From 13 to 19 March, various London venues will host to a program of diverse events celebrating books and the films, TV shows and virtual worlds they inspire. This year, bestselling author and scriptwriter David Nicholls (The Understudy, One Day) will be chairing the specially curated line-up as the Ambassador.
The festival is packed with events, but here's here’s Culture Whisper’s pick of the highlights.
Polari Literary Salon at The Light Lounge
London’s Soho has been at the forefront of the LGBTQ scene for a century, so where better to welcome the award-winning ‘literary salon’ Polari – the traditional subcultural slang-language – and host Paul Burston, for an evening of chat and cocktails? With a strong focus on maximum relaxation and pure enjoyment, the Polari event has drawn in the crowds for its diverse line-up and reputation as an unrivalled platform for LGBTQ literature. For its London Book and Screen Week debut, writers Sophia Blackwell, Christopher Fowler and VG Lee will take to the stage of Soho’s Light Lounge.
Tickets are available to buy here.
Fitness in a Digital Age at SF Studios
In 2017, fitness and social media go hand in hand. In the age of the Instagram fitness superstar, there’s a booming industry of personal trainers and social media 'influencers' making their living through posting workouts and motivational memes on their accounts, with the accompanying hashtags, #fitspo, #motivation and #fitfam, to name a few. Bringing together some of the biggest names in the biz including Faya Nilsson and James Exton, this tranquil North London fitness studio is the perfect setting for a unique panel discussion on the future of the industry, followed by a Q&A and book signings.
Tickets are available to buy here.
Harry Potter at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel
To celebrate 20 years (20 years?!) since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in the UK, London Book and Screen Week is putting on a very special screening indeed, at the gorgeous St Pancras Renaissance Hotel (just next door to King’s Cross, where Harry famously boarded the Hogwarts Express all those years ago). Free popcorn on arrival and themed cocktails are just a couple of the little touches that make this event top of the bill – be quick and book now, this is likely to sell out fast.
Other highlights from the week’s line-up include a talk with writer Deborah Moggach, whose novel These Foolish Things was adapted into the 2012 film Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (followed, of course, by a screening); Waterstones Piccadilly plays host to Living Danishly: An evening of cosiness and Scandi Crime, a special film screening followed by a ‘How to Hygge’ talk with bonafide Hygge experts. The Irish Literary Society are putting on three events across the week at the Bloomsbury Hotel, promoting the appreciation of Irish literature and culture to provide a forum for intellectual and social connections; and former Children’s Laureate and best-selling author of more than 140 books, Michael Morpurgo, will be joined by poet and author Owen Sheers to discuss the wonderful world of adaptations.
All this and more can be found here, and some tickets are available now.
| What | London Book and Screen Week 2017 |
| Where | Various Locations | MAP |
| When |
13 Mar 17 – 19 Mar 17, Times of performances vary |
| Price | £5.00 – £19.00 |
| Website | For dates and booking, click here |
