Sebastian Faulks, Zadie Smith, Michel Roux, and Shazia Mirza are among the top names appearing at the Queen's Park Book Festival.
Tickets are on sale now for the annual festival which takes place in several big tents in the park from September 2 and 3, with a feast of poetry, community events, comedy and book talks.
Local writers taking part include Smith, who grew up between Willesden and Kilburn and still lives nearby. She will discuss her first historical novel The Fraud, set in 1870s Kilburn and Jamaica, which explores contested versions of the truth as a widowed housekeeper and a former slave have very different perspectives on the famous ‘Tichborne Claimant’ trial.
Birdsong and Charlotte Gray author Faulks shares his latest book The Seventh Son, set in the ethically murky world of experimental IVF and surrogacy, and BBC Health Editor Hugh Pym asks former BBC technology corespondent Rory Cellan Jones about his personal memoir Ruskin Park.
And art teacher Andria Zafirakou, who went to school in Brent and Camden, won the $1million 2018 Global Teacher Prize and is deputy head at Alperton Community School. She has interviewed 30 of the world's best teachers for Lessons in Life which shares their insight on what makes successful, happy children.
Festival director Thomas Du Plessis said: "The lineup in this year's festival is really exciting. We've got two local heroes, teacher Andria Zafirakou and novelist Zadie Smith opening and closing the festival. In between, a host of authors, poets, chefs, journalists and comedians will inspire the festival. Among many others, we are delighted to welcome best selling novelist Sebastian Faulks, Michelin starred chef Michel Roux, journalists Rory Cellan-Jones, Tomiwa Owolade, Kenan Malik, Polly Toynbee and Daniel Finkelstein, baker Matt Adlard and former senior diplomat Catherine Ashton."
He said for the "first time ever" there were children's events with Rob Biddulph and Christopher Edge appearing at family friendly morning sessions, and a night of Comedy with Shazia Mirza, Otiz Cannelloni, Mike Gunn, and Mark Maier.
"Our Saturday comedy night, features four outstanding comedians to keep you entertained. As ever, our free community tent will be brimming with extraordinary local talent throughout the weekend. The festival is now an established cultural event, supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, local organisations and a fantastic team of volunteers who make it happen. I'm so proud to be hosting the event once again in our beautiful park."
Chocolate mousse, mussels Provencal, and spiced lamb shoulder with couscous are among the everyday French family recipes celebated by Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Michel Roux in his latest cook book At Home. He talks about his life and the joy of home cooking with The Guardian food critic and Kitchen Cabinet presenter Jay Rayner.
Queens Park locals Alex and Marcus Lewis discuss their book and documentary film Tell Me Who I Am? the moving tale of how Marcus helped his twin reconstruct his memory after a motorcycle accident leaving out the traumatic knowledge of their childhood abuse.
Elsewhere Intagram and YouTube baker Matt Adlard shares his baking tips; Political commentator Daniel Finkelstein discusses his family memoir, Hitler, Stalin Mum and Dad, and two writers challenge notions of race; Omiwa Owolade’s This is Not America provides a humane, passionate argument for understanding race in Britain today, while Kenan Malik takes a long view in Not So Black and White, upending assumptions that underpin the debate around race and culture.
Queen's Park author Elizabeth Freemantle, who writes Tudor historical novels will discuss how her book The Queen's Gambit has been turned into major new movie Firebrand starring Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr and Jude Law as Henry VIII. Her latest Disobedient, is about one of history's great survivors the artist Artemisia Gentileschi.
The community tent features free events including Brent Performance poets Sharmay Mitchell, Basmah Mohamed, Lashay Green and AMD Speaks, a comedy fundraiser for local refugee charity Salusbury World, a talk about the famous folk laid to rest at Paddington Cemetery, Willesden Jewish Cemetery and Kensal Rise, and a quartet of Queen's Park poets and writers.
The Queen's Park Book Festival 2023 runs September 2-3.
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