What's On

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 […]

Featuring Claire Hynes, Julianne Pachico & Sandy Pool Join us for UEA Live – a season of free literature events where we showcase the very best of UEA’s past, present and future literary talent. Our headline authors are supported by writers from across the current UEA Creative Writing programmes. Grab a drink from the bar, […]

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 […]

It happens every day, and all of us have been affected by it. But why is death and dying a taboo topic? Is there hope beyond the grief? Rachel Clarke, writer and clinical specialist in palliative medicine will be giving a personal and moving account of her experiences in end of life care; UEA’s Dr […]

National Centre for Writing has partnered with Creative Future to host free creative writing workshops for people who might otherwise not have access due to mental health issues, disability, identity or other social circumstance. Come to as many as you wish – all offer something different. There will be six workshops in Norwich running from […]

Each month, we open our doors for an informal, friendly drop-in evening of conversation, ideas and support. Open to anyone who makes, reads and works with words, the Dragon Hall Social is an opportunity to grab a drink from the bar, meet people, cook up plans and compare notes, to talk books, and to hear […]

Appearing in Norwich as part of a limited run of UK events. Jenny Offill is the author of Dept. of Speculation (which was shortlisted for the Folio Prize and the International Dublin Award) and Last Things (a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the L.A. Times First Book Award). […]

Meet Estonian novelist, poet and musician Vahur Afanasjev, who will be our writer in residence in March as part of our residency exchange with Tartu UNESCO City of Literature. Vahur is the author of the award-winning ‘Serafima and Bogdan’, a bloody, funny and surreal family saga about the Russian Old Believer minority in Estonia. In […]

The biggest gift you can give your writing is time. Join us after work each month for a free drop-in writing session! We’ll start off with a prompted 10-minute free-write, before 50 minutes uninterrupted writing time, followed by a final half-hour of mingling. Bring your favourite notebook or your laptop, and we’ll bring the tea […]

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 […]

This two-hour workshop offers young people aged 9 – 12 years the time to explore their writing skills through fun, engaging prompts and activities – whether it’s poetry, prose or any other kind of writing they wish to develop! They will then have some uninterrupted time to get words onto the page with the support […]

The European Poetry Festival returns to Norwich! An event celebrating literary poetry, avant-garde performance and the potentials of collaboration, pairing some of the finest poets of the thriving Norwich poetry scene with writers visiting from nations across Europe. New works made for the night spanning languages, literatures and the European continent. George Szirtes and Helen […]

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 […]

Meet one of Belgium’s leading young adult novelists, Els Beerten, who will be in Norwich as part of our exchange with Passa Porta International House of Literature in Brussels. Els Beerten has been widely translated and has received several awards. Her most successful novel is We All Want Heaven. During her time in Norwich, Els […]

The biggest gift you can give your writing is time. Join us after work each month for a free drop-in writing session! We’ll start off with a prompted 10-minute free-write, before 50 minutes uninterrupted writing time, followed by a final half-hour of mingling. Bring your favourite notebook or your laptop, and we’ll bring the tea […]

Featuring Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ & Molly Naylor Join us for UEA Live – a season of free literature events where we showcase the very best of UEA’s past, present and future literary talent. Our headline authors are supported by writers from across the current UEA Creative Writing programmes. Grab a drink from the bar, browse books and settle in […]

Join us and share your passion for reading! Every three months we will meet over tea and biscuits to discuss some of the best works in contemporary literature. We’ll explore short stories, novels, non-fiction, poetry, and works in translation, making these informal and friendly sessions the perfect way to meet like-minded readers and to discover […]

Monday 18 – Sunday 24 May A creative, interactive experience not to be missed – A Delicate Sight includes a film, exhibition and guided creative activity. This unique experiential event invites you to engage with what happens beyond the visible and place darkness at the centre of your perception. Enter the dark room installation and […]

A special behind-the-scenes look at the creation of ‘A Delicate Sight’ and the relationship between visual art and words. With artist and producer Sam Winston, and Max Porter, the award-winning author of Grief is the Thing With Feathers and Lanny. ‘A Delicate Sight’ will run from Monday 18 – Sunday 24 May. Book your tickets […]

Friday 22 & Saturday 23 May Do you have a poem that has been a friend to you? Come along to Dragon Hall for a friendly, individual chat about your chosen poem and a cup of tea with The Poetry Exchange podcast team. In exchange, you’ll receive a gift: a special recording of your chosen […]

Humans are the most inquisitive, emotional, imaginative, aggressive and baffling animals on the planet, but how well do we really know ourselves? Through a blend of natural and environmental history and philosophy, award-winning researcher and writer Melanie Challenger argues that at the heart of human psychology is a profound struggle with being animal. A remarkable […]

Exceptional times call for exceptional writers. Award-winning poet, novelist and playwright Owen Sheers (‘a prodigiously talented writer’ – New York Times) reveals his selection of ten incredible, socially engaged writers who write to reflect on and hopefully change our times. Owen will be joined on stage by three of these writers as he explores what […]

A UNESCO City of Literature walking tour with Keiron Pim Experience Norwich with fresh eyes and uncover the layers of stories embedded within its walls by taking a literary walking tour of the city, led by biographer and journalist Keiron Pim (Jumpin’ Jack Flash – a Guardian Book of the Year). Includes a free copy […]

