Stoke Newington Literary Festival – preview

Caitlin Moran will be among the authors appearing at the Stoke Newington Literary Festival in June

The Stoke Newington Literary Festival is back for its fourth year, as today’s sharpest thinkers and brightest minds pitch up to share insights, stories, debates and opinions with audiences next month.

A programme creaking with international heavy hitters and home-grown Hackney talent features appearances ranging from political cartoonist Martin Rowson and broadcaster Danny Baker to former local resident and Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh. But tickets are already evaporating like rain on hot tarmac, so you’d better be quick.

There are free events, workshops, talks for kids, talks in bars, bookshops, in churches and in pubs. There’s comedy gigs and there’s music. In fact, there’s Sonic Youth legend Thurston Moore jamming with local musicians at a small cosy gig. With a goldmine of talent and tickets from as little as £3, there’s no excuse not to go.

Local writers include the Gentle Author, anonymous chronicler of the East End, who is writing a story every day about his life in Spitalfields until he reaches 10,000. Meanwhile Telegraph journalist Harry Wallop and Andrew Simms, author of Tescopoly: How one shop came out on top and why it matters thrash out issues surrounding Stoke Newington’s fight to resist gentrification and the invasion of big corporate brands over local enterprise.

It’s clear that community is at the heart of the festival, celebrating not only its literary past and present, but its own sense of identity and belonging. On that topic another highlight is Turkish author Elif Shalik talking about story-telling and its role in building relations in communities and families.

Others to look out for are Owen Jones, of Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class fame in conversation with Tariq Ali, film maker and author of books on global history and politics talking current global affairs. Meanwhile Caitlin Moran and Suzanne Moore promise to talk everything from modern feminism to sex and politics as they commemorate locally born feminist visionary Mary Wollstonecraft.

For something different, head along to Simon Mason’s talk about his new book Too High, Too Fast, Too soon – his memoires as a “personal chemist” to bands in the 90s, dubbed Britpop meets Breaking Bad.

More family friendly events include The Science of Doctor Who with Mark Brake and Jon Chase half spoken, half rapped, promising to pull in everything from time travel to Dali, while local author and illustrator Clare Beaton holds a craft workshop for younger attendees.

The Stoke Newington Literary Festival runs from 3 June – 9 June.