Book, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday: Exceptional, funny and warm writer AL Kennedy (pictured) is at Large Glass on Caledonian Road, talking about postcards (6.30pm, £10).
Irvine Welsh launches Skagboys, the Trainspotting prequel, at The Scala (7.30pm, £10).
Anthology Shi Cheng: City Stories from China launches at the British Library (6.30pm, £7.50 / £5).
Jerry White talks about the final volume in his three-part history of London, at Daunt Books in Marylebone (7pm, £8).
Thursday: Jen Campbell, author of the very funny Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops, and Sarah Salway are the guests joining Scott Pack and Marie Phillips in Windsor for the Firestation Book Swap (7.45pm, £5 or free with homemade cake).
Malika Booker, Karen McCarthy Woolf and Denise Saul read from Bloodaxe's poetry anthology TEN at the Albany (7.30pm, free).
Nadine Gordimer discusses her latest novel, No Time Like the Present, at the Intelligence Squared Bloomsbury Book Club (6.30pm, £30).
Peter Stamm talks with Adam Thirlwell about love and his novel Seven Years at Lutyens and Rubinstein (7pm, £5).
Fancy a spot of stand up poetry? Mel Jones and Anthony Anaxagorou plus the Bang Said the Gun crew can provide (8pm, £5).
Stork Press launch AM Bakalar's Madame Mephisto at Belgravia Books, with music, wine and nibbles (6.30pm, free).
Friday: Paul Baker gives a talk about Barnet's Dickens connections at Chipping Barnet library (6.30pm, free).
Shaun Traynor reads Shakespeare's Last Drink and Other Poems, plus readings from Margot Quinn and Kevin Smicle at the Poetry Library (7.30pm).
Poet in the City celebrates Swedish Nobel Laureate Tomas Tranströmer, with the man himself, at the British Library (6pm, £10 / £8).
Saturday: Ben Galley gives advice about self publishing at the Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green (7pm, £3).
Poetry in Palmers Green hears from Jane Duran, Anne Stewart, André Mangeot and John Mackay (7.30pm).
Sunday: Dinah Livingstone reads her new poem No Mean City at Torriano Poets in Kentish Town (7.30pm).
Monday: It's World Book Night! The main event is at the Southbank Centre (7.15pm, £10) but there are free events all over London (as we take a moment to remind you again of the one we're attending in Lewisham, hem hem).
David Shrigley is signing copies of his books at the Royal Festival Hall from 6.45pm, then chatting about his work from 7pm (£8).
Ben McIntyre is talking D-Day spies at Lutyens and Rubinstein (7pm, £5).
Malika Booker and Fiona Lesley host a writers' networking event from Spread the Word at the Poetry Cafe (6.30pm, £6).
Tuesday: Join Londonist's M@ and Charles Dickens (may not be the actual Charles Dickens; M@ is definitely real) for a quiz at Foyles (6.30pm, free).
Justin Cartwright is at Keats House talking about his new thriller Other People's Money (7pm, £5).
Alison Baverstock is the speaker at this week's second self publishing advice event at London Writers' Club in Clerkenwell (7.15pm, £15 / £20).
Try out your own poetry at the Poetry Cafe's open mic night, hosted by Niall O'Sullivan (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events