The foundations upon which our democracies stand are inherently flawed, vulnerable to corrosion from within. What is the remedy? Join internationally renowned philosopher A. C. Grayling as he makes a powerful case for a clear, consistent, principled and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary – among them addressing the imbalance of power between […]

What does it mean to create and live as an artist? A fascinating glimpse into the daily process of making and writing from Sara Baume (Spill Simmer Falter Wither) and Elizabeth Macneal (The Doll Factory). Through writing, sculpture and ceramics, they will offer reflections on isolation, motivation, nature and beauty. Sara is a sculptor and […]

The Baileys and Goldsmiths prize-winning, Man-Booker shortlisted author returns to Norwich with the unmissable finale to her dazzling literary tour de force, the Seasonal Quartet. Summer is a bold and brilliant novel that captures the state of our nation with burning immediacy. Ali will be in conversation with Chris Gribble, Chief Executive of the National […]

Join us for a celebration of Norfolk’s close relationship to the Low Countries – both geographically and through our history of trade and arts – through the work of some of the most exciting Dutch writers working today. Supported by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and New Dutch Writing Get £1.00 off each ticket This […]

A unique event in which the Royal Society of Literature will present two of the most exciting writers working in the UK today, who would not normally share a stage, to discuss the role of the writer in uncertain political times. Expect lively discussion and fascinating insight into the pressures and pleasures of the writing […]

Acclaimed writer and critic Olivia Laing makes a brilliant case for why art matters, especially in the turbulent political weather of the twenty-first century. Through her latest book, Funny Weather, Laing brings together a career’s worth of writing about art and culture, examining its role in our political and emotional lives. She profiles Jean-Michel Basquiat […]

Home to the National Centre for Writing 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 – […]

The Harriet Martineau Lecture celebrates the legacy of a remarkable, world-changing woman by inviting globally-renowned radical speakers to respond to her life and work. This year we welcome Ellah P. Wakatama, literary critic and Editor-at-large for Canongate fiction. The first Harriet Martineau Lecture was delivered by Ali Smith in May 2013 and featured a call […]

When was the last time you sat in the sun and enjoyed a good book? Join us for a special outdoor Page Against the Machine, in partnership with The Book Hive. BYOB (Bring your own book), grab a cool drink and turn off your phone for a well-deserved detox read in the secluded surroundings of […]

with Jenny Knight, Eva Verde & Cathy Rentzenbrink Jenny Knight and Eva Verde both featured in the celebrated anthology Common People: An Anthology of Working Class Writers, edited by Kit de Waal. Together, they will explore common themes of loss and love in their writing, and the process of working towards their full-length debuts. Jenny […]

A UNESCO City of Literature walking tour with Hugh Aldersey-Williams Experience Norwich with fresh eyes and discover the extraordinary life of one of its greatest residents, the polymath Thomas Browne. A literary walking tour led by writer and creator Hugh Aldersey-Williams (The Adventures of Sir Thomas Browne in the 21st Century). Includes a free copy […]

with Sam Jordison, Eloise Millar, Alex Pheby & Preti Taneja Galley Beggar Press is the ‘revolutionary’ (Telegraph) Norwich-based independent publisher taking the literary awards circuit by storm. Co-founders Sam Jordison and Eloise Millar are joined by prize-winning Alex Pheby, author of Lucia (2019 Republic of Consciousness Prize) and Preti Taneja, author of We That Are […]

Celebrating the launch of the Writing Places anthology and chapbook An examination of two very different cities that are both home to radical re-thinkers of the literary arts. Our guest speakers will explore writing and place through the lens of two new publications; Writing Places (edited by Arunava Sinha, published by Seagull Books in Kolkata); […]

with Anjali Joseph, Preti Taneja & Evie Wyld Who decides what is prize-worthy, and how does prize culture fit within the state of society today? We’re joined by Anjali Joseph, Preti Taneja and Evie Wyld to discuss and debate whether the current prize model is working, and how judges may need to adapt in order […]

Tim Dee, BBC producer, nature writer and birdwatcher, makes a remarkable journey in step with the Spring season and its migratory birds. After South Africa, we follow European migrants staging in Chad and Ethiopia, and on across the colossal and incomprehensible Sahara. We accompany storks venturing the Straits of Gibraltar, honey buzzards dodging Sicilian hunters, […]

Celebrated nature writer and Guardian columnist Patrick Barkham draws on his own experience as a parent and a forest school volunteer to explore the relationship between children and nature. Unfolding over the course of a year of snowsuits, muddy wellies, and sunhats, his book Wild Child: Coming Home to Nature is both an intimate story […]

with Mieko Kawakami and Sayaka Murata Two of the most celebrated writers in Japan today discuss their writing and the portrayal of womanhood and the female body in contemporary Japan. Murata’s Convenience Store Woman was one of the hottest Japanese fiction releases of 2018, and Kawakami has been singled out as a favourite of Haruki […]

The biggest gift you can give your writing is time. Join us after work each month for a free drop-in writing session! We’ll start off with a prompted 10-minute free-write, before 50 minutes uninterrupted writing time, followed by a final half-hour of mingling. Bring your favourite notebook or your laptop, and we’ll bring the tea […]