Ongoing
Soho Literary Festival takes place at Soho Theatre until 28 September, covering everything from wine to the class divide. See the full line-up. Events are £9 each, and need to be prebooked.
Thursday 25 September
PAUL MERTON: The comedian is at Waterstones Leadenhall Market to sign copies of his autobiography, Only When I Laugh. Arrive early to avoid disappointment. 12.30pm
MAGIC OF BIRDS: Celia Fisher is at Hatchard's on Piccadilly to talk abut her new British Library book, The Magic Of Birds. It covers how exotic birds were brought to attention in Europe through art, literature and legends. Free, prebook, 1pm
POETRY NIGHT: Enjoy the Tales of Autumn House exhibition in Bethnal Green alongside a poetry evening, with readings by Joanna Vale and James Rattue. Free, just turn up, 6pm
BRIAN ALDISS: Science fiction author Brian Aldiss OBE is at Foyles on Charing Cross Road to celebrate the publication of the first volume of his Complete Short Stories. He'll be talking about his career and answering questions, and there'll be a reading of his first-ever published short story. £5, prebook, 7pm
IRAQI POETRY: Keats House in Hampstead hosts the launch of Singing for Inanna, a collection of poems in English and Arabic by British poet Jenny Lewis and Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh. Free, prebook, 7pm
BANG SAID THE GUN: Expect poetry, spoken word, and an open mic at Bang Said The Gun. Tonight’s performances are by Rosy Carrick and Malcom Head. At The Roebuck in Borough. £7/£5, just turn up, 8pm
Friday 26 September
GRAVITY'S RAINBOW: King's College Joy Of Influence series, with journalists talking about the novels that inspired them, continues this week. Paul Mason is interviewed by Anne Enright about Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm
DOUGLAS COUPLAND: The author of Girlfriend In A Coma is at Foyles on Charing Cross Road, with his artist/designer hat on. The first comprehensive monograph of his work as a visual artist is published to coincide with a major solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. £5, prebook, 7pm
BEATLES LYRICS: Hunter Davies, who worked with The Beatles, has previously written the only authorised biography of the band. Tonight he is at the British Library to talk about his new book, which features 100 original handwritten manuscripts of their songs, reproduced for the very first time. £8/£6/£5, prebook, 7pm
PECKHAM LITERATURE: The inaugural Peckham Literature Tour begins outside Peckham Library, taking in some 400 years of literary history associated with SE15. £7/£5, prebook, 7pm
PAULO SCOTT: London Review Bookshop hosts Brazilian author Paulo Scott talking about his latest book Nowhere People, which presents the stark contrast between the world of the rich, young urban elite of São Paulo and that of the dispossessed Guarani Indians. £10, prebook, 7pm
DYLAN THOMAS: Starting tonight, I Kiss Your Heart (see photo) is on for three nights at Soho Theatre. Marking the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas. The performance features a collection of recently published love letters written by Dylan to American literary critic Pearl Kazin. £20, prebook, 8pm (until Sunday)
Saturday 27 September
PSYCHOANALYTIC POETRY: The Freud Museum near Finchley Road hosts a day long Psychoanalytic Poetry Festival with five poets exploring different themes. £60/£45, prebook, 9.30am-5pm
DAVID WALLIAMS: The comedian turned TV star turned children's author is at Daunt Books on Fulham Road signing copies of Awful Auntie. The event is strictly ticketed. Free, prebook, 10.30am
KEATS WALK: The ever-popular Keats in Hampstead walking tour starts at Hampstead station and passes through the town and Heath before finishing at Keats House.£10/£8, prebook, 11am
LONDON DREAMTIME: Join professional storytellers Vanessa and Nigel in a secret location close to Nunhead for stories and songs to welcome the arrival of autumn. Wrap up warm and bring a candle. Booking is essential. £3, prebook by email, 5.30pm
WIMBLEDON LIBRARY: Bestselling crime writer Sophie Hannah is in conversation with crime fiction critic Jake Kerridge at Wimbledon Library. She talks about her latest novel, The Monogram Murders. £7.50, prebook, 7pm
ADULT STORYTELLING: Performance storytelling for adults returns to Rich Mix in Shoreditch, courtesy of Crick Crack Club. Chirine El Ansary and Sheharazade are tonight's storytellers, and the theme is A Thousand And One Nights. Age 14+. £9/£7, prebook, 7.30pm
Sunday 28 September
