Check out our events, performances and appearances. Looking for our regular groups? You'll find them by clicking the button below.
This month in our gallery: works on paper or canvas by Bridie Woods. 'My work is mainly a celebration of nature through colour, composition and form. I want my art to be uplifting and a reminder of the beauty of the nature that is accessible to most of us through our gardens, local walks, parks, trees, plants, flowers and foliage. The media I use includes pastels, watercolour, gouache and acrylic, on paper or canvas.' Free.
Come join us for a fab weekend of events.
On Friday we have a SOCIAL where the shop will be open to late for book buying, chat & chill. There will be a bar to refresh you as you browse our selection of books.
Saturday - The Film
Sunday - The Discussion
See below for details.
Noisy Silent Film Club - aka local sound artists Ark Potyka and Sam Enthoven - are delighted to return to the shop for a live soundtrack screening of classic silent film FILIBUS - the finest 1915 genre-busting gender-flipping steampunk caper movie ever seen! Join us!
There will be a BAR.
Join author Marijam Did to discuss the ethics and future of videogames.
Everything To Play For asks if videogames can achieve egalitarian goals instead of fuelling hyper-materialist, reactionary agendas. Combining cultural theory and materialist critiques with accessible language and personal anecdotes, industry insider Marijam Did engages both novices and seasoned connoisseurs. From the innovations of Pong and Doom to the intricate multiplayer or narrative-driven games, the author highlights the multifaceted stories of the gaming communities and the political actors who organise among them.
Crucially, the focus also includes the people who make the games, shedding light on the brutal processes necessary to bring titles to the public. The videogame industry, now larger than the film and music industries combined, has a proven ability to challenge the status quo. With a rich array of examples, Did argues for a nuanced understanding of gaming's influence so that this extraordinary power can be harnessed for good.
European Writers Salon (EWS) and Insurgent Press are delighted to jointly invite you to an open-mic night on 24 April 2025 at 7 pm.
If you want to read, please get in touch quickly via contact@saloneurope.org as spots are limited. Readers are invited to read something of around 500 words, in response to or loosely related to one of the following prompts:
This will be a friendly and welcoming evening so feel free to come on your own or with friends, whatever works.
We look forward to meeting you.
We want the event to be as inclusive as possible so we've offered a few ticketing options. Please feel free to pick the one that most suits your budget. All money will be used to support the activities of EWS and Insurgent Press - producing literature that fires imagination and sparks debate (Insurgent Press) and organising literary events that bring writers together (EWS).
Brown and queer contemporary storytelling set to stunning live music.
Fresh from a smashing run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (and a sellout show here at the shop in January!) critically acclaimed storyteller Niall Moorjani reimagines the folk classic Thomas the Rhymer in an evening of strangeness, sexy fairies and swearing. An original piece which explores queerness, Scottish race and gender identities through a medieval-inspired landscape. Set to a live original score from cellist Diana Redgrave, this is storytelling at its experimental best.
Directed by Minnie Wilkinson. Originally commissioned for the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2022.
'Storytelling genius' (Scotsman)
Five Stars (The Skinny)
Lyn Gardner's VAULT Festival 2023 Picks
Duration: 1 hour
Age Guidance: 15+ (Swearing, sexual references)
We are hosting a Comedy Club, on the 1st Friday of the month. The Comedy Club
show-cases some of the most exciting rising stars of London’s vibrant, contemporary circuit. Come & check out some of London’s emerging comedy talent, and experienced comics trying out new material!
Four great acts on the night with the evening hosted by Mike Lash,
Tickets start from £5 (EARLYBIRD) increasing gradually in price online nearer the date.
Tickets on the door on the night £10.
So buy online for cheaper tickets.
This month in our gallery: a celebration of the art of William Bashford.
Will studied Philosophy at Kings College and had just been accepted to study Fine Art at Byam Shaw (Central Saint Martin's College of Arts and Design) when he was diagnosed with leukemia.
This exhibition marks 20 years since Will's death. He was 25.
