The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook, with Michael Gove
Smith Square Hall · Intelligence Squared
Few figures in modern British politics have operated as close to the centre of power as Michael Gove. Over more than a decade in government, he has held some of the most senior offices of state – including Education Secretary, Justice Secretary and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, shaping policy across domestic reform, economic strategy and the future of the Union.
The Life and Exploits of ‘Faithful Servant Frank': Walking Tour
Dr Johnson's House
'Faithful Frank' lived just off Fleet Street. He is better known as Francis Barber, servant, friend and heir of Samuel Johnson, the creator of the Dictionary of the English Language (1755).
Natalie Livingstone in conversation with Hallie Rubenhold
Daunt Books Hampstead · Daunt Books
Nuremberg, 1945. The eyes of a world desperate for truth, hope and justice turn to a courtroom where the leaders of the defeated Nazi regime sit in the dock. In this revelatory history, Natalie Livingstone sheds new light on the trial of the century, through the stories of extraordinary women whose importance has long been ignored.
The Comfort of Distant Stars: I.O. Echeruo in conversation with Nick Makoha
Waterstones · Islington
Join us with I.O. Echeruo in conversation to discuss his latest novel The Comfort of Distant Stars Things Fall Apart meets A Beautiful Mind in an eclectic coming-of-age debut blending physics, philosophy and Igbo cosmology – from a masterful new literary voice.
Melanie Challenger: What Does it Mean to be Alive?
Libreria · Second Home, Spitalfields
In her new book Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World, Melanie Challenger asks us to reconsider one of our most persistent assumptions: that living organisms are essentially machines, programmed by genes and directed by brains. Drawing on biology and philosophy, she explores the intelligence of bodies themselves, and the remarkable agency of organisms we have traditionally regarded as simple or passive. Challenger will be joined by Natalie Lawrence, historian of science and author of Planta Sapiens: Unmasking Plant Intelligence and Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings. Together they’ll explore the increasingly porous boundaries human and non-human, and what the living world might teach us at a moment when artificial intelligence is forcing us to reconsider what intelligence means at all.
New Adventures (Reloaded): Habib William Kherbek & Friends
Burley Fisher Books
New Adventures (Reloaded) brings together five exciting young London-based writers and William Kherbek for the launch of New Adventures. Originally published in digital format in 2020, for many years New Adventures was only available as an e-pub, circulating in early editioned copies from left gallery. It is now available for readers in hard copy through the work of Flat i publishing. The novel tells the story of a food vlogger named Donna Dulce and her faithful companion Pansy as they wade through various forms of modern discontent on a quest to produce the perfect content. A passing resemblance to the adventures of Don Quixote may be noticed by astute readers. Expect an evening of lols with Kherbek and his accomplices: Hannah Regel, Oliver Corino, Rosa Appignanesi, Chris Fite-Wassilak, and Natasha Stallard. Habib William Kherbek is the writer of several works of fiction, including Ecology of Secrets (2013), ULTRALIFE (2016), Twenty Terrifying Tales from our Technofeudal Tomorrow (2021), and Fail Worse (2024) all published by Arcadia Missa, as well as New Adventures (2020, 2026), and Best Practices (2021), published by left gallery, Flat i and Moist Books respectively. Kherbek’s art journalism has appeared in numerous publications including Flash Art, Burlington Contemporary, Texte zur Kunst, Sleek, Ocula, and Spike among other titles. His collected art writings were published in Entropia Vol. 1 & 2 (2022) by Abstract Supply.
Stephanie Garber in conversation with Katherine Webber at Emmanuel Centre, London
Waterstones · Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham St, London, SW1P 3DW
Join us for a special evening with bestselling fantasy author Stephanie Garber at London’s Emmanuel Centre, as we celebrate the publication of The Mirror of Infinite Endings, the fourth instalment in the Once Upon a Broken Heart universe.
Ross Montgomery in Conversation with Jennie Godfrey
Waterstones · Trafalgar Square
Join us for an evening of mystery and murder as we welcome Ross Montgomery in conversation with Jennie Godrey to celebrate Ross's latest mystery The Shadows of Kensington Gore.
