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August 2026

  • Mieko Kawakami leaning against a grey wall in a high-necked black dress that has encased sleeves that cover her hands like mittens
  • Cover of "Sisters in Yellow" by Mieko Kawakami. Stylised image of a lemon in an empty glass, sitting on a black table top, with a pink background

An Evening with Mieko Kawakami - Sold Out

Tuesday, 25th August 2026

September 2026

  • Marina Hyde in a green dress with a large black collar, smiling and raising one eyebrow
  • Cover of "What a Time to Be Alive!" by Marina Hyde. Green background, with Marina in a pink shirt with a large red collar, with her head in one hand

An Evening with Marina Hyde

Monday, 28th September 2026
  • Ella Otomewo, smiling and leaning against a pinewood wall, wearing a blue t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up
  • Black and white image of Okechukwu Nzelu standing sideways on and grinning at the camera. He's wearing a black t-shirt, and a small pearl drop-earring

Queered Up Now

Wednesday, 30th September 2026

October 2026

  • Maggie O'Farrell smiling in a green shirt and embroidered black trousers. She sits in a red armchair in front of a fireplace, with a large abstract painting leaning on the mantlepiece
  • Book cover of "Land" by Maggie O'Farrell. Abstract multi-coloured concentric circles like ripped paper, fading to black in the centre, giving the illusion of looking into a dark cave

Maggie O'Farrell

Friday, 9th October 2026
  • Ben Nuttall in a smart black suit and tie, looking up and balancing a football on his head
  • Cover of 'Footy Factory' by Ben Nuttall. Ben looking happy and surprised, on his side with a big cartoon football balancing on his head

Ben Nuttall's Footy Factory

Saturday, 10th October 2026
  • Akane Araki standing on a paved street, wearing a white and black floral dress, with a frilly black shirt over the top
  • Cover of "Murder at the End of the World" by Akane Araki. View out of a windscreen at a mountain at the end of a road. A meteorite is in the mirror, and a fire emoji plushy hangs down

Akane Araki

Saturday, 10th October 2026
  • Portrait photo of Kate Atkinson
  • Cover of "Our Noble Selves" by Kate Atkinson. Royal blue background, with a golden lion at the bottom holding a golden flagpole. The title of the novel is on the white flag

An Afternoon with Kate Atkinson

Saturday, 10th October 2026
  • Sarah Hall wearing a brown roll-neck jumper and black leather jacket, looking into the distance on a moorland, with a cloudy and grey sky behind
  • Book cover of "Burning Snowflake" by Sarah Hall. Pale writing on a dark background in maroon and blue, showing abstract images of snowflakes, leaves and a moth

Sarah Hall: Burning Snowflake - The Faber Lecture 2026 - Sold Out

Saturday, 10th October 2026
  • Emily St John Mandel wearing a black jacket, with one slightly raised eyebrow and a dark navy backdrop
  • Cover of "Exit Party" by Emily St John Mandel. Paris skyline in red at the top, and an inverted L.A. skyline in blue at the bottom, with the colours pixel-stretched to meet in the middle

Emily St. John Mandel

Saturday, 10th October 2026
  • Screenshot of the Gruffalo's Child film, showing the Gruffalo cuddling the child
  • Cover of Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The Gruffalo, child and granny all pose together on a path in the forest

Gruffalo Granny Celebration

Sunday, 11th October 2026
  • Paul Mason in a smart navy suit jacket and blue and white striped shirt, smiling slightly, with a black background
  • Cover of "Reds" by Paul Mason. White background, with line-drawn illustrations of modern and historical Communist figures around the border, in red, blue and cream

Paul Mason: Reds

Sunday, 11th October 2026
  • Deborah Frances White smiling and leaving forwards with her elbows resting on her knees. She's wearing a black suit and waistcoat, white shirt, and has thick-rimmed black and blue glasses
  • Cover of "Six Conversations We're Scared to Have" by Deborah Frances White. Solid mid-blue background with white text. Subtitle "How to change minds, including your own" is in a speech bubble

The Observer Book Club with Deborah Frances-White

Sunday, 11th October 2026
  • Russell T Davies wearing jeans, a blue checked shirt and black blazer, sitting on a white dining chair with his hands together in his lap
  • Book cover of Queerest of Folk with Russell T Davies sat on a TV
  • Bernardine Evaristo, smiling in a denim jacket and pink and white floral shirt

