Cultur Vultur / Books & Ideas
Discover author talks, book launches and conversations worth getting out for, across London.
Loading events…
91 talks and events in the next 7 days
Showing 1–100 of 640 events1–100 of 640 events
Elif Shafak will be at Hatchards in St Pancras Station to sign her latest book In One Brief Moment All Eternity.
This event is part of the free Lunchtime Lecture series. No booking is required.
Join us for our Crime Book Club at Waterstones Piccadilly on the third Thursday of every month. Chat with our booksellers about the best Crime & Thriller has to offer, both old and new.
Want to be able to tell your Homer from your Hugo, your Austen from your Aeschylus? Waterstones Gower St invites you to pick up the classics (and the Classics!) you've always been too intimidated to try.
Yap! follows in the pawprints of the breeds we have grown to love and cherish, from the small dogs memorialised in Ancient Rome, to the pug who colonised Napoleon’s marital bed, to the toy spaniels who never left the side of King Charles II and canine stars like Billy and Tiny the Wonder who drew crowds to Victorian taprooms and taverns. Through this endearing account we are brought all the way up to Y2K fashion trends popularised by Paris Hilton and her chihuahua, Tinkerbell, and the pet influencers of the 21st-century.
Join Sebastian Faulks to discuss his latest novel Farewell to Eden.
We’re very excited to welcome Jasper Fforde to Waterstones Piccadilly as we celebrate the publication of Dark Reading Matter, the final entry in the Thursday Next series.
The Future of Free Speech confronts a stark truth: the right to speak freely is under siege.
Join us for an evening of superstitions, spirits and more as we welcome authors Jake Arnott, Heather Davey, Melinda Salisbury and Vanessa Santos to this folk horror panel! Come along as we explore chilling tales and horrors passed down from times long forgotten.
Join us at Waterstones Chiswick for our October bookclub where we will be reading Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
Please join Simon Franklin for a conversation with Ekaterina Schulmann about his new book Troublesome Words: A Cultural History of Russian (Reaktion, August 2026).
Sohn Won-Pyung visits Foyles to discuss her books Almond and Counterattacks at Thirty with Ella Lee
Join us for a special event with David Szalay to discuss his Booker Prize wining novel FLESH with Oactavia Bright
The Club That Created The 80’s
How did early modern people make festivals, and why did they take such enormous care in the production of seemingly ephemeral events? Elaine Tierney’s new book, Celebrating the City: Making festivals in early modern London and Paris, explores these questions by taking readers behind the scenes of urban festivities. Where other studies unpick the courtly, literary and iconographical contexts for festivals, this book foregrounds the processes of designing, making and organising by which the events were produced. This shift in focus reveals that urban festival politics cannot be understood without attention to the nitty-gritty of these material worlds. In making this case, the book combines the tools of design history and the concerns of political history to shed new light on how people, from royal officeholders to anonymous faces in the crowd, used festivals to participate politically in late seventeenth-century Europe’s two most populous cities. This event celebrates the book’s publication. After a short welcome and introduction from the author, two respondents highlight the volume’s key contributions to histories of festivals, political culture and urban life.
Join us for a very special publication day event with one our most beloved storytellers, the global bestselling novelist Elif Shafak at London’s Emmanuel Centre, as we celebrate the publication of In One Brief Moment All Eternity.
Artists Maggi Hambling, Bharti Kher and Linder Sterling discuss the gallery’s bold, storied history
Historian A.N. Wilson takes us on a journey into the heart of the progressive Victorian dream, and where it has left us today.
From the forthcoming changes to pensions to understanding how Inheritance Tax could affect you, bring your questions to ask our solicitor panel.
We’re delighted to host an evening to celebrate The Discworld Bestiary with illustrator Paul Kidby & Rob Wilkins, director of the Terry Pratchett estate.
The Somali Week Festival launch returns to the British Library.
Bitingly original, wildly funny, wickedly sharp: the author discusses her novel with Pandora Sykes
Director-General of CERN, Mark Thomson, explores what's next for the world-leading research facility, and how decades of research have got us to this point.
Join us for an evening of musical and cultural self-examination as Afrobeats artist Fuse ODG explores the social impact of Fela Kuti’s work and how it has inspired his own T.I.N.A (This Is New Africa) movement today.
Trading fire-breathing beasts for fairy dust and pirates, the authors of the beloved Dragon Realm books Katie and Kevin Tsang guide readers past the second star on the right and straight on till morning in the first of a magical series set in the world of J.M. Barrie's iconic Peter Pan.
We are thrilled that Robert Harris will be joining us on Saturday 17th October from 11am for a book signing only (no interview)
Curious about careers in the creative sector? Wondering where your own creative journey could take you?
Enter the darkness. Discover what lies within.
Join us as we explore the vast and complex history of Gay, Lesbian & Queer life in London and learn how we evolved into the dynamic and diverse LGBTQI+ community that we celebrate today. We take a deeper dive into the historic suffering that living a gay life endured in the past, leading to the death sentences of many. Learn about the pioneering drag queens of the 1700’s who paved the way for others, the life and loves of Oscar Wilde that led to his imprisonment, the emergence of a gay community meeting in the tea rooms of Central London, the birth of Gay Pride in the 70s and the devastating impact AIDS had on our community in the 1980s. No stone is left unturned in this walking tour timeline of dramatic events that takes you from Charing Cross to Soho Square on an exciting journey through the ages. As we head into Soho, we take in the wonderful sights of London and hear about the historic Queer stories surrounding well known landmarks such as Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. Come on this Queer History Walking Tour to understand it's past and celebrate why London is one of the most exciting and openly free societies of the modern age, with the largest demographic of openly LGBTQIA Community in Europe.