Andi Harriman: In Conversation with Disintegration producer David Allen + Book Signing
Rough Trade Denmark Street
Rough Trade Denmark Street is very excited to present an Q&A and signing from Andi Harriman. This unique event celebrates the release of their new book 'The Cure's Disintegration' published via Bloomsbury Academic. Tickets for this event also include a physical copy of the fantastic new book to be collected from Rough Trade Denmark Street on the day of the show.
Soft Power and Economic Growth: the UK in a changing world
Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution · Victoria Hall / Online
Speaker: Linda Yueh Does it help when faced with brute force to know you’ve got the BBC and the World Service as your arsenal? If anyone knows about Soft Power, it’s economist, writer and broadcaster Linda Yueh. A presenter for both the World Service and Radio 4, she has fronted numerous BBC TV series, including The New Middle Class, Next Billionaires and Working Lives. She has been their lead Business Correspondent and presented Talking Business with Linda Yueh. She has also been Economics Editor and anchor at Bloomberg TV. Dr Yueh is a Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford and Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School. She is a Founding Fellow of the Royal Economic Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is also Chair of The Royal Parks and Non-Executive Director of the Independent Football Regulator, a Member of English Law Promotion and the UK Soft Power Council. She is a widely published author who has written and edited eleven books. She was appointed CBE for Services to Economics in The King’s New Year’s Honours List 2023. John Hines Memorial Lecture Members: Free, Online or Victoria Hall Non-Members: £10, Online or Victoria Hall. To attend in person, please pay on the door Please book, for online link only, by 1pm on the day of the event Please join us for a drink in the Members’ Room after the lecture
Claire Litt (Warburg/I Tatti Fellow): 'Gemstone Medicine at the Medici Court' Maria Vittoria Comacchi (Frances Yates short-term Fellow): 'Copto-Arabic Renaissance and Humanistic Italy' ATTENDANCE FREE IN PERSON OR ONLINE WITH ADVANCE BOOKING
Our book club meets once a month for friendly informal chat about books. In October we will be discussing The Hotel, Daisy Johnston Come along and tell us what you think. New members always welcome! Doors at 6.30 Discussion begins at 7.00 Please contact the store if you have any access requirements
Nao-Cola Yamazaki in conversation with Sharlene Teo
Daunt Books Marylebone · Daunt Books
We are so proud to be hosting an event in collaboration with the Japan Foundation with Nao-Cola Yamazaki whose brilliant books Beautiful Distance and Don’t Laugh at Other People’s Sex Lives are published by Daunt Books Publishing. Both books will be discussed, with questions led by author Sharlene Teo.
In Scene City, Róisín Tapponi’s debut novel, Romy, an art history student, is committed to a headlong and accelerating pursuit of pleasure in the rarefied air of the capital's art scene. With echoes of both Laurence Sterne and Eve Babitz, Tapponi’s novel explores authorship and identity and asks whether the pursuit of meaning can (or should) ever get in the way of a good time. The author will be in conversation with Amelia Abraham, author of Queer Intentions and editor of We Can Do Better Than This.
Michael Moorcock in conversation with Iain Sinclair
Waterstones · Chelsea Theatre, 7 World's End Place, London, SW10 0DR
Join us for a special evening of conversation with fantasy legend Michael Moorcock, to celebrate a body of work that spans almost 7 decades. As the sprawling Eternal Champion multiverse is set to conclude with the release of The Wounds of Albion in November, we look back over a career that began with ground breaking editorial work at the legendary New Worlds magazine and has birthed some of the most beloved Characters in fantasy fiction: Elric of Melniboné, Corum, Hawkmoon and Jerry Cornelius.
