Regional Events in London during Independent Bookshop Week 2023

With nearly 700 independent bookshops confirmed to take part, celebrations taking place up and down the country include a special event with IBW Ambassador Rev Richard Coles in conversation with Clare Mackintosh, a bookshop-led fundraising event for Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home, the Independent Bookshop Week children’s bag features artwork by Cressida Cowell to mark 20 years of How to Train Your Dragon, the return of the Indie Bookshop Week BookTok Tour with participating BookTokers from across the country, a full festival line-up as part of the Brighton Book Festival, and much more.

The line-up for IBW 2023 includes:

BOOKSHOP EVENTS
Rev Richard Coles will be visiting the following bookshops during IBW:
Plackitt & Booth on Monday 19 June – literary lunch at Fylde Rugby Club
Lingham’s Bookshop on Monday 19 June – evening event in conversation with Clare Mackintosh at Thornton Hall Hotel and Spa
Jarrolds Bookshop on Tuesday 20 June – evening event at Norwich Cathedral
Toppings Ely on Wednesday 21 June – evening event at Ely Cathedral
John Patrick Green, creator of the brilliant comic book series InvestiGators, is visiting the UK and Republic of Ireland for the first time during Independent Bookshop Week. His UK tour includes 14 events and signings organised by 9 independent bookshops, as well as a virtual multi-school event hosted by Village Books. On the eve of IBW, Friday 16 June, he’ll be doing a schools event with Village Books and an after-school signing with The Alligator’s Mouth. On Saturday 17 June he’ll be with Regency Bookshop in Surbiton. He will be spending a day with Mostly Books in Abingdon doing school visits and a special in-store signing after school on Monday 19 June, and then doing school events in Hertfordshire with Book Nook in Ware and Our Bookshop in Tring on Tuesday 20 June.
Lindum Books in Lincoln will host an event for Ben Kane on Thursday 22 June at 7pm in the auditorium of Lincoln Museum. Ben will be talking about his new historical fiction title Napoleon’s Spy. Tickets will be on sale from £7, book & ticket deals available, from the shop and online here.
Night Owl Books in East Linton will be organising a special fundraising event during Independent Bookshop Week in support of Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home. They’ll be joined at East Linton’s Community Hall by author Alex Howard for a Q&A about his new novel The Ghost Cat, followed by a book signing. Night Owl are also hosting a French language book club on Thursday 22 June at 8pm to discuss Petit Pays by Gaël Faye. More details here.
The Heath Bookshop (Birmingham) have best-selling author Claire Fuller visiting for the evening of Saturday 24 June. More info here.
Afrori Books and The Feminist Bookshop are bringing back their Brighton Book Festival (Tuesday 20 – Sunday 25 June), with several events during IBW including:
The event “Resistance is Futile?” will take place online on Tuesday 20 June at 5:30-7pm, featuring Kajal Odedra, author of Do Something: Activism for Everyone; comedian, podcaster and author of Main Character Energy, Fats Timbo; and Vicky Spratt, journalist, documentary maker and author of Tenants: The People on the Frontline of Britain’s Housing Emergency. Tickets can be purchased here
“Supper Club” will take place on Tuesday 20 June, 7-10pm, at Afrori Books featuring Lerato sharing her cookbook Africana. Tickets can be purchased here
“Performing Our Stories” will take place on Wednesday 21 June, 7:30-10pm, at Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts, featuring Irenosen Okojie, Laura Bates and Helen Trevorrow. Tickets can be purchased here
“Real Life Dystopia” will take place online on Thursday 22 June at 5:30-7pm. Tickets can be purchased here
“Windrush 75th Anniversary Celebration” will take place on Thursday 22 June, 7:30-10pm, at Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts, featuring Louise Hare, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, Colin Grant and Roy McFarlane. Tickets can be purchased here
“Poetry Workshop” will take place on Friday 23 June, 5-7pm, at Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts, hosted by Roy McFarlane and AFLO. Tickets can be purchased here
“Poetry Café” will take place on Friday 23 June, 7:30-9:30, at Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts, hosted by Roy McFarlane and joined by Salena Godden, Nii Ayikwei Parkes and Ty’rone Haughton. Tickets can be purchased here
“Family Festival” will take place on Saturday 24 June, 10-12:30pm, at Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts, joined in the Afrori Books Craft team, Marvyn Harrison, Joelle Avelino, Greg Stobbs, Patrice Lawrence and Venessa Taylor. Tickets can be purchased here
“Emerging Authors Showcase” will take place on Saturday 24 June, 1:30-3:30pm, at Brighton CCA, with debut authors across different genres. Tickets can be purchased here
“Who Cares About Education?” will take place on Saturday 24 June, 1:30-3pm, at Brighton CCA, with speakers including Sarah Wordlaw Natalie, Naomi Evans and Abha Aggarwal. Tickets can be purchased here
“Help Yourself” will take place on Saturday 24 June, 3:30-5pm, at Brighton CCA, with speakers including Indie Foolheea, Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, Donna Noble and Ione Gamble. Tickets can be purchased here
“You Cannot Be Series” will take place on Saturday 24 June, 5:30-7, at Brighton CCA, with speakers including Ore Agbaje-Williams, Maame Blue and Talia Hibbert. Tickets can be purchased here
“Boyz 2 Men” will take place on Saturday 24 June, 8-10pm, at Brighton CCA, with speakers including Iggy London, Okechukwu Nzelu, Yomi Sode and Stephen Buoro Tickets can be purchased here

ONLINE CELEBRTATIONS
Coming back for its second year, the Independent Bookshop Week BookTok Tour will see BookTokers across the UK celebrating IBW and sharing content from their favourite independent bookshop. Participating influencers hail from Coventry, Stockport, Kirkcaldy (Scotland), Northumberland, Lincoln, Bridgend, Hertfordshire, Hertford and Norwich.

Confirmed influencers set to take part include anya.reads (73.7K followers), emilymiahreads (63.8K followers), erinsandrews (60.4K followers), whatbritreads (54.2K followers), exlibrisjessica (37.5K followers), readwithhayls (33.4K followers), readwithmeg (24.1K followers), joe.reads (22.6K followers), tiggybooks (7K followers).

Meanwhile, Bookshop.org, the online bookstore on a mission to celebrate independent bookshops in the UK, will be offering free shipping on any purchases made on the website the last weekend of IBW, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 June 2023.

Rev Richard Coles, said: “One of the many enjoyable things about publishing my debut novel Murder Before Evensong last year was getting out to meet lots of independent booksellers all over the country. Seeing their amazing window displays, tables and stacks of books was so heartening – I feel very lucky! So I am excited to visit more shops this time around when A Death In The Parish is published in June during Independent Bookshop Week.

It takes off some months after the end of the previous book, as the parish is expanded and Canon Daniel Clement has to wrestle with a difficult new colleague. But there’s also something going on with his mother Audrey, and then there’s the shock of a bizarre ritualistic murder in the parish, which Daniel will help to solve. Plus, cats as well as dogs this time! “

Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the Booksellers Association, said: “We’re delighted to have so many incredible events confirmed for Independent Bookshop Week 2023, with many more in the pipeline. With the number of UK independent bookshops at a ten-year high, we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone, and no doubt independent booksellers will know how to make the week extra special. There will be something for everyone, so we encourage all book-lovers to make the most of this week that brings the wonderful indies together”.

Follow the latest developments via social media: #IndieBookshopWeek @BooksAreMyBag