An Evening with Russell T Davies & Bernardine Evaristo

Sunday, 11th October 2026
  • Emma Fox smiling broadly, in a red and white striped shirt, navy rain coat, and with a green lanyard round her neck
  • Tania Hershman in black and white, wearing a dark t-shirt and cardigan, grinning into the camera, with her tongue between her teeth

Brave Bold Women History Forgot: A Writing & Walking Tour

Monday, 12th October 2026
  • Ian McMillan smiling slightly, in a navy button-up shirt, with an out-of-focus living room behind him
  • Cover of "Red River Valley" by Ian McMillan. Origami-style representation of a blue river down the centre of the cover, on a purple background

Ian McMillan

Monday, 12th October 2026
  • Black and white portrait of Patrick Radden Keefe with a neutral expression, wearing a black t-shirt
  • Cover of "London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe. Bold white text over the curved balconies of seven stories of an apartment block

An Evening with Patrick Radden Keefe

Monday, 12th October 2026
  • Frank Cottrell-Boyce in a blue shirt and grey trousers, leaning forwards and grinning in a grey armchair, in front of bookshelves filled with his children's books
  • Cover of The Blockbusters by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. A boy and girl dressed as pirates run away from a large purple octopus on a film set

Frank Cottrell-Boyce: The Blockbusters!

Tuesday, 13th October 2026
  • Frank Cottrell-Boyce in a blue shirt and grey trousers, leaning forwards and grinning in a grey armchair, in front of bookshelves filled with his children's books
  • Cover of "A British Childhood" by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Cream background and orange spine. A pencil in a pencil sharpener - shavings forming a circle around the silhouette of a child's head

Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Tuesday, 13th October 2026
  • Owen Jones standing slightly side on, in a white t-shirt in front of a white background
  • Cover of "The Fall of The West" by Owen Jones. Plain white background, with text in black. A graffiti-style image of a slightly crumpled Uncle Sam hat is in the middle

Owen Jones

Wednesday, 14th October 2026
  • Yann Martel in a white t-shirt and black shirt, leaning back against a desk covered in papers, in front of two large windows
  • Cover of "Son of Nobody" by Yann Martel. White and blue mosaic design like the Copacabana sidewalk. Small Trojan soldiers and the silhouette of a man reading, are among the tiles

The Observer Book Club with Yann Martel

Wednesday, 14th October 2026
  • Jeremy Pak Nelson in smart jeans and pink shirt, smiling and sitting on a turquoise dining chair. He's leaning forwards, with a notebook and pen in his hands
  • Nóra Blascsók on stage, wearing a black blazer over a mustard and white floral shirt, with a patterned chiffon scarf in teal and orange. She is smiling and talking into a handheld microphone

Manchester Multilingual City Poets: Jeremy Pak Nelson & Nóra Blascsók

Thursday, 15th October 2026
  • Louise Kennedy in a cream corduroy jacket and green chiffon scarf, sitting at a Parisian-style street cafe table, in front of a second-hand book store
  • Cover of "Stations" by Louise Kennedy. Two black and white photos from a strip of photo-booth photos. Top: a half-in-shot boy in a stripy jumper, bottom: the head of a girl looking up
  • Wendy Erskine in a long brown corduroy dress, sitting on a yellow wooden chair on a pavement. Her elbow is resting on the chair back, with her hand in her hair
  • Cover of "The Benefactors" by Wendy Erskine. Photo of a young woman in an white and black Adidas shell-suit, hands in her pockets and standing in front of a tower block

Louise Kennedy & Wendy Erskine

Thursday, 15th October 2026
  • A black-skinned arm holds up a vinyl copy of D'Angelo's Brown Sugar, against a dark pebble-dashed wall
  • Collage photo of Brown Sugar Rap Poets

The Brown Sugar RAP Party

Thursday, 15th October 2026
  • Josepth Coelho, smiling in a grey blazer and white t-shirt
  • Book cover of "Rapunzel is a Lettuce" by Joseph Coelho. Cartoon image of Rapunzel dressed as a lettuce, eating an apple and holding a cactus, and sitting in a pumpkin carriage

