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.
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... …
View event details
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, …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
Teen Reading Group - We Were Liars
Thursday 25th September, 5pm
A beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends-the Liars-whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A …
View event details
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, …
View event details
Queer Reading Group - Naked Civil Servant
Tuesday 30th September, 7pm
The flamboyant autobiography of the uninhibited and wonderful Quentin Crisp. Quentin Crisp was a true original. With his mauve hair and flamboyant sense of style, by …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
Reading Group - All Fours
Tuesday 14th October, 7.30pm
A semi-famous artist turns forty-five and gives herself a gift - a cross-country road trip from LA to New York, without her husband and child. But …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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 …
View event details
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, …
View event details
Kassia St Clair
Wednesday 22nd October, 7pm
Published to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of Liberty, this book celebrates the extraordinary range of innovative fabric designs that have been at the …
View event details
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 …
View event details
Michelle Paver
Wednesday 29th October, 7pm
The virgin rainforest seems a paradise to Englishman Simon Corbett. A last chance to salvage his career. A final refuge from a terrible secret.But the jungle …
View event details
Shirley Ballas
Thursday 30th October, 7pm
Strictly Come Dancing's Head Judge, Shirley Ballas, a sparkling toolkit for living your best life, and new stories from Shirley's life on and off the dance …
View event details
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 …
View event details
Andrew Graham Dixon
Monday 10th November, 7pm
"This book is going to revolutionize the way we understand Vermeer. I read it slowly, feeling 'like some watcher of the skies when a new planet …
View event details
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 …
View event details
Andy Wilman
Wednesday 12th November, 7pm
Join us for the rollicking, rowdy and hilarious memoir of twenty years of magic and mayhem through Top Gear and The Grand Tour, from the elusive …
View event details
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 …
View event details
Dan Cruickshank
Tuesday 18th November, 7pm
This is the story of the superbly elegant early eighteenth-century Pallant House in Chichester. It's the story of 19 Princelet Street in Spitafields, built for a …
View event details
Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker
Thursday 27th November, 7pm
From two of the UK's best-known book makers, Robert Macfarlane and Luke Adam Hawker, comes a stunning picture book to ignite wonder in readers everywhere.In the …
View event detailsMore Ely events launching soon!
Sign up to be the first to hear when new events are confirmed.
Join the Ely newsletter
Newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about our events and early bird offers, as well as exclusive complimentary invitations