Clapham’s distinctive Book Festival is back with a Programme of varied events  on 16th October  at Omnibus Theatre, Clapham Common and on the Common itself.

2.00 – 3.30pm       Clapham Literary Trail I

Clapham crime fiction writer and Trustee of the Festival, Julie Anderson, leads a walk around Clapham Common, taking in the illustrious and varied literary history of Clapham ( including literary sleuths and supervillains ).  Starts and finishes at Omnibus Theatre.

3.30 – 5.00pm     Clapham Literary Trail II

Long time Clapham resident and award-winning author Annemarie Neary leads the second of the day’s walks around Clapham Common and environs, talking Prize-winners, distinguished visitors and some very famous books ( including her own, The Orphans, which is set on the Common ). Starts and finishes at Omnibus Theatre.

5.30 – 6.30pm    Sir Michael Morpurgo CBE 

Former Children’s Laureate and winner of multiple awards, Sir Michael discusses his latest work When Fishes Flew, what it’s like to see the play based on his novel War Horse reach a theatre audience of over ten million people and his work creating the charity Farms for City Children, with local best-selling author, Elizabeth Buchan.

7.30 – 8.30pm    Ed Stourton 

Broadcaster, journalist and writer Edward Stourton, co-founder of Channel 4 News, presenter of BBC News and current affairs programmes and the Radio 4 Today programme, Stourton’s latest book is Auntie’s War: The BBC During the Second World War talks wartime Beeb with local author and broadcaster Simon Berthon.

This year the Festival is also partnering with Time and Leisure Magazine to present a series of online events in the period leading up to and after the Festival Day. High quality live discussion and debate about books, authors and all things literary, often with a Clapham connection.

On 19th October.  Brixtonian Rosanna Amaka talks about her debut novel, twenty years in the making, The Book of Echoes, short-listed for the Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize and the HWA Debut Crown 2021  with Julie Anderson, Clapham based crime writer.

Finally, to close this year’s Festival on 2nd November Ben Macintyre, historian and biographer, discusses his new book Agent Sonya, the biography of Ursula Kuszynski, possibly the greatest spy of the twentieth century, with Simon Berthon, local thriller writer and historian. At 7 pm.