Literature at the Library

A year-round series of events about Literature for book lovers, including popular and contemporary literature, fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

What's on

  1. A portrait of a man with a beard and moustache
    British Library, London
    Free

    The Power of the Printed Word: Tyndale’s New Testament 1526 – 2026

    This new display in our Treasures Gallery celebrates the 500th anniversary of the first complete printing of William Tyndale’s 1526 English translation of the New Testament.

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  2. A cheeky green dragon with yellow eyes drawn by illustrator Chris Riddell on a purple background. The dragon is surrounded by smoke and stars.
    British Library, London

    Fairy Tales

    A family adventure through magical worlds and enchanted stories.

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  3. JLF London 2026: The Jaipur Literature Festival

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

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  4. 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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  5. Photographs of the shortlisted poets for the Michael Marks Awards: James Appleby, Rachel Cleverly, Eve Ellis, Hugh Foley and Hasti.
    Free

    The Michael Marks Awards for Poetry Pamphlets

    Hear the most exciting new poetry published in the UK and see the winners revealed.

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  6. 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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  7. A drawing of a teacher and pupil beneath the caption 'GrammarLand'

    English Grammar Day 2026

    A day of talks and discussion on aspects of English grammar.

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  8. A symbol of a open book, in red, on a pink background. The logos to the left read TikTok and British Library
    Free

    BookTok Late

    A celebration of BookTok, creators and reading culture.

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  9. 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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  10. Outdoors photograph of a man wearing a dark jacket, shirt and tie and white trousers holds onto the back of a wooden chair.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    Fatherhood and colonial power in Jamaica, and Chinese labour in the British Caribbean.

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  11. Book open at the title page with a large fold-out map of the Amazon also open.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    Writing women into the history of the British Empire, and mapping the Library’s Latin American collections.

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  12. Toni Morrison sits on a white couch, wearing a white long-sleeve blouse and dark skirt, holding papers and a pen. Behind her are a large lamp and works of art on the wall.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    The environmental impact of laundry technologies, and curating Toni Morrison’s work as a Random House editor.

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  13. Male and female students, in dark clothing and white shirts, are either seated at their school desk or queuing up to speak with the teacher by the blackboard.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    Using speculative and feminist storytelling to recover Indigenous women’s voices, plus US education and Native American identity.

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  14. Head and shoulders photo of a woman wearing a decorative dress and small earrings.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    Rediscovering composer Gilda Ruta, and revealing the story behind objects sent to the UK from 1850s Northeast Brazil.

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  15. Head and shoulders sepia toned photo of a bearded man wearing a polo neck sweater, a blazer with a cord collar, and a hat.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    Edward S Curtis and his photographs of Native Americans, and North American Indigenous Language Lists.

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  16. An illustration from a medieval manuscript showing a man writing on paper, with gold leaf around him.

    Illumination Masterclass

    Join renowned scribe and illuminator Patricia Lovett MBE on this one-day beginners masterclass and create your own medieval miniature on vellum.

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  17. Line drawings of two men playing musical instruments.
    Free

    Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks

    The Montserrat Jumbie Dance, and the influence of Indigenous dance on American theatre makers.

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  18. Photo of John Berger

    John Berger: From Life

    The life and work of one of the great cultural figures of the last century.

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  19. Photograph of Dame Barbara Cartland, wearing a pink dress with a small dog on her lag

    The Romantic World of Barbara Cartland

    Matthew Sweet talks to Shahidha Bari about the life and legacy of romance writer Dame Barbara Cartland.

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  20. Read and Rave in Leeds Central Library. A crowd of people with party steamers and balloons.
    Free

    Public library events

    From author talks and children’s story-times to digital workshops and community activities, find out more from your local library service.

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