Upcoming Publishing Events
By Erin Evett and Maria Sadek
House of YA: Fantasy Glow-Ups
17 August, 1:00 p.m.
Waterstones Piccadilly, London
This innovative and interactive event at Waterstones Piccadilly should not be missed by fans of fantasy novels! Join renowned fantasy authors Bea Fitzgerald (Girl, Goddess, Queen), Kika Hatzopoulou (Threads That Bind) and Natasha Bowen (Skin of the Sea) as they guide the audience through an exploration into what it means to rewrite and reimagine different folktales, myths and legends. This adventure will have familiar stories and unexpected twists, ending in a chance to ask questions and learn more about how each author approaches the re-imagination of stories. To buy your tickets to this limited event, click here.
Traces of Enayat: Iman Mersal with Heba Hayek
17 August, 7:00 p.m.
Foyles Charing Cross, London
Join award-winning Egyptian writer Iman Mersal as she reads from her new book Traces of Enayat. The novel explores the life of a “great-yet-forgotten” female writer during the time of post-revolution Cairo, exploring themes of domestic abuse and divorce laws at a time of great contrast between the squats in the City of the Dead and the glamour of golden-age Egyptian cinema. Heba Hayek, a Palestinian London-based author, will host the event and whose award-winning work includes discussions of de-colonial and indigenous practices. To find out more and to book your tickets, click here.
Workshop with Krystle Zara Appiah at the Black British Book Festival
19 August, 5:30 p.m.
Luton Central Library, Luton
As part of the Black British Book Festival this summer/autumn, join author Krystle Zara Appiah’s workshop as she discusses the themes of identity, love and marriage in her debut novel Rootless. The novel follows married British Ghanaian couple Efe and Sam, whose seemingly perfect love story brings up discussions of cultural expectations, dreams, sacrifices and personal satisfaction. The workshop will go beyond discussion and will include reflective activities to provide an opportunity for further understanding love and sacrifice. To book your free ticket to his powerful event, click here.
An Evening with Samantha Shannon
23 August, 7:00 p.m.
Topping & Co., Bath
Don’t miss out on the chance to meet the internationally bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon, as she visits Topping & Co.’s bookshop in Bath. She will be celebrating the tenth anniversary edition of the Bone Season series with a beautifully reimagined cover. If you love fantasy epic, this event will be perfect for you, as Shannon delves into her fantastical world and discusses her novels. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
Persephone Books in Conversation with Shrew Books
23 August, 6:30 p.m.
North Street Kitchen, Fowey
Have you ever wondered why Persephone Books was founded? Have you ever wondered how they select their novels? If so, then this is the perfect event for you! Shrew Books will be in conversation with author, historian, presenter and bookseller, Francesca Beauman. She will be discussing the answers to all of these questions and more, so come prepared with any queries you have about the publishing powerhouse. Persephone Books was initially founded in 1999 to reprint lost or out-of-print books by female authors, usually from the interwar period. For more information and ticket prices, click here.
Freeman’s Conclusion with Elif Shafak, Nadifa Mohamed, Andrew McMillan and John Freeman
30 August, 7:00 p.m.
Foyles Charing Cross, London
To mark the tenth and final instalment of the ground-break and boundary-pushing literary journal Freeman’s, join three of its contributors as they draw conclusions over the magazine’s legacy. Over its decade-long history, Freeman’s brought internationally acclaimed authors to the English-speaking world, spearheaded by founder John Freeman who will also be attending this event. The authors joining him include Elif Shafak, who has published 19 books and been shortlisted for the Costa Award, RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction; Nadifa Mohamed, whose work includes the winner of the Betty Trask Prize, Black Mamba Boy, and Andrew McMillan, whose debut poetry collection, Physical, was the first poetry collection to win The Guardian First Book Prize. To book your tickets, click here.