London Book And Poetry Events: 18-24 July

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 140 months ago
London Book And Poetry Events: 18-24 July

Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week

Wednesday: Simon Webb discusses terrorism in Victorian and Edwardian London, at Housmans (7pm, £3).

Rachel Kolsky and Roslyn Rawson present their guide to Jewish London at Waterstones Hampstead (7pm, £3).

Thursday: Jake Arnott pops into the Exmouth Arms, by Clerkenwell Tales, to read from his new novel The House of Rumour (7pm).

Jonathan Lee and Suzanne Joinson are the guests at the Firestation Book Swap in Windsor, chatting to hosts Scott Pack and Robert Hudson (7.45pm, £5 or free with homemade cake).

Lemn Sissay fires the starting pistol on Book Slam's Sports Day (7.30pm, £6 / £8 / £4), with guests Mark Watson, Nicholas Lezard, Caroline Bird and Mahalia fighting over the egg and spoon.

Friday: Janie Hampton talks about the 1948 Austerity Olympics at the British Library (6.30pm, £3).

Rachel Pantechnicon, Liz Bentley and Mulbert are doing a night of comic verse and songs at the Poetry Cafe (7.30pm, £6).

John Paul O'Neill hosts the Farrago School's Out SLAM with guests Hamza Beg, Jasmine Cooray, Elliott Daley aka Werd Pley, Eleanor Hough and Deborah Stevenson, music from Fran Landesman with Sarah Moule and Simon Wallace at the RADA Cafe Bar (7.30pm, £6 / £5).

Saturday: Take small children to Foyles Westfield White City to see author and illustrator Eileen Brown (2pm, free).

Literary Pub Crawls kick off today: a two and a half hour tour round London's pubs with bookish connections (4pm, £15). It runs until 18 August.

Events today from Africa Utopia at the Southbank Centre: Granta hosts Yinka Shonibare, Aminatta Forna, Diriye Osman and Michael Salu (12.30pm, free), poets Inua Ellams and Lebo Mashile are joined by musician Bez (not that Bez), designer Tsemaye Binitie and Missla Libsekal from website Another Africa (3pm, free) and Lemn Sissay, Hannah Pool, Precious Williams, David Akinsanya and Professor Adele Jones discuss adoption (4.30pm, free).

Sunday: Inua Ellams performs Knight Watch at the Southbank Centre, a fantasy poetic tale of the inner city (8.30pm, £10).

Monday: The Crowther Club (members include: Juliet Cochrane, Jenny Ball, Frances Bushe, Stevie Hopwood, Simon Jay, Catriona Kerridge and Isley Lynn) perform various types of poetry and prose at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £5 / £4).

Tuesday: Niall O'Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe's regular open mic night from 7.30pm (£5 / £4).

Jo Nesbo is signing books in Waterstones Leadenhall Market from 12.30pm.

Book ahead: The British Library's running a festival for children 24-26 August featuring Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Charlie Dark and others.

Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.

Last Updated 18 July 2012