Ely Events and Reading Groups
In this atmospheric medieval city, just over an hour from London by train, author events range from reading groups and intimate events in the bookshop to the drama of performances under the world-renowned Octagon of Ely Cathedral. We hold events all year round, but in the autumn there is a special focus on the Ely Literary Festival.
Reading Group - The Lonely Londoners and Way of Sunlight
Tuesday 12th August, 7.30pm
Notable for its innovative narrative technique and linguistic freshness, as well as its ground-breaking subject, Sam Selvon's 1956 novel, The Lonely Londoners, is an exuberant and …
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Reading Group - The Coast Road
Tuesday 12th August, 7.30pm
It's 1994 in County Donegal, Ireland, and everyone is talking about Colette Crowley: the writer, the bohemian, the woman who left her family to be with …
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Harry Sidebottom Book Launch
Tuesday 26th August, 7pm
Join us for our Book Launch event with the brilliant local author Harry Sidebottom! Celebrating the debut of his new book Those Who are About to …
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Reading Group
Wednesday 27th August, 7pm
Young, gay, William Beckwith spends his time, and his trust fund, idly cruising London for erotic encounters. When he saves the life of an elderly man …
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James Fox
Monday 1st September, 7pm
Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. Craftland …
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Kenji Morimoto
Wednesday 3rd September, 7pm
FERMENT gives you all that's needed to start on the adventure of fermented foods - whether you want to make simple pickles, prepare miso from scratch …
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Whisky Tasting with Joel Harrison
Monday 8th September, 7pm
The Whisky World Tour takes you beyond the glass to discover 52 of the very best whisky distilleries open to the public, around the globe. Discover …
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Reading Group - The Safekeep
Tuesday 9th September, 7.30pm
It is fifteen years after the Second World War, and Isabel has built herself a solitary life of discipline and strict routine in her late mother's …
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Reading Group - Resurrection
Tuesday 9th September, 7.30pm
Overcome with feelings of guilt over a crime committed in his dissolute youth, Prince Dmitri Nekhlyudov purses an eccentric path to personal salvation that will take …
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British Museum Lectures on Ancient India
Thursday 11th September, 7pm
Ancient India was a dynamic, cosmopolitan centre of creativity. The visual traditions of its major indigenous religions were closely interrelated, reflecting political power, changes in peoples’ …
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Michael Rosen
Friday 12th September, 7.30pm
An A-Z of hope and happiness from poet, Sunday Times bestselling author and national treasure Michael Rosen, with 26 ideas for bringing joy into every dayDiscover …
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Katherine Rundell - Exclusive Edition
Tuesday 16th September, 7.30pm
The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done.Return to the magic of the Archipelago... …
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Michael J Warren
Friday 19th September, 7pm
Birds have long inspired our emotional and imaginative connections to physical environments, but where did it all begin?Hidden in the names of English towns and villages, …
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Samantha Shannon with Saara El-Arifi
Monday 22nd September, 7pm
Join us for a truly magical evening with Samantha Shannon and Saara El-Arifi this Autumn literary Festival! As they explore the story of human resilience in …
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Jeffrey Archer
Wednesday 24th September, 3pm
London, 2012. The eyes of the world are on Britain as the country prepares to host the Olympic Games.But the glare of the spotlight makes London …
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Clare Balding
Thursday 25th September, 7pm
Brimming with the warmth and wit that has made Clare Balding one of our best-loved TV personalities, Pastures New is a joyful celebration of new beginnings, …
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Mary Portas
Friday 3rd October, 7pm
It's the 1990s: Britpop is dominating the charts, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell stare out from the cover of every glossy magazine and British fashion is …
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Sarah Perry
Monday 6th October, 7pm
Now I understand there are no ordinary lives - that every death is the end of a single event in time's history: an event so improbable …
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Ben Elton
Tuesday 7th October, 7.30pm
What Have I Done? An Evening with Ben EltonJoin us for an evening with Ben Elton, who will be interviewed by Dame Emma Thompson as he …
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Olly Smith - Wine Tasting
Thursday 9th October, 7pm
All for wine and wine for all!You don’t need to be rich or have expert knowledge – you just need to feel confident in choosing wines …
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Graham Robb
Friday 10th October, 7pm
Taking the reader on a time-travelling adventure around the 'spindly, sea-wracked islands' we call home, The Discovery of Britain is history that's panoramic and intimate, poignant …
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Midge Gillies
Monday 13th October, 7pm
This is the astounding story of the six female aviators who battled to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by plane.In the early …
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Reading Group - Money
Tuesday 14th October, 7.30pm
Shuttling restlessly across the Atlantic, dissolute film producer John Self's chaotic progress is fuelled by his bottomless appetite for excess, little expecting that his wild life …
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Sabrina Ghayour
Wednesday 15th October, 7pm
We are delighted to announce an evening with Sabrina Ghayour! With her brand new collection of inspiring recipes from the bestselling chef - each carefully designed …
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Ann Cleeves
Friday 17th October, 3pm
When a violent storm descends upon Orkney, the body of Archie Stout is left in its wake. An unusual murder weapon, a Neolithic stone bearing ancient …
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Gyles Brandreth
Tuesday 21st October, 7.30pm
We are so pleased to welcome back Gyles Brandreth this Autumn Literary Festival, this time hosting in Ely Cathedral. This is the story of a man, …
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Peter James
Thursday 23rd October, 7pm
Roy Grace never dreamed a murder investigation would take him deep into Buckingham Palace . . .Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading …
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Dinner with Jose Pizarro
Friday 7th November, 7pm
Join us for a delicious dinner with José Pizarro!In The Spanish Pantry, award-winning chef, author and restaurateur, José Pizarro invites you into his home kitchen.With a …
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Reading Group - Hawksmoor
Tuesday 11th November, 7.30pm
The lives and paths of an Eighteenth Century architect and a Twentieth Century detective loop round each other as, over two hundred years apart, they cross …
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Tim Minshall
Friday 14th November, 3pm
We live in a manufactured world. Unless you are floating naked through space, you are right now in direct contact with multiple manufactured products. How often …
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