Joseph Coelho: Poems to Grow With - Sold Out

Friday, 16th October 2026
  • Carolyn Forché smiling in front of a black backdrop. She's wearing a black v-neck shirt, with an orange and red chiffon scarf, and a thin gold chain necklace
  • Cover of "Otherwhere" by Carolyn Forché. Painting of a view out from a dilapidated, empty room, through a continental arched, weathered balcony overlook
  • Kwame Dawes smiling widely, in a brown suit jacket and black t-shirt, sitting in an urban garden
  • Cover of "Sturge Town" by Kwame Dawes. Overexposed photo of an old, dilapidated plantation house, surrounded by overgrowth. A strong, hazy burst of sunlight beams directly over the roof-line

Carolyn Forché & Kwame Dawes

Friday, 16th October 2026
  • Hugh Bonneville in a casual light-blue cotton shirt and navy cardigan, smiling broadly, with one hand under his chin
  • Cover of Rory Sparkes and the Spy who Loved Tea by Hugh Bonneville. Rory in an investigator's outfit with a guinea pig in his pocket, whilst a spy hides under a street lamp

Hugh Bonneville: Rory Sparkes and the Spy Who Loved Tea

Saturday, 17th October 2026
  • Jenn Ashworth in a khaki jacket, grey scarf and silver nose ring, looking off into the distance under a grey sky
  • David Gaffney in a loose, dark corduroy shirt, and stripy black and white t-shirt. One hand is resting under his chin
  • Beth Barker in a white puff-sleeve cotton blouse, resting one elbow on a stack of books
  • Nicholas Royle in a smart grey herringbone suit and waistcoat, with a white shirt and spotty black tie, standing in an urban garden
  • Cover of "Brutalist Ghost Stories" edited by Richard V. Hirst. Monochromatic magenta and black duotone image of Preston Bus Station, with a large full moon above, giving a retro-futurist feel

Brutalist Ghost Stories: Jenn Ashworth, David Gaffney, Beth Barker & Nicholas Royle

Saturday, 17th October 2026
  • Malika Booker wearing a denim jacket over a red and white wavy shirt. She has oversized, thick-rimmed circular blue glasses, with a thick-linked blue glasses chain attached
  • Mali Hayes wearing a low-cut silky black jacket, with long sleeves and large gold buttons, plus statement chunky circular gold earrings
  • Shirley May standing face-on, wearing a black t-shirt with a blue, embroidered shawl. Clive Hunte stands side-on wearing a green and yellow Adidas track jacket. Both are wearing black Fedoras
  • Portraits of Janoma Omena, Setira Reid & Faheezal Taiwo

Cabaret for Freedom: Malika Booker, Mali Hayes, Shirley May, Clive Hunte & Young Identity

Saturday, 17th October 2026
Hugh Bonneville in a cream linen suit and blue floral shirt, sitting with one leg crossed over the other in a beige wingback chair featuring large red floral swirls

An Evening with Hugh Bonneville

Saturday, 17th October 2026
  • Natasha Walter in a red sweater, leaning slightly forwards on a grey sofa, with her arms crossed in her lap, and looking slightly away from the camera
  • Cover of "Feminism for a World on Fire" by Natasha Walter. Stark white background, with flames licking up from the bottom right corner, like a piece of paper on fire

Natasha Walter: Feminism for a World on Fire

Sunday, 18th October 2026
  • Simon Armitage in a casual burgundy shirt and jeans, hands in pockets and leaning back against a cream wall
  • Cover of "Gilgamesh" by Simon Armitage. Black background, with the cut-out silhouette of a tree in marble-textured grey taking up the entire cover

Simon Armitage: Gilgamesh

Sunday, 18th October 2026
  • Sufiyaan Salam in a green and white football top, driving a white toy car with a large gold bow on it, across the roof of an actual car, at night.
  • Cover of "Wimmy Road Boyz" by Sufiyaan Salam. The title is in large gothic red lettering, with a collage-style image of three young men riding in a white convertible at the bottom
  • Monika Radojevic in a green satin dress, sitting in front of a window in a darkened room containing large houseplants
  • Cover of "Stranger Land" by Monika Radojevic. Red top and lilac bottom, with a section torn through the middle containing a stylised close-up of a man kissing a woman on the foreheadhead