ZEPHANIAH: Poet Benjamin Zephaniah will be discussing his first book in seven years, Terror Kid, at Ealing Library, followed by a public signing at the library from 3pm. Prebook, 1pm
KEATS HOUSE POETS: Our Place Within It All by Keats House Poets is a workshop teaching people to use poetry to express their place in big world events, such as 9/11. Free, prebook, 2pm
NOVEL LAUNCH: Gay's The Word Bookshop is at New Bloomsbury Set bar on Marchmont Street for the launch of Rupert Smith's new novel, Interlude. Smith will be reading from the novel, which explores the complexity of family relationships. Free, prebook, 4pm
TORRIANO POETS: This week’s poetry reading at Torriano Poets Meeting House in Kentish Town features John Harvey and Beata Duncan with music from blues duo Doc Stenson & Pete Burke, introduced by Hylda Sims. £5/£4, just turn up, 7.30pm
Monday 29 September
YOUTH POETRY: A ten-week introduction to poetry and spoken word for 15-21 year olds begins at Southbank Centre today. The course is led by poet and writer Hannah Lowe and concludes with a chance to perform your work at Southbank Centre. £25, prebook, 5.30pm - ten week course
DARK SOCIETIES: The Post-Apocalyptic Book Club meets at Waterstones Piccadilly to hear from authors Emily St John Mandel and Sarah Lotz, who discuss their forthcoming novels, Station Eleven and The Three. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm
JOY OF INFLUENCE: Today's Joy Of Influence event sees Jonathan Coe interview Gaby Wood on Italo Calvino’s The Castle of Crossed Destinies. £5/£3, prebook, 6.30pm
WORDS ON MONDAY: Today's Words on Monday at King's Place sees Julian Barnes (author of Nothing To Be Frightened Of) in conversation with Hermione Lee, the biographer of Penelope Fitzgerald. £9.50, prebook, 7pm
Tuesday 30 September
BOOK SALE: The Courtauld Institute of Art is hosting its Annual Book Sale at Somerset House, an opportunity to buy both brand new and rare out-of-print editions of art, literature and culture books. Free, just turn up, until 7 October
ESTHER FREUD: Bloomsbury Book Club descends on Bloomsbury Publishing in Bedford Square for an evening with Esther Freud. She will be discussing her new novel, Mr Mac And Me (based on the life of Charles Rennie Macintosh) with Bloomsbury Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Pringle. £25/£10, prebook, 6pm
DAVID NICHOLLS: The author of One Day discusses his new novel, Us, at Freemason Hall. £40 (including a pre-copy and signed copy), prebook, 6pm
SLIDESHOW: Local author Marjorie Ann Watts is at Waterstones Hampstead to discuss her new book, Slideshow, with Amanda Craig, author of Hearts and Minds. £3/£5, prebook, 6.45pm
TUBE LABYRINTH: Mark Wallinger, the artist behind the Tube labyrinths, is at London Review Bookshop to talk about the project with Will Self, and to sign copies of his book, Labyrinth: A Journey Through London’s Underground. £10, prebook, 7pm
POETRY PRIZE: The annual prize-giving ceremony for the Forward Prizes for Poetry takes place at Southbank Centre. The event is presented by Jeremy Paxman and there will be poetry readings alongside the awards. £12/£10, prebook, 7pm
DUNKIRK: Waterstones Kensington hosts an evening with Sinclair McKay. His new book, Dunkirk, collects together testimonies from the last survivors of Dunkirk. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm
NOVEL LAUNCH: Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green hosts the launch of Katie Young's new novel, The Other Lamb. Free, just turn up, 7pm
Wednesday 1 October
WELSH LITERATURE: Following the success of last year's event, the second London Welsh Literature Festival begins at London Welsh Centre today, incorporating music, National Poetry Day, and a Gala Concert celebrating Dylan Thomas. Until 4 October
DARWIN'S APES: Author and conservationist Randal Keynes is the latest guest at ZSL London Zoo's author talks. Along with scientists and zoo keepers, he'll host an evening on Darwin's Apes, chaired by poet and ZSL Council Member Ruth Padel. £12, prebook, 6.30pm
STEPHEN FRY: Following on from the success of The Fry Chronicles, Stephen Fry launches his new volume of memoirs, More Fool Me, at Southbank Centre. £29.50 (including hardback copy of the book), prebook, 7.20pm
STORY NIGHT: StorySLAM:Live, a spoken word open mic night, celebrates its fifth anniversary at Southbank Centre. Bring along a five-minute flash fiction story on the theme of Freedom for your chance to read on the night. £8, prebook, 7.45pm
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