We’re delighted to have children’s author Mylo Freeman coming to tell us stories about her enchanting character Princess Arabella. In her latest book Arabella thinks that her room is boring and decides that she’s going to do something about it – all by herself. She mixes up some paint and in no time at all her room looks fabulous!

This session will last 45 minutes and is best suited for children aged 4 – 7. The event is free with no booking required.

Join us from 15.00 on the afternoon of 28th February for a Pancake Day celebration with Great British Bake Off finalist Chetna Makan.

On the Bake Off Chetna became known for her bold use of Eastern flavours, and her approach is now documented in her bestselling recipe book Cardamom Trail: Chetna Bakes with Flavours of the East. This event will be an opportunity to taste some of Chetna’s homemade treats, to ask her for baking tips, and to buy a signed copy of Cardamom. This event is free but please register to attend here.

Venue: Dulwich Books

Ever driven along Effra Road? Had a pint at the Efrra Hall Tavern? Boogied at the Effra Social? If so, then you’ve been unwittingly communing with London’s lost river...

Join us at 19.00 on the evening of the 28th February to learn about the fascinating history of the River Effra – a forgotten tributary of the Thames that runs under the streets of London to this day. Local historian and writer Jon Newman will tell the story of this fasinating waterway, and its defining role in the history of South London. His book River Effra: South London’s Secret Spine has been a surprise bestseller in the shop and customers have described it as ‘fascinating’, ‘enlightening’ and even ‘moving’.

Join us at 19.00 on 9th March for a special evening of new literature. We are incredibly lucky to be able to invite you to an event with three of the finest writers publishing books this Spring: Elif Shafak (Three Daughters of

Join us in Dulwich College’s brand new George Farha Auditorium to hear from Sir Peter Bazalgette, author of The Empathy Instinct.

Sir Peter’s book presents revolutionary new ideas about what empathy is and how it can transform society. It concludes with a Charter for Empathy, where challenges such as religious conflict and racism, decent health and social care, effective and humane criminal justice and even artificial intelligence are addressed by this new thinking.

Join us at 19.00 on Saturday 22nd April for an evening of books and beer with Lisa McInerney (The Blood Miracles) and David Keenan (This Is Memorial Device).   Last year Lisa became a Dulwich Books bestseller when her hard-hitting debut The

Join us at 19.00 on the 2nd May to hear A.C. Grayling – leading philosopher and public intellectual – talk about his new book War: An Enquiry. All tickets include a glass of wine.

As part of the Institut Francais' week long festival of French Literature, Beyond Words, we'll be joined by four of the most exciting French writers recently translated into English:   - Alexis Jenni is a novelist and biology teacher. His 2011 debut

The annual Love West Dulwich Spring Fair returns on Saturday 20th May. As well as a food market and live entertainment on our doorstep, we’ll be hosting our own celebrations in-store 10am to 3.30pm – It wouldn’t be a Love West Dulwich

Festival of books and ideas in Balham

Dulwich Books is delighted to welcome Meik Weiking, CEO of The Happiness Research Institute and man who introduced the world to Hygge. Join us on the evening of Thursday 7th September as Meik discusses his new book The Little Book of Lykke, an

Dulwich Books proudly presents Marion Deuchars and Kassia St Clair on Colour, at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. What makes a colour work? What do colours mean to artists and cultures? What are the histories of our favourite colours and what can they

Guardian food writer and cook Kate Young will join us to celebrate Bookshop Day between 13.00 and 14.30 on Saturday 7th October. Kate is the author of The Little Library Cookbook, which takes includes 100 wonderful recipes inspired by Kate’s favourite novels. Paddington Bear’s

Join us at 19.00 on the evening of 1st November (All Saints Day) for an evening of frightening fiction with Andrew Michael Hurley and Laura Purcell.   Andrew became a publishing sensation last year when his debut novel The Loney became a

Guided Walk with Peter Fiennes

Tasting and Book Signing with Anjula Devi

Children's Story-time with local mums Lucy Reynolds and Jenna Herman

An Evening with Ali Smith

Classicist Catherine Nixey discusses early Christianity with the Reverend David Stephenson

A Drawing Workshop with Leading Design Agency

Workshop with Typography Deisgner Susan Wightman

Writing Workshop with Author and Journalist Sam Leith

Stories of Dissent with Alexei Sayle, Courttia Newland and Francesca Rhydderch

Children's Story-time with Kate Pankhurst

Simon Jenkins takes us on a tour of the country's most beautiful railway stations

