What's On

Indonesian storyteller Debby Lukito Goeyardi invites you to her storytelling session at the OPEN Norwich Youth Trust, featuring contemporary versions of traditional folk tales that will entertain the whole family. Gatotkaca’s Bird House is based on one of the characters in the South East Asian epic the Mahabharata and in wayang, traditional shadow puppet theatre. Debby is also […]

Indonesian storyteller Debby Lukito Goeyardi invites you to her storytelling session at the Children’s Library, featuring contemporary versions of traditional folk tales that will entertain the whole family. Gatotkaca’s Bird House is based on one of the characters in the South East Asian epic the Mahabharata and in wayang, traditional shadow puppet theatre. Debby is also […]

As Brexit pushes the UK to redefine its relationships with neighbouring nations, we ask what borders do for us, and whether we need them at all. Daniel Trilling, journalist and author of Lights in the Distance, draws on years of reporting to build a portrait of refuge in a fractured Europe; Prof Sarah Barrow, Pro-Vice-Chancellor […]

Great writing knows no borders: novelist and activist Elif Shafak recently revealed her selection of 10 of the finest UK women writers working today. Three of her choices will join her this evening to discuss their work, and writing by women across the world. Patience Agbabi is performer and poet. She tirelessly innovates a new relationship between the classics […]

Fully booked! Join Indonesian children’s author and National Centre for Writing writer in residence, Debby Lukito Goeyardi, for a storytelling and puppet making workshop that is suitable for children aged 5 – 10 years. Hear Debby’s enchanting story of Gatotkaca’s Bird House, then try your hand at making rod puppets of characters from the book! […]

Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of this fascinating building. Learn more about the architectural and social history of this 15th Century building from an experienced volunteer guide. Dragon Hall has had a fascinating and colourful history – starting life as […]

Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of this fascinating building. Learn more about the architectural and social history of this 15th Century building from an experienced volunteer guide. Dragon Hall has had a fascinating and colourful history – starting life as […]

Join Norwich’s writing community for a free evening of conversation, ideas and support each month. Open to anyone who makes, reads and works with words, the Dragon Hall Salon is an opportunity to grab a drink from the bar, meet people, cook up plans and compare notes, to talk books, and to hear what’s happening […]

Translating The Odyssey again: why and how? This year’s Sebald Lecture on Literary Translation is given by classicist Emily Wilson, whose 2017 English translation of Homer’s Odyssey – the first by a woman – was met with widespread critical acclaim. Why translate The Odyssey into English yet again, when there have already been almost seventy […]

Boiler House Press is a new publisher of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and everything in-between. They are based at the University of East Anglia, home of the world-renowned Creative Writing MA, and a burgeoning world centre for creative-critical writing studies. Boiler House are passionate about writing that breaks a mould; that surprises; that plays with-and-between the creative and […]

All will be revealed! Check the website for updates Are you prepared to hand over the Festival? Join a group of young change-makers as they explore social activism and create a space to question ideas and controversies. Handover is a brand-new festival in a day programmed and promoted by young people, featuring dynamic events which […]

We are thrilled to welcome back the Baileys and Goldsmiths prize-winning, Man Booker shortlisted author for the next instalment in her remarkable, once-in-a-generation masterpiece, the Seasonal Quartet. Ali Smith is one of our generation’s warmest, wittiest and finest writers. ‘Transcendental writing about art, death, political lies, and all the dimensions of love’ – Deborah Levy […]

World Premiere We are primed to believe that extroverted speakers can be trusted, and that sensitivity is a weakness… but are we selling ourselves short? In her highly-anticipated solo stage show, writer and performer Hannah Jane Walker will use stories, games and poetry to investigate toughness, authority and how weakness might just be our strongest […]

Guardian journalist Aida Edemariam and award-winning writer Sinéad Gleeson present two intimate portrayals of ‘ordinary’ women who find boldness and bravery within the constraints of their bodies, time and place. Examining art, memory, gender, grief, and our ways of seeing, their writing is both deeply personal and universal in its resonance. In The Wife’s Tale, […]

Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of one of Norwich’s most iconic buildings with historical novelist Sarah Bower. Starting life as a medieval trading hall, it has a fascinating architectural and social history – and we’d love to give you a […]

Kerry Hudson is proudly working class but she was never proudly poor. The poverty she grew up in was all-encompassing, grinding and often dehumanising. Always on the move with her single mother, Kerry attended nine primary schools and five secondaries, living in B&Bs and council flats. Twenty years later, Kerry’s life is unrecognisable. She’s a prizewinning […]

with Kate Clanchy Kate Clanchy, a prize-winning poet, wants to change the world and thinks school is an excellent place to do it. In this interactive event based on her candid, funny and moving new book, she invites you to meet some of the kids she has taught in her 30-year career, and to celebrate […]

