The week ahead in literary London
Wednesday: Hurry your kids down to West End Lane Books at 6.30pm to hear Eleanor Updale read from her latest adventure, Johnny Swanson.
Luke Wright unleashes his Cynical Ballads upon Homework at the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club (7.30pm, £5). He's joined by Tim Clare, Joe Dunthorne, John Osborne and Ross Sutherland.
Canning House hosts a musical setting of some of 12th century poet and revered Sufi philosopher Ibn Arabi's work (6.30pm, £10 / £6).
Thursday: Byron Vincent and Molly Naylor perform at Bang Said the Gun at the Roebuck, along with Raw Meat Stew Open Mic winner Amy Acre and other open mic-ists (8pm, £5).
Snog, Shag, Marry, Kill showcases new writers and their poetry, bits of novel, short stories and music. It's all happening at the Poetry Cafe at 8pm (£6 / £4) with some open mic slots.
Rhythm and Muse goes to Ram Jam in Kingston to play host to poet Kayo Chingonyi, students from Kingston University and local band Nomi and the Points (8.30pm, £6 / £5).
Friday: Fourth Friday returns to the Poetry Cafe, with Hugo Williams and Beata Duncan, plus music from Mike Burke and Fran McGillivray (8pm, £6 / £5).
The Mortlake Poetry Festival (7pm, £5 / £4) offers up poets Connie Bensley, Ruth O'Callaghan and guest Susan Kramer (this Susan Kramer?).
Chinese writer Guo Jingming makes an extremely rare UK appearance at Foyles at 6.30pm (free, but email to reserve a ticket).
Sunday: Tall Lighthouse heads to the Torriano Meeting House with Gareth Jones, Jasmine Cooray, Joe Duggan and more in tow (7.30pm).
Monday: It's back to West End Lane Books to hear the excellent Helen Simpson read from her latest collection of short stories, In-Flight Entertainment (7.30pm).
Tuesday: Anthony Sattin, Jimmy Burns and Clare Mulley chat about their favourite love affairs from history at the Arts Bar of the Phoenix Theatre on Charing Cross Road (7pm). Tickets cost £4 and can be reserved by emailing marcus.gipps [at] blackwell.co.uk.
The Farrago Summer Slam at the RADA Foyer Bar is open to any poet, but so far the confirmed line-up is Rachel Pantechnicon, Dudley Sutton, Fran Landesman, Bohdan Piasecki and Botswanan poet and songwriter Andreattah 'Drea' Chuma (7.30pm, £6 / £5), which isn't bad to be going on with.
Playwright Conor McPherson joins director Ian Rickson to discuss his play The Weir, along with members of the original cast. This is part of Foyles's ingenious series going behind the scenes of what they're calling 'some of the most iconic plays of our times' - and they're not wrong (1pm, free but email to reserve a place).