Cricket legend Henry Blofeld discusses his life in sport

Man Booker Prize winner Alan Hollinghurst in conversation with BBC Arts journalist Razia Iqbal

An Evening with journalist and author Robert Peston

We are enormously excited to announce an event with writer, broadcaster and barrister Afua Hirsch in conversation with internationally acclaimed author and French Minister Leila Slimani.   You may recognise Afua as the social affairs editor of Sky News, or for her

Matt Haig is the number one bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and five highly acclaimed novels for adults, includingThe Radleys and The Humans. The film rights to his new book, How to Stop Time have already been optioned to SunnyMarch/StudioCanal,

#NEWSFLASH Man Booker Prize winning author Julian Barnes (The Sense of An Ending, The Noise of Time) coming to Dulwich 8th February 2018   Over the past few years Julian Barnes has been writing compressed, spare fiction and non-fiction which addresses the

Let us take you back to Georgian London for a special evening of fiction and history with Imogen Hermes Gowar and Rachel Hewitt.   Imogen is the author of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, a spell-binding debut novel set in 1785. When

Bestselling spy novelist Mick Herron returns with London Rules, the fifth of his acclaimed Jackson Lamb novels. Mick will be joining us at Dulwich Books on the evening of Wednesday 7th March, discussing his writing, reading from his new book and signing

Alice Castle is the local author behind cozy crime bestsellers Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery. Her books have been compared with the works of Agatha Raisin author MC Beaton and her amateur sleuth heroine, single mum Beth Haldane,

As Dulwich Picture Gallery launches its exhibition of work by Edward Bawden, who effortlessly pushed the boundaries between fine and commercial art while also exploring exciting new approaches to design, we consider the question of taste. Is there such thing as ‘the

Saturday 2nd June: 11.30am  Anne Rooney Join author Anne Rooney to explore lost prehistoric lands in search of the dinosaurs that roamed there. Children will learn fascinating facts about how dinosaurs lived and where they were discovered. From giant sauropods and horned

Thursday 7th June: 19.00pm Diana Evans  and Guy Gunaratne    Oxfam Balham joins our family of venues to host an evening with the authors of two extraordinary new novels set in London. Guy Gunaratne is the author of In Our Mad and Furious City,

Friday 8th June: 19.30pm Simon Hooper Balham mums and dads may know Simon Hooper as Father of Daughters. His Instagram profile, which now has nearly a million followers, tells the hilarious and painfully honest truth of being a parent. From uninitiated parents-to-be to

Saturday 9th June: 11.00 – 12.30am Natasha Pulley in conversation with Anna Mazzola Coffee, pastries and top notch historical fiction. Sound like your perfect Saturday morning? Then you’re in luck. Join us for this unique event to celebrate new books by Natasha

Saturday 9th June: 13.00   Antti Tuomainen, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurdardottir   In association with Orenda Books Thrilling Scandinavian and Nordic crime fiction remains one of the bestselling and most engaging genres. We are delighted to be joined by three of the

Saturday 9th June: 15.00   Tim Marshall Informed by 30 years of commenting on world affairs, Tim Marshall’s illuminating explanations of global politics made Prisoners of Geography an international bestseller. In Divided he brings that wealth of experience and insight to explain what

Saturday 9th June: 17.00   Melissa Hemsley Melissa Hemsley’s key eating philosophies are about comfort, healthy indulgence and bold flavours, with plenty of focus on cutting down on kitchen waste and clever ways to work with leftovers. Her recipes are inspired by

Saturday 9th June: 19.30   Rosie Wilby and Holly Bourne How the hell do you find love in 2018? And how do you hold onto it? Rosie Wilby and Holly Bourne are here to help you navigate the minefield of modern love.

