Why oh why go Hay On Wye when there are so many literary festivals around London? This weekend, brave the Northern Line for the Hampstead & Highgate Literary Festival.
Running from Sunday-Tuesday, there is an unusual pot pourri of possible delights. Alongside the more bookish folk - including novelists Barbara Taylor Bradford and Diana Athill, Alan Hollinghurst and biographer Andrew Morton - there are some bona fide celebrities like Sarah Brown, Raymond Blanc and Nicholas Parsons plus some notable newscasters in Peters Snow and Sissons, Gavin Esler and Martin Sixsmith.
As well as meeting the authors, there will be discussions on "9/11 Ten Years On" and "Guilty Pleasures...The Books We Don't Admit to Reading".
Those looking to appear at a literary festival themselves can join workshops on playwriting, poetry or creative writing. Or you can just go for a walk.
All events take place at the London Jewish Cultural Centre, Ivy House, 94-96 North End Road, London, NW11 7SX. For more information, visit the website.
Live in or near Lewisham? Then pop along to your local Literary Festival from this Friday.
Our Book Grocer will keep you up to date every week with the goings-on in London's literary life.
Photo (c) Meral Crifasi from the Londonist Flickr pool.