BOOK LAUNCH: ‘Listening with Love’ by Vishwam Gurudas
Housmans
@ You are warmly invited to this peaceful evening of heart meditation and discussion where we explore together what it means to really Listen with Love, with radical yoga instructor and thinker Vishwam Gurudas Many of us are deeply concerned about what’s happening in the world, in our communities, and in the lives of the people closest to us. We might wonder, why do so many systems seem to be stuck in ways that are harming people and planet? Our schools and healthcare systems, ecosystems and economies, political systems and more are in crisis while most of us feel helpless to help. We seem locked in. But what if we could loosen the knots that bind us, and in doing so help those around us to also loosen their own knots? What might seem like impossibly huge global systems can only keep going the way they are if we remain tight, closed and disconnected. As we open our hearts and minds, rediscover our voices and our capacity to listen with deep compassion, things shift. Systems change. Including our own. Are you ready for the adventure? This is the Revolution of Love. This special evening is a unique opportunity to connect with others who care about our world, who want to help nurture vibrant community, and are willing to Listen with Love. Sharing heart meditation is one simple way to help find the inner quiet and the deep, abiding love for life that can support us all. All welcome! OUR AUTHOR Vishwam Gurudas is an experienced Heart Minister, Yoga Teacher & Teacher Trainer with the Heart Of Living Yoga Foundation. He is also a scholar of intimacy, love and revolutionary transformation with a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. For the past six years he has been hosting meditative writing circles, developing his capacity as a listener and as a writer. You can find various poems, essays and stories of his online and in print including in Earth Pathways Diary, Permaculture Magazine, Bella Caledonia and Southlight Magazine. Listening with Love is his first sole-authored book and the first published by Flowing with Life Press. Originally from rural Iowa, he has lived in various parts of Scotland and England over the the past thirty years. He is now delighted to dwell in the spacious peace of the Shetland Islands where he works with children with complex needs, gardens, writes and more. As always, tickets are priced on a sliding scale. If you are unable to pay for a ticket please do not hesitate to contact us at shop@housmans.com, and a free ticket will be made available. If you choose ‘book + entry’ your copies of the book will be available to collect on the evening. If you would like to collect it earlier, or arrange for delivery, please contact us (postage is £2.95). Telephone 020 7837 4473 or email shop@housmans.com. Doors Open at 6:45pm, Event Starts 7:00
J.D. Brinkworth and Ross Montgomery with Sabine Durrant
Backstory
Join us to discuss crime fiction, and in particular detective series, with JD Brinkworth (the pen name for married author duo, Catherine Brinkworth and Jo Deakin) and bestselling children's author turned crime novelist, Ross Montgomery (The Murder At World's End)
Join us at Waterstones Clapham as we celebrate the publication of Trinity: The Cookbook by "the Chefs’ Chef" Adam Byatt. Adam is the talent behind the Michelin-starred restaurant in Clapham. He will be signing copies in branch from 5pm.
Rumours is a live programme tracing oral histories across the margins, engaging gossip as a form of insurgent knowledge, collective memory, and survival strategy. Live performances from āssia ghendir, The Landing Strip, Cliché Toupée, Meera Shakti Osborne, and Opashona Ghosh. With live visuals by Ⓐ DUDLEY Ⓔ
Queer Britain Museum is the UK's National LGBTQ+ museum, a UK registered charity (no.1180240).We know that many people want a chance to explore culture through Museums and Galleries but struggle to fit it in around their working hours and busy weekends. We're keeping our doors open on the third Thursday every month, so that everyone has the opportunity learn and celebrate LGBTQ+ history.-These evenings are supported by Madame F, so every visitor will enjoy a complimentary glass of wine upon arrival.-Our galleries tell a multitude of stories, through six themes - Resist. ; Club Kids; Queer Creativity; Body and Mind; Live, Laugh, Love; and The World Around Us. The stories told within these themes change regularly.Each of our themes are co-curated with a partner - we are not a museum telling stories about a community, we are a place where the community tells its own story.We also have a series of temporary special exhibitions that change regularly - our programme for 2026 is detailed in the Line-Up section below.-A volunteer-led guided tour of the museum will begin at 7pm, open to anyoneAdmission is by ‘pay what you can’ donation - we suggest £10 or £5 if you're under 30 - we operate without any government funding, and are reliant on the generosity of our visitors, members, patrons and sponsors.Your admission donation will help Reclaim, Preserve and Celebrate LGBTQ+ history and culture.Queer Britain Museum members will always get priority entry; find out more about memberships here. -Pre-booking will guarantee entry to the museum on the day of your choosing, at any time between 6pm and 8pm. Please show your ticket to a member of the team upon arrival. Museum Lates take place on the third Thursday of every month, until 8pm - an average visit is approx. 40 minutes. To visit during regular hours, please book a ticket here
Sabrina Ghayour in conversation with Ben Drinkwater
Daunt Books Notting Hill · Daunt Books
Join us for a mouth-watering event with Sabrina Ghayour, ‘the golden girl of Persian cookery’ (Observer) as she introduces her latest cookbook, Persiana One.
Join us at Waterstones Kensington for our monthly book club. This month we'll be discussing the feisty and hilarious, Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner.
