Cultural Events

Browse our events programme, from conversations and talks to performances and music, available at the Library and online.

What's on

  1. storyteller Vanessa Woolf performing

    A Feast of Tales: The Stolen Smell and The Feast by the River

    One of our most popular storytellers, Vanessa Woolf, brings to life two wonderful folk tales.

    More info
  2. President Gabriel Boric of Chile in Conversation

    with Isabel Hilton.

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  3. Image of Agatha Christie and covers of some of her books

    The Queen of Crime: The Life and Legacy of Agatha Christie

    JLF London opens with a special panel featuring Lucy Foley, James Prichard and Lucy Rowland in conversation with Shrabani Basu.

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  4. JLF London 2026. The Jaipur Literature Festival

    Two days of inspiring conversations, ideas, books, music, food and more.

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  5. Three speakers from the event

    The Empire Podcast: How Empires Fall

    William Dalrymple and Anita Anand in conversation with Bee Rowlatt.

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  6. Irish stew in a pot

    At the Irish Table

    Food, culture and tradition across the island of Ireland.

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  7. Photograph from 1954 of lunchtime at a school in Oswestry.

    Please Sir, I Want Some More: Revolutionising What Kids Eat

    How some school cooks are creating magic on a shoestring.

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  8. Painting of a Tudor family at a table with food

    Much Ado About Cooking

    Appetite, feasting and hunger in Shakespeare, with Simon Russell Beale and guests.

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  9. Bottled palm oil in a pan at the market

    Palm Oil: The Crisis of a Contested Food

    How a vital cultural ingredient came to be demonised.

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  10. Photographs of Felicity Cloake, Olly Smith, Catherine Kurtz and Orlando Murrin.

    From Fork to Fiction: Food and Drink Writers Turned Novelists

    Crossing genres and rewriting expectations with Catherine Kurtz, Felicity Cloake and Olly Smith.

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  11. Head shots of Andrew Clark, Sally Abé, Jay Rayner and Zoe Williams

    Bourdain and the Myth of the Kitchen Hero

    Jay Rayner, Sally Abé, Andrew Clarke and Zoe Williams on influence, masculinity and the pressures of chef culture.

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  12. Mermaid Chunky posing in the woods with yellow ribbons

    A Midsummer Night’s Fairy Tale, with Mermaid Chunky

    Late at the Library with a fabulous night of music, performance and solstice shenanigans. Guest DJ Zakia Sewell.

    More info
  13. Head shots of Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins against a still life painting from Pompeii from 70 AD

    How to Party in Pompeii, with Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins

    The celebrated classicists dig into the food of the Romans, at this Instant Classics live recording.

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  14. Three images from the British Library archive. The first is an illustration of two people walking in the snow, the second is the cover of a book till "The Railway Traveller's Walk Through Oxford and the third is of the person on a path gathering flowers.

    Paths Through Britain

    Nicholas Crane, Phoebe Smith and Chris Butterfield explore ancient routes, the enduring power of walking, and the landscapes that shape us.

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  15. Photo of a selection of cakes, biscuits and desserts from Honey & Co.

    The Honey & Co. Daily Afternoon Tea

    A special event with Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich to launch their latest cookbook, Honey & Co. Daily.

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  16. Photographs of Neneh Cherry and Andi Oliver

    Neneh & Andi: 45 years of Friendship, Family and Food

    With Neneh Cherry and Andi Oliver.

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  17. Seema Anand by Sarvam Patel

    Sex, Rites & Pleasure: Embodying Ancient Feminine

    Seema Anand and Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah have a frank conversation about sex.

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  18. Minority Writes: How Queer Books and Bookshops Changed the World

    Layla McCay and AJ West join Damian Barr for a celebration of queer books and bookshops.

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  19. Tom Holland and Sarah Pearsall

    How the World Made the American Revolution

    Sarah Pearsall in conversation with Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History.

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