Author appearances, poetry and spoken word events in London this week
Wednesday: Join three authors shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize at Foyles: Robert McFarlane, Paul Preston and Sue Prideaux (6.30pm, free).
Martyn Crucefix is talking about his new translation of Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus at Waterstones Covent Garden (7pm, £9.50 / £7.50).
Tim Cresswell, Edward Doeger, Irene James, Jemime Roberts, Richard Scott, Clair Wilcox and Tom Chivers perform at the Poetry Cafe tonight (7.30pm, £3).
Antony John, Andy Spragg and Juha Virtanen are the poets Xing the Line at The Apple Tree (7.30pm, £5 / £3).
Thursday: Simon Garfield gives an illustrated talk on maps at Waterstones Covent Garden (6pm, £5 / £3).
The Firestation Book Swap is at Windsor Waterstones this month, with guests Niven Govinden and John Higgs (7.45pm, £5 or free with homemade cake).
Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, Sarah Maguire and Joanna Oyediran present an evening of Sudanese poetry at The Mosaic Rooms (7pm, free).
Jonny Fluffypunk and Bridget Minamore are the guests at Bang Said the Gun (8pm, £5).
RNIB Wonderland kicks off near Southwark Cathedral.
Friday: Michael Dobson, Marina Warner, Emma Smith, James Shapiro and Colin Barrow debate whether we should consider Shakespeare a contemporary, at the British Museum (6.30pm, £10 / £8).
Stephen Appleby is launching and signing his collected Loomus cartoons at Bookseller Crow in Crystal Palace (7.30pm, free).
Dorothy Koomson discusses her novel The Rose Petal Beach at Balham Library (6.30pm, free).
Jo Nesbo is signing copies of his latest novel, The Bat, at Foyles Charing Cross Road from 12.30pm. Later, YA authors Gregg Olsen, Chris Ould and Niall Leonard will chat about their work (6.30pm, free).
Ardella Jones, Graham Buchan, Francis White and Patric Cunnane are tonight's Dodo Modern Poets at the Poetry Cafe (8pm, £6 / £5).
Salena Godden, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Attillah Springer, Hannah Lowe and Anthony Joseph are among the spoken word artists at Jamdown Meets Liming at the V&A (7pm, £12 / £9).
Saturday: Helen Smith hosts The Literary Cabaret at the Bloomsbury Theatre with a fabulous line-up: Suzanne Joinson, Craig Taylor, Will Wiles and Karen McLeod (7pm, free).
Part of the Bloomsbury Festival, join Persephone Books for a cream tea and launch of their short story collection (4.30pm, free).
Cornelia Funke reads from her new children's novel Ghost Knight at Daunt Books Hampstead (11am, free).
Poetry in Palmers Green welcomes Shanta Acharya, Martyn Crucefix, Martina Evans, Mike Loveday and Maria Sanchez (7.30pm, £5 / £3.50).
Sunday: inc. zine's poetry party has performances from Zena Edwards, Raphael Attar Variety Hour, Emma Jones and Joshua Seigal, at The Book Club (7pm, £5).
Monday: Michael Morpurgo is talking about war at Kings College from 7pm (free).
Bit of a League of Gentlemen theme at Book Slam, with Jeremy Dyson presenting Reece Shearsmith, Mark Kermode, Barry and Stuart, Kyla La Grange and Daniel Pemberton (7.30pm, £6 / £8).
Poet in the City and Bloodaxe present a full length show at Kings Place (7pm, £9.50).
Ade Adeniji, Darren Brady and Francois Lubbe launch the anthology Love Me As I Am at Foyles (6.30pm, free).
Pauline Black of The Selecter is reading from her autobiography at Canada Water Library (7pm, free).
Rosie Shepperd, Peter Daniels, Sandeep Parmar, Susan Utting, Anthony Wilson, Sarah Salway, Paul Casey, Afric McGlinchey and Henry Fajemirokun are at Coffee House Poetry (8pm, £7 / £6).
Tuesday: Judges Peter Serafinowicz and Viv Groksop cast their eye over Dean Atta, Steve Aylett, Alex Preston and Cassie Gonzales at Literary Death Match (8.15pm, £5 / £8).
David J features at Twisting Tongues at Apres London on Oxford Street (7.15pm, £5 / £4).
Niall O'Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe's regular open mic night (7.30pm, £5 / £4).
More poetry (on cakes) at The Bell in Spitalfields, for the new issue of Poetry Digest, with readers Isobel Dixon, Jacqueline Saphra and Sarah Hesketh (7pm, free).
Book ahead: Dawn French is talking about her second novel at the Criterion Theatre on 26 October, but on the back of GBBO frenzy you might be interested to hear that the person she's talking to is Sue Perkins (6pm, £18.99 / £15 online).
Follow @LondonistLit for our pick of that day’s literary events.