Sufiyaan Salam & Monika Radojevic - Sold Out

Sunday, 18th October 2026
  • Nao-Cola Yamazaki in a darkened room, with dramatic frontal lighting. They are gazing softly off camera, gently touching their chin with one finger
  • Cover of "Beautiful Distance" by Nao-Cola Yamazaki. Modern comic-style artwork showing a man and woman sitting opposite each other at a table, with a plate of food and two drinks
  • Cover of "Don't Laugh at Other People's Sex Lives" by Nao-Cola Yamazaki. Modern comic-style artwork of a man and woman sitting opposite each other at a table eating noodles

Nao-Cola Yamazaki

Monday, 19th October 2026
  • Willy Vlautin in a denim-blue shirt, looking straight into the camera in front of a grey-painted brick wall
  • Cover of "The Left and the Lucky" by Willy Vlautin. Speckled off-white background, with a graphic image of two upright yellow paintbrushes. The smaller leaning against the larger.

Willy Vlautin

Monday, 19th October 2026
  • M John Harrison staring intently into the camera, dressed in a black t-shirt, with hair back in a ponytail, in front of a black backdrop
  • Cover of "The End of Everything" by M John Harrison. Black with stark lettering. The washed-out image of a person walking towards the sea is revealed in streaks running down the page
  • Helen Mort smiling at the camera, in a black sleeveless top, with full sleeve and face tattoos on show

M. John Harrison

Tuesday, 20th October 2026
  • Jorie Graham in front of a black backdrop, dressed in a dark teal top and matching scarf, sunglasses, and long beaded necklace. She is looking at something out of shot
  • Cover of "Killing Spree" by Jorie Graham. Stark white cover, with the title in black and red lettering that is stepped diagonally down the cover

Jorie Graham

Tuesday, 20th October 2026
  • Lady Hale standing in a courtroom wearing a black dress with a large silver spider brooch, her hands held comfortably together in front of her
  • Cover of "With the Law on Our Side" by Lady Hale. Red & cream block background, with a black silhouette of a blindfolded female statue at the bottom, arms outstretched and a sword in one hand
  • Lara Feigel in a mid-blue cotton blouse, hands on hips and looking straight into the camera
  • Cover of "Custody" by Lara Feigel. Minimalist graphic of a mother and child in silhouette, standing on red blocks. The child stretches up an arm, but can't reach the mother across the gap

Lady Hale & Lara Feigel

Wednesday, 21st October 2026
  • Min Jin Lee in a black jumper over a white shirt, resting her head on one hand and leaning forwards onto a white-washed wooden table
  • Cover of "American Hagwon" by Min Jin Lee. Blue background with a large red apple in the middle. A strip of apple is peeled to reveal a Chinese landscape, with small people walking towards it

The Observer Book Club with Min Jin Lee

Wednesday, 21st October 2026
  • Hernan Diaz looking intently into the camera, wearing a grey t-shirt and open khaki jacket
  • Cover of "Ply" by Hernan Diaz. The title in large green letters running vertically down the page, with a long trail of bind weed growing up and around it, on a deep orange background

Hernan Diaz

Thursday, 22nd October 2026
  • Karen Solie in a dark sleeveless top, sitting on a bench in front of a graffitied wall, looking off to the side on a very sunny day
  • Cover of "Wellwater" by Karen Solie. Solid black cover, with the x-ray like images of three metal calipers running down the middle

Karen Solie: Rylands Poetry Reading

Thursday, 22nd October 2026
  • Emma Fox smiling broadly, in a red and white striped shirt, navy rain coat, and with a green lanyard round her neck
  • Tania Hershman in black and white, wearing a dark t-shirt and cardigan, grinning into the camera, with her tongue between her teeth

Brave Bold Women History Forgot: A Writing & Walking Tour

Friday, 23rd October 2026
Dave Haslam in a khaki wax jacket and gap, standing on the pavement of a busy Manchester road on a grey day

Writing Creative Non-Fiction with Dave Haslam

Friday, 23rd October 2026
A whole orchestra of children taking part in a creative connection performance, on stage playing various instruments