FLUX is an exploration into a very unique and imaginative mind. His often surreal and psychedelic works explore themes such as impermanence, consciousness and the nature of reality. Free.
Join author Dana Fox and guests to celebrate the launch of his new book!
The Doctor wouldn’t be half the Time Lord they are, without some assistance. But how much do you know about the people who played the companions? This book is the first of its kind. It’s your comprehensive guide to the actors who have played Doctor Who companions over the years.
Inside, you will find biographies of every companion actor who has been in Doctor Who. There are complete chronologies of companion arrivals and departures through the show’s history, enriched with original interviews with some of the cast. As an encyclopaedia, it is packed with dates, details and knowledge, a valuable reference source for any Doctor Who fan.
As a guide, this book also offers a personal perspective on the show and explores what these talented, hard-working professionals brought to the show. The author traces its origins in 1963, through the ensuing decades, and takes you right up to the most recent serials. Doctor Who: An Encyclopaedia of Companion Actors is a testament to the actors and a meticulously-crafted love-letter to the show.
Part of Feminist Book Fortnight 2025. Join poet Erica Hesketh to celebrate the release of her astounding debut collection, In the Lily Room (Nine Arches Press). Erica will read from the book and be in conversation with storyteller and writer Laura Sampson. Free event!
‘Erica Hesketh asks “What if all the world’s mothers / rose up at once…” Perhaps if we did, our conversations would sound like these poems, which look head-on at the frightening, transformative, love-filled days of early motherhood. Medical misogyny, birth trauma, postnatal depression, joy and boredom – all of this and more are held in place in these lyrical, image-drenched poems as Hesketh expands our ideas and perceptions around what it means to be a mother.’ Kim Moore
‘In poems of great skill, daring and beauty, Hesketh somehow contains the leaky mess of new parenthood. This is for all the mothers – mother of stone, mother of ice, mother of fire, mother of dark. A stunning debut: intelligent, tender and unwaveringly true.’ Clare Pollard
Learn how to tell amazing stories by creating one live at this special workshop and launch event for Giles Abbott's new book STORYMAKER...
Teachers, parents – become captivating storytellers! Create new stories from solid foundations and the expertise of master storytellers! Road-tested over millennia!
Whether you’re a teacher, parent, guardian or family member, the need to engage with and entertain the youngsters you care for is universal. Modern life makes access to entertainment easy, but what if there was another way – one that truly strengthened the bonds between you? For generations, humanity has practised the art of storytelling – a skill that you too can learn, enabling you to create magical tales that will shape those listening for years to come. Perhaps it’s a group of restless children and you wish you could catch, hold and reward their attention? Perhaps it’s a long journey, or you want to get them off their screens? As you conjure a gripping story from thin air using the methods in this book, you’ll find that face-to-face engagement creates contentment, concentration and connection on your journey together through story.
GILES ABBOTT graduated from Oxford with an English degree and four years later, in 1998, he could not see to read or recognise faces. He has lost 80% vision in a few hours. After a year of serious struggle he encountered traditional storytelling - he didn’t need to see it written! He began learning the art of the storyteller and started working as such. By 2005 he had also qualified as a Voice Teacher (MAVS, CSSD) and in addition to storytelling he now works in drama schools in London and teaches international clients to access their best speaking voice. He is a Voice Artist, recording and even winning Gold Medals for his work. He also creates new storytelling shows from traditional and historical/biographical sources, and for the last twenty years has created a new touring show every two years. He loves all his work!
Do you like retro video games? So do we!
On the back of our board games afternoon, we realised there's a few of us who love the classic days of gaming. So we'll bring some classic consoles and games, and feel very free to bring your own.
Whether you want to play, show and tell, or just have some drinks and chat about classic video games, come join us!
At the very least, we'll have a PlayStation Classic, an N64 and a Japanese DreamCast up and running, along with anything you want to bring.
This is a free event, but if you'd be up for donating a fiver to the shop, that'd be lovely.