Eavesdrop on an intimate conversation between two of the most influential and critically-acclaimed writers of our day: Man Booker Prize judge and nominee Sarah Hall and New York Times/Paris Review contributor and Nabokov expert Lila Azam Zanganeh. Together, they will indulge in a no-holds-barred discussion of sex, death and everything in between. ‘The woman is […]

with Adelaide Ivánova and Rachel Long Join us for an hour of empowering conversation and beautiful poetry from Brazilian poet, activist and artist Adelaide Ivánova and her translator Rachel Long. Ivánova’s award-winning collection, The Hammer, explores the slippery, politically fraught concepts of rape, adultery, trauma and power, ultimately tracing a path of psychic survival through […]

Our greatest works of literature are often inspired by moments of seismic change. Journeying from Turkey to Iceland, award-winning travel writer Nicholas Jubber takes us on a fascinating adventure through our continent’s most enduring epic poems – from the Odyssey to Beowulf – to learn how they were shaped by their times, and how they […]

with Tom Bolton & James Meek Since the referendum in 2016, the nation has been split into two; one-half dreaming of leaving, the other of remaining. Tom Bolton (Low Country, Vanished City) and James Meek (Private Island, 2015 Orwell Prize winner) have searched the UK landscape for political folk legends and forgotten stories which may […]

Priyamvada Gopal is a senior academic and critical public figure who regularly draws attention to racism and sexism in Britain. Join her for the launch of Insurgent Empire; a timely discussion of empire and an alternative history of our country’s proud tradition of dissent. Priyamvada will be joined on stage by Chitra Ramaswamy, a freelance journalist and […]

Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of one of Norwich’s most iconic buildings with historical novelist Sarah Bower. Starting life as a medieval trading hall, it has a fascinating architectural and social history – and we’d love to give you a […]

The Harriet Martineau Lecture celebrates the legacy of a remarkable, world-changing woman by inviting globally-renowned radical writers to respond to her life and work. This year we welcome Sarah Perry, the Norwich-based author of The Essex Serpent and Melmoth. Supported by The Martineau Society. ‘Perry’s masterly piece of postmodern gothic is one of the great […]

with The Book Hive When was the last time you sat in the sun and enjoyed a good book? Join us for the first outdoor Page Against the Machine in partnership with The Book Hive and Stranger’s Hall Museum. BYOB (Bring your own book), grab a cool drink and turn off your phone for a […]

with Jan Carson and Inua Ellams Two spectacular new voices in literature transport us into wildly magical settings. The Fire Starters by Jan Carson is a tale of fierce familial love and sacrifice that fizzes with wonder. The Half-God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams is an epic story and lyrical exploration of pride, power and […]

with Andrew Cowan, S.A. Harris, Andrew McDonnell and Simon Okotie We take enormous pleasure in celebrating 20 years of Salt Publishing, one of the UK foremost independent publishers based in Cromer, Norfolk. Join us for the launch of four highly-anticipated titles; Your Fault by Andrew Cowan, Haverscroft by S.A. Harris, The Somnambulist Cookbook by Andrew […]

with Rose George Why is blood such a taboo subject? In Nine Pints, Guardian journalist and acclaimed writer Rose George begins by donating to the NHS Blood and Transport Service. From there, she spans science and politics, storytelling and global epidemics to tell an astonishing account of this life-giving substance. ‘An absorbing, vital book by […]

Come and explore the historic Dragon Hall, now home to the National Centre for Writing, and take a guided tour of one of Norwich’s most iconic buildings with historical novelist Sarah Bower. Starting life as a medieval trading hall, it has a fascinating architectural and social history – and we’d love to give you a […]

In The Spectacle of Illusion, professional magician-turned-psychologist Matthew Tompkins traces the evolution of the arts of magic and illusion. Featuring witches, magicians, illusionists, hypnotists, mediums and faith heals, Tompkins provides a taste of their tricks and how illusions have been used to sway belief and fool people. Part of the Wellcome Collection’s ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ […]

Dr Richard Shepherd is the UK’s foremost forensic pathologist, working on some of the most high-profile cases of the past 30 years such as Harold Shipman and Stephen Lawrence. Unnatural Causes is the true crime book of the year; a thoughtful, revealing, chilling and bizarre record of an extraordinary life and profession. ‘An absolutely brilliant […]

with Ian Jack and Sigrid Rausing From Nobel laureates to debut novelists, international translations to investigative journalism, Granta magazine has been publishing intelligent, ground-breaking writing for 40 years. Over the years it has featured Haruki Murakami, George Saunders, Julian Barnes, Maggie O’Farrell, Sally Rooney, Han Kang and many others. Here, Granta editor Sigrid Rausing and […]