Book Grocer: 2-8 June

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 165 months ago
Book Grocer: 2-8 June

BookGrocer1.jpg The week ahead in literary London

Wednesday: Michael Ward's Planet Narnia takes another look at CS Lewis's world, and the symbolism and imagination within. He's talking about his work at Waterstone's Gower Street at 6.30pm (£3).

Foyles have bagged Carlos Ruiz Zafón to chat about his new book, The Prince of Mist, at the Charing Cross store at 6.30pm (tickets are free, but send a quick email to snaffle a place).

Is Bonjour Tetris the best name for anything, ever? It happens to be the title of Simon Barraclough's new poetry book. Find out more at Lati Ri at 6.30pm.

Thursday: Literary Death Match is here again! Competing at the Old Queen's Head this month are Evie Wyld, Greg Stekelman, Inua Ellams and Grant Gillespie. Making the decisions are Sam Leith, Karen Hayley and Toby Clements (8pm, £6 / £5 / £4).

Head to the Bishopsgate Institute to hear all about the drama of London's history from Jerry White, author of London: The Story of a Great City (7.30pm, £6 / £4, book ahead).

Still on a London theme, Roger Lloyd Pack reads TS Eliot's The Waste Land accompanied by cello (should be haunting and amazing) at the Free Word Centre (6.30pm, £10).

Yann Martel reads from and discusses his new book at the Southbank Centre tonight from 7.45pm (£10).

Friday: The rather wonderful Jim Bob is reading from his new novel, Storage Stories, at Bookseller Crow tonight at 7pm. You could even use the new East London Line to get to Crystal Palace...

We've already told you about the Stoke Newington Literary Festival, but it doesn't hurt to remind about these things. Today, we've got AC Grayling, Sam Taylor (of East of Islington fame), Pen Pusher followed by excellent performance poetry, and a crime panel comprising Toby Litt, Mark Billingham, Louise Welsh and Dreda Say Mitchell.

Saturday: Still in Stoke Newington, there's a cookery showcase with Elisa Beynon and Alex Rushmer, gardening with Richard Reynolds and Laetitia Maklouf, feminism with Kat Banyard, Ellie Levenson and Diane Abbott, MP, football with Danny Kelly and Mark Perryman and food with Niki Segnit, Pete Brown, Elisa Beynon and Ian Kelly. Prison blogger Shaun Attwood, science fiction writers China Mieville and Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Monique Roffey and Amanda Smyth, Farah Damji and Darcus Howe, Grace Maxwell and Edwyn Collins and Jeremy Hardy still (at time of writing) have tickets left.

Sunday: The packed Stoke Newington Literary Festival ends today after a whirlwind weekend. Try Katherine Hibbert, Iain Sinclair talking to Andy Beckett, pub chat with Pete Brown, Paul Ewen and Tim Bradford, Zaiba Malik, John Osborne, Shappi Khorsandi and Phill Jupitus, Tim Wells and Miriam Elia.

The weekly Torriano Poets welcome Anna Mae Selby and Chrissy Williams tonight at 7.30pm (£5 / £3).

Monday: Whet your appetite for epic poetry, from Homer to the Zulus, at Kings Place at 7pm (£9.50).

The Orange Prize is 15 - join founder Kate Mosse, Lennie Goodings, Editorial Director of Virago Books, and BBC presenter Susanna Reid at the Southbank Centre for a discussion of the prize's impact and importance. Bernadine Evaristo also hosts readings from shortlisted authors for the Orange Prize for New Writers: Evie Wyld, Jane Borodale and Irene Sabatini (7pm, £10).

James Byrne and Clare Pollard host seven poets who are yet to publish a whole anthology at Coffee House Poetry: Sarah Jackson, Jack Underwood, Kate Potts, Sophie Robinson, Jay Bernard, Amy Blakemore and Joe Dunthorne (8pm, £7 / £6).

Tuesday: Orange Prize Chair of Judges, Daisy Goodwin, introduces readings and discussion from the shortlisted writers at the Southbank Centre (6.30pm, £12).

Newham Bookshop presents two events at Stratford Circus today: children's author Morris Gleitzman appears at 11.30am and 2pm (£3), and Jackie Kay talks about her new autobiography at 8pm (£6).

Last Updated 02 June 2010