Southbank Centre

London Literature Festival is back celebrating all things wordy at the Southbank Centre this October. The sixteenth edition of the festival will continue to celebrate the work of prestigious names and exciting new writers from the world of written and spoken words. The likes of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Sir Patrick Stewart, Ed Gamble and Kerry Washington are on the roster of guests.  Opening night will be guest-curated by George the Poet, a spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage who was born in London. The Black British Book Festival will see the first public reading of Leigh-Anne Pinnock's hotly anticipated memoir by the author herself. Debut London Literature will be showcasing the work of some of London's most exciting young writers, such as Bryan Moriarty and Wiz Wharton.  Family events, such as the presentation of former children's laureate Jacqueline Wilson's sequel to 'Sleepovers', 'The Best Sleepover in the World'. There's also a tonne of free events going ahead: Johny Pitts and Elizabeth Day will be hosting a special live recording of BBC Radio 4's 'Open Book', and there's a vibrant programme of spoken word performances, displays and workshops lined up for National Poetry Library Open Day.  For all the events and information about the London Literature Festival, check out their website here. 

Little Mix member Leigh-Anne Pinnock, bestselling writer Candice Brathwaite, gal-dem founder Liv Little, Channel 4 presenter Eric Collins and ‘Strictly’ champ Oti Mabuse are all on the line-up for this two-day festival aiming to banish barriers to entry into the publishing industry. The jam-packed programme features all manner talks, panel discussions and workshops that will help aspiring authors to navigate everything from securing an agent to writing engaging dialogue, plus readings from bestselling authors, a marketplace where you can stock up on new reads, live music and a grand finale event featuring poetry and spoken word.

‘Nutcracker’ season starts earlier than ever this year, but this sounds like it’s going to be a very different production of the festive ballet staple. In director-choreographer Drew McOnie’s production, Tchaikovsky’s score has been reimagined for a jazz band by Mercury-nominated musician Cassie Kinoshi. Even more audaciously, it’s staged in a pop-up jazz venue – the Tuff Nutt Jazz Club – that occupies the space under the Royal Festival Hall formerly claimed by the Spiritland restaurant and performance space.