Join us for an afternoon of musical recollection and personal celebration as we mark familial links with artists featured in V&A East museum’s The Music is Black: A British Story exhibition.
As digital systems and AI become increasingly embedded in art and design practices, Explore how emerging technologies shape material culture, memory and spirituality through the works of Aziza Kadyri and Eunjo Lee.
Celebrate punk's enduring legacy with Kevin Dettmar in conversation with Jon King (Gang of Four) at The Long Play Sessions.
Ari Emanuel has long been one of the most influential people in the world, but he’s also something of a mystery. Part of the reason is Emanuel’s job description. As Hollywood’s best-known super-agent—the inspiration for Ari Gold in the classic TV drama Entourage—he’s paid to speak for his A-list clients, not himself.
2025 Christmas Lecturer Maggie Aderin-Pocock returns to the Ri to explain what the James Webb Space Telescope's latest findings can tell us about the early universe.
Harry will reflect on 40 years of arsing about in comedy and bring some of his favourite characters vividly back to life on stage.
Join us on the 18th October in our cafe for an extra special comic-making workshop with Phil Corbett, author of Kitty Quest, to celebrate his new series: Ghost and Toast!
Peter James discusses his book Dead in Three Two One.
In this Ethical Matters talk, novelist & screenwriter Courttia Newland reflects on what it means to be an artist operating in the margins, creating art beyond the mainstream.
Co-creator of <i>The League of Gentlemen</i>, <i>Psychoville</i> and <i>Inside No. 9</i>, Reece is no stranger to the morbid and macabre.
We are delighted that Sir Ian Botham will be signing copies of his new book Seasons here at Hatchards.
Come along to a dance session that mixes ballet with contemporary, African and Caribbean dance.
Meet Nicko when he visits Waterstones Piccadilly to sign copies of Hello Boys & Girls!
A unique exhibition bringing together historical photographs of Sudan taken in the 1970s by photographer Jill Orpen and artworks by children
Join Rhea Freeman to discuss her book Big Brand Marketing, in conversation with Anthony Smith and Charlene Charity.
Humanity's journey from poverty to prosperity is filled with men who have become household names. But how many female entrepreneurs, merchants and industrialists can you name?
Come along and give your thoughts at this month's bookclub, where we'll be discussing Somebody is Walking on Your Grave by Mariana Enriquez, a macabre encounter with famous graveyards steeped in history.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/punk-in-50-pieces-kevin-dettmar-in-conversation-tickets-2000062849824?msockid=3875dc6dfa8a682c3c1ccb9dfb7d6957
Mary Trump, clinical psychologist and niece of Donald Trump, speaks to John Crace about his past and what it tells us about his leadership.
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.
Francis Spufford and Joe Hill visit Foyles to celebrate the paperback publication of their newest books Nonesuch and King Sorrow.
Join Darren Panton, the first Black dancer to graduate from the Royal Ballet School’s White Lodge, to discuss the history of Black ballet.
From Neanderthal hums to ancient instruments: Steven Mithen explores the origins of music and its role in human evolution.
Live in Conversation with Alok Jha
Join us on October 20th with acclaimed novelist Min Jin Lee, for a very special signing of her latest novel American Hagwon.
'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).
Come join us on the third Tuesday of every month for fantastical folly and a goblet of wine (or another poison of choice!).
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.
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.
The chilling and revelatory story of how Russia’s confrontation with the West went global
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.
Shoegaze, slackers and the reinvention of rock, 1984-94
Join Jacqueline, the Women’s Prize shortlisted author of Fire Rush, to discuss her latest novel Sky City.
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.
Changing Gender
Susan Stryker & Juliet Jacques: Changing Gender
Is the Arctic the defining frontier in the new world order?
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.
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.
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.
The master storyteller shares jaw-dropping revelations from his new book with author Elizabeth Day
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
How will climate change impact everyday life; food security, extreme weather, health and the cost of living?
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
Join London-based author and poet Naya Antonio for an evening celebrating storytelling, emerging voices, and the journey to publication.
This month, our Brontë Book Club discusses Shirley by Charlotte Brontë.
For October, we'll be discussing Joss Wood's Halloween Town. For this months craft, we'll be doing some sip n' spooky colouring!
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
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.
Scene City
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.
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.
Historians Sarah Clegg and Kate Lister on the enduring influence of a global myth
Su Scott visits Foyles to celebrate her cookery book Pocha
@ 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
Join us for an exciting evening with bestselling author Pierce Brown as he speaks to John Gwynne about his global sensation, the Red Rising series.
The authors tackle the struggle for justice in Palestine. In association with Service95 Book Club
Britain's most outspoken national treasure is back on the road. Book now—at nearly 85, as Miriam puts it, "this old dyke can only go on so long."
Kyle will offer an utterly original account of his offbeat journey in Hollywood and the projects that have shaped who he is today.
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)
The author discusses his new futuristic thriller. In association with Service95 Book Club
This event is part of the free Lunchtime Lecture series. Booking is recommended but not essential.
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.
What does it mean to truly know yourself?
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
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 Andrew Davies to discuss his memoir An Unsuitable Boy: A Life in Scripts.
Come along for this month's Sci-Fi & Fantasy bookclub, where we will be discussing 'The Many' by Sylvian Neuvel.
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.
