By Michaela O’Callaghan, Kellie Smith, Rosie Burgoyne, Erin Evett and Sabeehah Saleq
Susan Stokes-Chapman in conversation with Liz Hyder
18 February, 6:00 p.m.
If you love the recent trend in rewritten Greek mythology, join Susan Stokes-Chapman in Waterstones Birmingham to discuss her debut novel, Pandora. Weaving together Greek mythology with romance and conspiracies, Pandora, is set against the background of Georgian London. Liz Hyder will also be discussing her new book, The Gifts, a gothic mystery set in nineteenth century England. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
BookBar’s February Book Club: Luster with Raven Leilani
22 February, 7:00 p.m.
North London based independent bookshop, BookBar, is back for another of their popular monthly book clubs. This month’s choice is the gripping Women’s Prize longlisted title, Luster, by Raven Leilani. Sign up for just fifteen pounds to receive a copy of the book, access to a live webinar with the author featuring discussions of the book and a Q&A session.
Queer Up - An Evening with Alexis Caught at Waterstone’s Liverpool
22 February, 6:30–8:00 p.m.
Get yourself down to the Liverpool branch of Waterstones for an insightful and empowering evening with author, Alexis Caught, as he discusses his new book Queer Up: An Uplifting Guide to LGBTQ+ Love, Life and Mental Health. An uplifting guide for young people covering topics including growing up queer, questioning your sexuality, coming out, allyship and positive mental health strategies. General admission tickets are priced at three to four pounds for Waterstones cardholders and you can sign up here.
In Conversation with Hanya Yanagihara
23 February, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Manchester Central Library, Manchester
Don’t miss Hanya Yanagihara, author of the million-copy bestseller, A Little Life, when she comes to Manchester to promote her phenomenal new book, To Paradise. This audacious and beautiful novel spans three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment – exploring themes of lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia. Hanya will be in conversation with host Simon Savidge and signing copies of her book after the discussion, which will be available to purchase on the night! The event will be hosted in Manchester Central Library by Blackwell's Manchester in cooperation with the Centre for New Writing – please visit this page for more information and to purchase your ticket.
Free Book(s) Launch - Meet Rebecca F. John!
24 February, 6:30 p.m.
Don’t miss out on this free event in Waterstones Swansea where you will be able to meet Rebecca F. John, as she releases not one, but two new books! John has been nominated for the Costa First Novel Award, and will be releasing her new novels, Fannie, a feminist retelling of Fantine from Les Misérables, and The Empty Greatcoat, a story of a young man who enlists in British Army in 1907. For more information and to book your tickets, click here.
Marlon James in conversation: Moon Witch, Spider King
2 March 2022
Join award-winning, acclaimed author Marlon James as he returns to the Southbank Center to discuss fantasy and African mythology in celebration of his highly anticipated new novel, Moon Witch, Spider King, the second instalment in his game-changing Dark Star trilogy. This stunning new novel follows the witch Sogolon and explores themes of power and personality. Get tickets here.
Farnham Literary Festival
5-13 March 2022
This local festival is a fun way to dip your toes back into physical events! The festival will feature a range of events and workshops across Farnham with several events running at Blue Bear Bookshop. Notable events include the Children’s Panel Event – A journey into writing for children and young adults on 7 March and Celebrating Women’s History Month with two historical fiction writers on 9 March. Explore the range of events here.
Same But Different
7 April 2022, 6:45–9:00 p.m.
This is both an in-person and a digital event via zoom. If you would like to attend in person the location is: St Bride Foundation, 14 Bride Lane, Fleet Street.
Are you a budding book designer? This event explores the world of book cover design focusing on the theme of “Same, But Different”. There will be a range of speakers from across the book industry offering their insight into how book covers are formed. Speakers include Jane Buckley who has “over twenty years” experience in Children’s publishing and Kishan Rajani who works at Vintage, an imprint within Penguin Random House. The event poses the question: if the process is the same for each book cover, then how are the outcomes so different? Take a deep dive into how designers work from brief to final piece in this fantastic event. Tickets range from eight to twelve pounds in person and three to five pounds online. Find out more here.