Sunday 10th June: 10.00 Natasha Farrant Get ready for an adventure! Join Natasha Farrant, author of The Children of Castle Rock, for a writing workshop full of twists and turns. Be prepared to join in some silly warm ups, before looking at

Sunday 10th June: 13.00 Original Flava Are you ready to bring Da Flava to your kitchen? Craig and Shaun McAnuff launched Original Flava to teach people how to cook Caribbean food with easy step-by-step video guides. Taught how to cook by their

Sunday 10th June: 14.00 Zing Tsjeng As a journalist, Zing Tsjeng is a passionate advocate for millennial women. As an author, she is speaking up for the women of past generations. In the first two books of a four-part series, Zing uncovers

Sunday 10th June: 16.00   Tessa Hadley, Chris Power and Ellah Wakatama Allfrey Presented in association with Small Wonder Short Story Festival The short story is enjoying a renaissance. Or so it seems. But did it ever really go away? We bring

19.00 Monday 11th June Michael Ondaatje PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN NEARBY WEST DULWICH - A SHORT WALK FROM WEST NORWOOD STATION In association with Dulwich College, Festival America and the High Commission of Canada in the UK

Thursday 14th June: 19.00 Panashe Chigumadzi Join The Indigo Press in the launch of their first book, These Bones Will Rise Again by Panashe Chigumadzi. A leading writer of South Africa’s “born-free” generation, Chigumadzi offers a critical analysis of the November 2017

Wednesday 27th June: 19.00 Professor AC Grayling Winston Churchill described democracy as 'the least bad of all systems.' So it is, when it works. But it has been made to fail - notice those words: 'made to fail' - in at least

Damian Le Bas grew up surrounded by Gypsy history. His great-grandmother would tell him stories of her childhood in the ancient Romani language; the places her family stopped and worked, the ways they lived, the superstitions and lores of their people. But

Welcome to Festival America – inaugural London edition, September 2018 We live in dark times. The world appears to be dislocating, with new forces in power and new allegiances being formed at both high and grassroots levels. As Britain continues its preparations

Authors: Jonathan Ames, Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott Chair: Matt Gilbert Jonathan Ames is the creator of TV series including Blunt Talk and Bored to Death; he is also the author of the novel You Were Never Really Here, made into a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix. His 1998

Join us on 4th October to hear John Simpson discuss his exciting new thriller, Moscow, Midnight, at All Saints West Dulwich. Government minister Patrick Macready has been found dead in his flat. The coroner rules it an accident, a sex game gone

Who hasn’t heard of ‘God is Dead’? Friedrich Nietzsche's work forms the bedrock of our contemporary thought and yet a shroud of misunderstanding surrounds the first modern philosopher. Join us to hear award-winning author, Sue Prideaux, as she talks about her illuminating

This year's Dulwich Literary Festival will be back from 7 - 11th November. The Dulwich Literary Festival began in 2014 and has gone from strength to strength. The 2018 edition will be the fifth edition. We are delighted to announce that our programme

We're delighted to pair two award-winning authors that take an acerbic view of current political travails. Jonathan Coe's Middle England is a state-of-the-nation novel beginning eight years ago on the outskirts of Birmingham, where car factories have been replaced by Poundland, and

"Walls were coming down around the world - now they're springing up" John Lanchester discusses his latest novel, The Wall. Kavanagh begins his life patrolling the Wall. If he’s lucky, if nothing goes wrong, he has only two years of this: 729 more

Damian Barr with Sarah Perry, on his debut novel, You Will Be Safe Here Barr has captured the threads of all of human history. You Will Be Safe Here is as unexpected as it is unsettling             

Join us for an evening with the award-winning writer, broadcaster, and film-maker Paul Mason as he discusses his new work, Clear Bright Future. In Clear Bright Future, Paul Mason calls for a radical, impassioned defence of the human being, our universal rights

Thursday 13th June: 19.00 Yara Rodrigues Fowler Join local author Yara Rodrigues Fowler as she discusses her stunning debut novel, Stubborn Archivist (longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize) – a lyrical reflection on growing up in a Brazilian-British household, of finding your space within different cultures

Friday 14th June: 19.00 Today South London, Tomorrow South London Andrew Grumbridge and Vincent Raison have published their unique portraits of life below the river in Today South London, Tomorrow South London. These born and bred South Londoners record offbeat days out and half-remembered urban adventures featuring

Saturday 15th June: 10.30 Storytime: The Dinosaur Department Store The Dinosaur Department Store is a beautifully illustrated tale of Eliza Jane who, on her birthday, has her heart set on owning a prehistoric pet. When her family get to the store and meet

