London Literary Events - September
Discover exciting literary events to add to you calendar this September
London is bursting with incredible literary events. Here are some of the highlights which you should add to your calendar for September.
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An Evening with Natalie Haynes
Tuesday 9th September 2025
19:30 at Bloomsbury Theatre & Studio, 15 Gordon Street, London.
Join Natalie Haynes, star of Radio 4's Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics in her visit to the Bloomsbury Theatre
The quest for a magical object, the ship for an impossible journey, the crew for a remarkable story...
The Argonauts and their search for the Golden Fleece has been one of the most enduring myths in history, told and retold for well over 2500 years. But what did the Greeks themselves make of this tale? Where did the fleece come from, how did you find it, who guarded it, and how could you steal it?
Book your tickets for An Evening with Natalie Haynes here.
Ocean Vuong: The Emperor of Gladness
Thursday 11th September 2025
19:30 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre.
Encounter the author’s new novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive, as he discusses it with Mendez.
One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river.
The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai’s relationship to himself, his family and a community at the brink.
Following the cycles of history, memory and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labour and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul.
Mendez is a British novelist and critic. Their debut novel Rainbow Milk was selected as an Observer Top Ten Best Debuts choice and optioned for TV. Their work connects themes of subjectivity, spirituality, sexuality and grief, and the extraordinary in the everyday. They write regularly for the London Review of Books and WritersMosaic, and are currently working on their second novel.
Book your tickets for Ocean Vuong: The Emperor of Gladness here.
Debut writers Kerry Downes & Sarah Handyside explore female friendship, relationships, heartbreak & fertility
Thursday 11th September 2025
19:00 at Waterstones, London - Tottenham Court Road
Join Kerry Downes and Sarah Handyside at Waterstones TCR for a fascinating discussion on the complexities of female friendships and how it informs their creative processes and beyond.
Both authors have written emotionally searing, funny and ultimately uplifting odes to female friendship, relationships and coming of age beyond adolescence and this intimate ‘In Conversation’ event will celebrate this unique experience.
Book your tickets for Kerry Downes & Sarah Handyside in conversation here.
Elsie Silver at Foyles: 'Wild Card' Meet & Greet
Saturday 13th September 2025
14:00, 15:00, 16:00 at Foyles, Charing Cross Road
The one-and-only Elsie Silver comes to Foyles Charing Cross Road to celebrate the release of her hotly-anticipated must-read with fans, 'Wild Card'.
Sebastian Rousseau is a grumpy, hot as hell fire pilot who is too damn good with his hands.
It's the perfect combination. But unfortunately for me, he's also my ex-boyfriend's dad.
A chance meeting brought us together and a missed connection has kept us apart.
One year later, a stroke of fate has us living under the same roof-which makes everything between us downright messy.
Because even after all this time, he's still the man I think about when I fall asleep. The one I can't get over no matter how hard I try.
He's working on mending a fragile relationship with his son and we both know acting on these urges would be the ultimate betrayal.
But I see the heat in his eyes. That look of need that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.
The mutual longing is borderline unbearable and the simmering heat between us is downright palpable.
We both know there are rules when it comes to situations like this.
But then again...following the rules never has been my strong suit.
Book your tickets for Elsie Silver at Foyles: 'Wild Card' Meet & Greet here.
An Evening with Tristan Gooley
Monday 15th September 2025
18:30 at Waterstones, London - Piccadilly
Explore the seasons through the prism of nature's clues and signs with the help of natural navigator and ‘Sherlock Holmes of Nature’, Tristan Gooley.
The bestselling author of How to Read a Tree and The Walker’s Guide will reveal the little-known gems to look for each month in this richly illustrated talk.
The Hidden Seasons shows us how to read the clues most miss and inspires us to explore nature’s signs for ourselves, giving rich insights into our turning year. The seasons will never look, sound or smell the same again.
Tristan Gooley is an award-winning and international bestselling author. Through his journeys, teaching and writing, he has pioneered a renaissance in the rare art of natural navigation. Tristan s the only living person to have both flown solo and sailed singlehanded across the Atlantic. His previous title, How to Read a Tree, was a Sunday Times Bestseller and a Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month pick. Readers are embracing his vision of the natural world in ever increasing numbers.
Book your tickets for An Evening with Tristan Gooley here.
An Evening with Lucy Jane Wood
Wednesday 17th September 2025
19:00 at St James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, London,
Settle into autumnal bliss and celebrate publication of Uncharmed with bestselling author Lucy Jane Wood.
Set in the same enchanting world as Wood's hugely popular Rewitched, this eternally endearing cosy fantasy revolves around a high performing witch whose life begins to unravel when she is charged with mentoring a troubled student.
Lucy Jane Wood is an online content creator, avid reader and cosiness-seeker from the Wirral. These days, you’ll find her living in London, giant coffee in hand, and being headbutted at any given time by her cat.
Book your tickets for An Evening with Lucy Jane Wood here.
An Evening with Hafsah Faizal
Thursday 18th September 2025
18:30 at Waterstones, London - Piccadilly
A special evening with bestselling and award-winning author Hafsah Faizal as she discusses her highly anticipated new book A Steeping of Blood – the tantalising sequel to A Tempest of Tea.
In her first ever trip to the UK, Hafsah will be joined in-conversation by her husband Cayce, BookTokker, coffee connoisseur, and author husband extraordinaire. Offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into not only the creation of her best-selling books, but also the personal journey that shaped them. Expect laughter, revelations and an unforgettable evening.
Hafsah Faizal is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling, award-winning author of A Tempest of Tea and the Sands of Arawiya duology, and the founder of IceyDesigns, where she creates websites for authors and beauteous goodies for everyone else. A Forbes 30 under 30 honoree, when she’s not writing, she can be found designing, playing video games, or traversing the world. Born in Florida and raised in California, she now resides in North Carolina with her husband and a library of books waiting to be devoured.
Book your tickets for An Evening with Hafsah Faizal here.
The Booker Prize 2025 Shortlist Announcement
Tuesday 23rd September 2025
19:30 at Royal festival Hall, London.
Join the judges of the Booker Prize 2025, Chair Roddy Doyle and his fellow panellists Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Power and Kiley Reid, as they announce the shortlist for this year’s prize live on stage.
The judges are in conversation with Booker Prize Foundation Chief Executive Gaby Wood for this unique evening, which marks the first announcement of the shortlist at a public event.
The Booker Prize longlist will be announced on Tuesday 29 July, with the winner announced on Monday 10 November.
Book your tickets for The Booker Prize 2025 Shortlist Announcement here.
Ketanji Brown Jackson: Lovely One
Wednesday 24th September 2025
19:30 at Royal Festival Hall, London.
Discover a story for dreamers everywhere as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States discusses her memoir with Afua Hirsch.
Lovely One offers a moving, open-hearted account of Justice Jackson’s life, from her family’s rise out of segregation to her confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice, within the span of one generation.
Named Ketanji Onyika, meaning ‘Lovely One’, Justice Jackson describes her resolve as a young girl to realise her dreams, from hearing stories of her grandparents and parents, to honing her voice in high school as an oratory champion and student body president, to graduating magna-cum-laude from Harvard, where she performed in musical theatre and improv and participated in pivotal student organisations.
Here, Justice Jackson reveals what it takes to advance in the legal profession when most people in power don’t look like you, and to reconcile a demanding career with the joys and sacrifices of marriage and motherhood.
Book your tickets for Ketanji Brown Jackson: Lovely One here.
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