibitions, and presentations about the East End Jewish community, including talks by playwright Bernard Kops, novelists Charlotte Mendelson and Naomi Alderman, and Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland. Registration from 9am, £30 for all-event access, £10 concessions.

Know of an event that belongs in the Book Grocer listings? Please e-mail us at londonist-at-gmail-dot-com.

Image courtesy of Jane Hoskyn via the Londonist Flickr pool

Last Updated 08 September 2008