Top Authors Announced to Appear at the Ealing Book Festival
Line up includes Hanif Kureishi, Elif Shafak and Tracy Chevalier
Authors clockwise from top left: Hanif Kureishi, Elif Shafak, Andrew O'Hagan and Tracy Chevalier
February 25, 2025
This year’s Ealing Book Festival is set to feature a line-up of internationally acclaimed authors and tickets are now on sale for the event.
The programme includes talks from Hanif Kureishi, Elif Shafak, Andrew O’Hagan, Tracy Chevalier, Roger McGough, Natasha Brown, Abi Daré and Laura Cumming, alongside a wide range of other events including walking tours, workshops and a children’s poetry competition
The second ever festival runs from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 April 2025 and is being run in partnership with Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery which will host many of the events along with the University of West London.
Hanif Kureishi, best known as the author of The Buddha of Suburbia and My Beautiful Laundrette, will talk about his new memoir Shattered which charts the devastation and rebuilding of his life after a fall in 2022 left him without the use of his limbs.
Tracy Chevalier, the best-selling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring, will discuss the inspiration behind her new novel The Glassmaker, which features a female glassblower working in Venice in the fifteenth century at a time when women were not allowed to work with glass.
Booker Prize shortlisted British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak will talk about her latest novel There Are Rivers in the Sky, a sweeping story of love and loss, memory and erasure, hurt and healing set between the 19th century and modern times.
Three-time Booker nominee Andrew O’Hagan will discuss his state-of-the-nation epic Caledonian Road which offers a panoramic view of contemporary British life.
Poet, performer and broadcaster Roger McGough who has published over 100 poetry books for adults and children will perform work from his new book Collected Poems 1959 to 2024.
Natasha Brown, who was named as a Granta ‘Best of Young British Novelist’ in 2023, will talk about her new novel Universality and bestselling British-Nigerian author Abi Daré, who wrote The Girl with the Louding Voice, will discuss the inspiration behind her new novel And So I Roar.
Non-fiction events include an illustrated talk from Laura Cumming, chief art critic of the Observer, about her latest book Thunderclap: A Memoir of Life and Art and Sudden Death which uncovers the story of the 1654 gunpowder explosion in Holland which killed Carel Fabritius, renowned painter of The Goldfinch.
Legendary music producer, writer and record label boss Joe Boyd will speak about his new book And the Roots of Rhythm Remain with Mark Cooper, co-creator and founding producer of Later... With Jools Holland.
Award-winning historian Anne Sebba will introduce her book The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz which unravels the astonishing tale of an orchestra of female prisoners that was formed in Auschwitz-Birkenau during the Second World War.
The inaugural Huntley Archive Talk will feature Lanre Bakare talking about his book We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain. Lanre will be in conversation with Guyanese-born British journalist Juliet Alexander, a trustee of the Huntley Archive which celebrates the work of Eric and Jessica Huntley who founded one of Britain's first Black bookshops in West Ealing 50 years ago.
Architect and interior designer Ben Pentreath will talk about some of his key projects, revealing how he draws inspiration from Sir John Soane and other great names of eighteenth and nineteenth century British architecture and Simon Pollock will be discussing I Love Suburbia which tells the overlooked stories of the people and buildings of suburbia.
A full children’s programme will run during the Festival, with events including former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq, who grew up in Ealing, will leading an invited schools-only event where she will talk about her Cookie series which features chaotic family life and madcap schools science projects. Bestselling author and Ealing resident Sam Copeland will reveal all about Axel vs Axel: The Impossible Quests, his latest book for 8 to 11 year olds and the author and illustrator of the Mr Panda series and The Queen's Hat collection Steve Antony leads a raucous, interactive, and creative session based on his wonderful book Rainbowsaurus for ages 3-6 years old.
The Ealing Book Festival 2025 programme also includes insights about the journey to publication, from tips on writing and information on what publishers and agents are currently looking for, to the right way to pitch and market in our From Page To Pitch To Publication session with Curtis Brown literary agent Gordon Wise, bestselling novelist Alex Gerlis, debut author Nussaibah Younis and Simon & Schuster UK publicity director Sabah Khan.
There will be a creative writing workshop on the theme of 'My story, my future' led by local artist and storyteller Narvir Singh, whose work has been widely exhibited in UK museums and galleries and the lively Local Authors’ Showcase will return and promises to be another entertaining evening showcasing the best writing talent that Ealing has to offer.
The ever-popular Ealing Book Festival Guided Walk returns offering offers insights into the history of Ealing as a source of literary and cultural inspiration, taking in icons such as Agatha Christie and the author of the Billy Bunter series, as well as highlights from the world of film, rock music and opera. A children’s poetry and illustration competition on the theme of ‘My story, my future’ which invites young writers to get creative and offers an opportunity to win prizes and have work shown at Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery.
Catherine Jaquiss, Chair, Ealing Book Festival, said, “Last year’s inaugural Ealing Book Festival exceeded our expectations and we are confident that the exciting events we have programmed for 2025 will delight audiences again this year. We are delighted to be able to offer such an inspiring programme for book enthusiasts and cultural lovers alike which reflects the diversity of our vibrant borough. A year ago many of our events sold out so we recommend buying your tickets early. We can’t wait to see you there!”
To book tickets visit: ealingbookfestival.com.
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