By Sophie Dickinson and Erin Evett
Gower St Presents: An Evening of Poetry and Discussion with Pádraig Ó Tuama and Raymond Antrobus
4 October 6:30–7:45p.m.
Waterstones, Gower Street
If you love poetry, this event will be perfect for you. In anticipation of National Poetry Day, the poet Pádraig Ó Tuama will be discussing his new anthology, Poetry Unbound, with one of the many contributors, Raymond Antrobus. Each of the fifty poems explores what it means to be alive today. Alongside each poem, Pádraig Ó Tuama offers an insightful commentary, filled with personal anecdotes and perceptive comments. Other contributors to the anthology include authors Ocean Vuong (Night Sky with Exit Wounds, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous) and Margaret Atwood (Alias Grace, The Handmaid’s Tale). For more information and ticket prices, click here.
National Poetry Day – Reading and Open Mic
6 October 6–7:30p.m.
Waterstones, Cambridge
If you are an aspiring poet, or simply love the genre, come along to this poetry reading and open mic session in Waterstones, Cambridge, in celebration of National Poetry Day. During the course of the evening, a selection of local poets will read their works, including the brilliant Iranian poet, Mina Gorji, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of English, University of Cambridge and a fellow of Pembroke college. You may be familiar with her debut anthology, Art of Escape. There will be a thirty minute open mic session, so if you have any poems you would like to share, please bring them along. The event is free, but to reserve your seats, please click here.
In Conversation with Mairi Kidd: We Are All Witches – Scottish Witchcraft & Contemporary Womanhood
13 October 5:30–6:45p.m.
Waterstones, Aberdeen
The theme of witchcraft and how it relates to perceived womanhood has become a very popular topic in recent literature, and now the brilliant author, Mairi Kidd, explores this in new depth. Her book focuses on Scotland between 1563 and 1736, when thousands of women were hunted down and murdered for being witches, beginning with the bloody reign of King James V of Scotland. It shines a light on individual women who were persecuted and remembered through death for their alleged crimes. It also shows how these events are still relevant today. The event will take the shape of a Q&A, followed by a book signing. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
An Evening with Adam Silvera
14 October 6:30p.m.
Waterstones, Gower Street
Author of the BookTok sensation, They Both Die at the End, will be discussing his new novel, The First to Die at the End, with fellow author, Benjamin Dean. It explores two new characters, whose lives are changed forever after Death-Cast makes their first fateful calls. This novel insightfully explores what it means to live life to the fullest and just how much people can impact each other's lives. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
In Praise of Good Bookstores: A Panel Discussion
17 October 7:00-8:30p.m.
Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London
Calling all booksellers and book-lovers to Foyles, for a spirited discussion of the bookshop as an institution and its place in society throughout transformative eras. In Praise of Good Bookstores is written by Jeff Detusch, a bookseller since 1994 and the director of Chicago’s Seminary Co-op Bookstores. Jeff’s ode to the trade, In Praise of Good Bookstores, offers eloquent and charming reflections on the social, cultural and intellectual contributions that bookshops can make, and their physical inimitability in an increasingly digital landscape. Joining Jeff is Bill Foyle (nephew of Christina Foyle), and James Daunt, alongside Meryl Halls, managing director of The Booksellers Association. This panel event is steeped in a love of literature and sharing it, and is followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. For tickets and more information, click here.
The British Book Awards Presents: Sathnam Sanghera
20 October 7:00–9:00p.m.
The House of St Barnabas, London
Join the British Book Awards for a behind the scenes look at Sathnam Sanghera, joined by two members of his marketing and publicity team, Olivia Mead and Annie Moore, and chaired by Caroline Sanderson, associate editor of The Bookseller magazine. If you’ve ever wondered how books make their way from the author's mind into your hands, this is the event for you. Sathnam Sangera will discuss his award-winning book Empireland (winner of the British Book Award for Non-Fiction). Also discussed will be how his publicity team helped this book reach readers at a moment of cultural crisis. Empireland demonstrates how so much of what we consider to be modern Britain is really rooted within its imperial past. Tickets to this event at The House of St Barnabas are £5, and more information is available here.