Creative Connection - Go All In

Friday, 23rd October 2026
  • Claire Lynch smiling and looking off-camera, wearing a zip-front denim dress and leaning against the wooden frame of a large floor to ceiling window
  • Cover of "A Family Matter" by Claire Lynch. Top half in mustard. Bottom half a painterly image looking into a lit-up sitting room through a window. A lone toddler plays with toys
  • Claire Adam in an orange top, smiling and resting one elbow on a wooden dining table - her chin resting in her hand
  • Cover of "Love Forms" by Claire Adam. Top half in periwinkle blue. Bottom half an impressionist painting of a woman in a white dress laying in bed, back turned. A child sleeps in front of her

Claire Lynch & Claire Adam

Friday, 23rd October 2026
  • Lee Child in a denim shirt and leather jacket. Hands in pockets, leaning one shoulder against a brick wall
  • Cover of "Chain Reaction" by Lee Child and Andrew Child. Moody red-hued image of a man and woman standing separately on an empty highway - an American diner in the background

Lee Child: My Life in Books

Friday, 23rd October 2026
  • Two actors on stage in the middle of a show. The man has his arm around the woman's shoulders whilst talking to her, whilst she clutches a chicken
  • Illustration of an elf with long blue fair, sitting on the toe of a large brown boot, whilst talking to a friendly mouse in front of her

The Elves and the Shoemaker

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Robert Tregoning resting his arms on a wooden table, smiling, with his chin resting on one hand
  • Cover of Dylan, Daisy, and the Disco Ball by Robert Tregoning and Laura Brenlla. Two children dance under a disco ball

Dylan, Daisy and the Disco Ball with Robert Tregoning (Oldham)

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Actors on stage with vegetables

The Enormous Turnip

Saturday, 24th October 2026
Magdalen Bartlett in a deep blue dress and head wrap, smiling and dancing in front of a green background

Dance with Magdalen Bartlett

Saturday, 24th October 2026
Adam Perrott on stage, playing a guitar and singing

Little Reads Storytime with Adam Perrot (Oldham)

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Robert Tregoning resting his arms on a wooden table, smiling, with his chin resting on one hand
  • Cover of Dylan, Daisy, and the Disco Ball by Robert Tregoning and Laura Brenlla. Two children dance under a disco ball

Dylan, Daisy and the Disco Ball with Robert Tregoning

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Two actors on stage in the middle of a show. The man has his arm around the woman's shoulders whilst talking to her, whilst she clutches a chicken
  • Illustration of an elf with long blue fair, sitting on the toe of a large brown boot, whilst talking to a friendly mouse in front of her

The Elves and the Shoemaker (Oldham)

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Eliza Chan in a black vest top and khaki sleeveless jacket, leaning against a brick wall, with a pen and notebook in hand
  • Cover of "Harbour of Hungry Ghosts" by Eliza Chan. Highly stylized classic Chinese symbology in blue, white and orange. A Foo Dog sits centrally in front of a Ba Gua symbol
  • Sunyi Dean standing side-on in a black vest top. A large tattoo of a mermaid swimming with a seal on her left shoulder and across her chest
  • Cover of "The Girl with a Thousand Faces" by Sunyi Dean. Intricate gold on black line illustration of a woman with flowing hair and dress. Her face like a porcelain doll with milky eyes

Eliza Chan & Sunyi Dean: Hong Kong Ghost Stories

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Dave Haslam smiling at the camera, in a black t-shirt in front of a wall with a large concentric circle embossed pattern
  • Cover of "Creative Journeys" by Dave Haslam. Foil-lettered names of musicians around a central gold circle, like the grooves around the middle of a vinyl record

Dave Haslam & Special Guests

Saturday, 24th October 2026
  • Actors on stage with vegetables

The Enormous Turnip

Sunday, 25th October 2026
  • Elif Shafak in front of book shelves
  • In One Brief Moment All Eternity by Elif Shafak book cover
  • Nihal Arthanayake wearing a camouflage jacket and smiling broadly at the camera

An Afternoon with Elif Shafak

Sunday, 25th October 2026
  • Jackie Kay in a black wool coat and chunky orange scarf, smiling and leaving back against a painted red and orange slatted wall
  • Cover of "Selected Poems 1991-2026" by Jackie Kay. Cream background, with the title and author in gold foil text, between a set of giant turquoise speech marks

An Evening with Jackie Kay

Sunday, 25th October 2026

Beano Presents Dennis the Menace's Year of Mischief!

Wednesday, 28th October 2026