Saturday 15th June: 12.30 Vegan Eats with Rachel Ama Londoner and YouTube sensation Rachel Ama is vegan goals – she makes vegan food fun, inviting and absolutely delicious. Rachel takes inspiration from naturally vegan dishes and cuisines as well as her Caribbean and West African

Saturday 15th June: 15.00 Local Women of Westminster Join Rachel Reeves, MP for Leeds West, as she celebrates the inspirational achievements of women in parliament over the course of the past 100 years with renowned journalist & presenter of Channel 4 News Cathy Newman,

Saturday 15th June: 17.00  Alex Wheatle Don’t miss this special event with Alex Wheatle, the brilliant Brixton Bard, as he discusses his life as a writer and his fiction, including Home Girl, the latest book in his multi-award winning Crongton series. “Alex Wheatle is

Sunday 16th June: 11.30 Climate Change Today Adam Weymouth journeyed by canoe on a four-month odyssey along the Yukon River, encountering people who have lived there for generations. The Yukon’s inhabitants depend on the king salmon who migrate the entire river to reach their

Sunday 16th June: 13.30 Sara Collins & Bernardine Evaristo In Girl, Woman, Other, celebrated novelist Bernardine Evaristo follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the

Sunday 16th June: 15.30 Parker Bilal (The Divinities) & Bev Thomas (A Good Enough Mother) talk crime fiction with bestselling thriller writer & Balham resident Sabine Durrant. Don’t miss the chance to hear from these gripping chroniclers of London, whose characters inhabit settings

Sunday 16th June: 17.30 Molly Case & Christie Watson Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is Christie Watson’s astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness. “It made me cry. It

Tuesday 18th June: 19.00 A. C. Grayling “If there is any such person in Britain as The Thinking Man, it is A. C. Grayling” The Times Philosophy is the fountainhead of ideas that drive history and shape our world. Professor A. C. Grayling’s

Wednesday 19th June: 19.00 Max Porter “It’s hard to express how much I loved Lanny. Books this good don’t come along very often. It’s a novel like no other, an exhilarating, disquieting, joyous read. It will reach into your chest and take

Tuesday 25th June: 19.00 19.00 Mick Herron “Mick Herron is the John le Carré of our generation”  Val McDermid Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can’t ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible

‘The East India Company – the first great multinational corporation, and the first to run amok – was the ultimate model and prototype for many of today’s joint-stock corporations. The most powerful among them do not need their own armies: they can

Join us for an evening of thrilling conversation with two bestselling authors, Louise Candlish and Lisa Jewell. Both Louise and Lisa are brilliant writers of suspenseful, psychological thrillers. They will be discussing their compelling new novels, Those People and The Family Upstairs. 

PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT HAS NOW SOLD OUT. Lara Maiklem has scoured the banks of the Thames for over fifteen years, in pursuit of the objects that the river unearths: from Neolithic flints to Roman hair pins, medieval buckles to Tudor buttons,

“Natalie Haynes is swiftly becoming this generation’s Mary Renault; her retelling of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships, is her best yet.”– Observer The devastating consequences of the fall of Troy stretched from Mount Olympus to Mount Ida,

Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World introduces the world to Cookie Haque – nine years old, obsessed with science and ready to take on the world. Or at least she thinks she is . . . Cookie has never quite

‘I admire the freshness & attack of her writing, the passion & curiosity that light up the page. The book does something very important – it makes you impatient to see or re-read the plays at once.’ – Hilary Mantel In This

Join Sunday Timesbestselling author Louise Doughty as she talks to the journalist Anita Sethi about her writing career, including her latest novel, Platform Seven, a gripping, brilliant, original & eerily-timely novel, & her bestselling & critically-acclaimed title, Apple Tree Yard, which was adapted into

‘Jacobson, now 76, is not one to let the catastrophe of old age get in the way of a good laugh, or a surprisingly tender love story…a shrewdly observed jeu d’esprit about creeping senectitude and blossoming romance… pulses with warmth and intelligence,

Join Jung Chang, the internationally-bestselling author of Wild Swans, as she relates the incredible story of sisterhood, revolution & betrayal at the heart of her new book, Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister. A group biography that is by turns intimate and epic,

In Outpost, Dan Richards explores the appeal of far-flung cabins in mountains, tundra, forests, oceans and deserts. These are landscapes that speak of deep time, whose scale can knock us down to size. Their untamed nature is part of their beauty and