Until 1965, Wanstead was truly a part of Essex, and even now there are tell-tale signs all around us of a time before it became part of a London borough. In the 1980s, though, Essex became the stuff of tabloid headlines, supposed stereotypes and populist politics. Author Tim Burrows, in his book The Invention of … Continue reading "Wanstead Book Festival presents: Tim Burrows"
Parents have plenty of worries to occupy their minds… how to deal deal with anxiety, peer pressure, phones, stress. And that’s just the parents – children face a whole load … Continue reading "How to be the Grown-Up: Wanstead Book Festival presents Martha Deiros Collado"
NB. THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Ticket-holders will be contacted by email. Death of a Bookseller has become a hit novel in the past year but unlike many popular crime … Continue reading "Death of a Bookseller: Wanstead Book Festival presents Alice Slater"
Next year marks 10 years since Geraldine Roberts’ book The Angel and the Cad revived a generation’s interest in the tragedy of Wanstead House. Historian Hannah Armstrong, author of Wanstead … Continue reading "The Angel, The Cad and The House: Wanstead Book Festival presents Geraldine Roberts and Hannah Armstrong"
In the first Wanstead Book Festival Family Book Day, staged jointly as part of Redbridge Libraries’ Fabula festival, a day of fun, stories and books for children. 11.30am Celebrated … Continue reading "Family Book Day featuring Tola Okogwu, Supertato and Joseph Elliott"
Philosopher Julian Baggini has for two decades demystified the role of philosophy in public life, discussing in clear and easy-to-understand terms the principles behind some of our modern dilemmas. In … Continue reading "How The World Eats: Wanstead Book Festival presents Julian Baggini"
From Captain Scott to JFK, from Mother Teresa to Che Guevara, Otto English’s Fake Heroes debunks conventional wisdom about some of history’s biggest names, bringint to light some of the darker truths they would rather have kept buried, while also celebrating unsung heroes. Otto English, aka journalist Andrew Scott, has become one of the country’s … Continue reading "Fake Heroes: Wanstead Book Festival presents Otto English"
New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin tells the story of a scandalous love affair between the most celebrated opera singer in history, Maria Callas, and one of the richest men in the world. Callas’s glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty made her the toast of opera houses all over the … Continue reading "Diva: Wanstead Book Festival presents Daisy Goodwin"
Paul Sinha is an award-winning comedian, a quizzing mastermind and a happily-married husband. But for much of his life none of these seemed remotely imaginable. As a boy, Paul struggled … Continue reading "One Sinha Lifetime: Wanstead Book Festival presents Paul Sinha"
A free talk by a local writer David Fulton on the disappearance of Yugoslavia, looking at the country’s diversity (ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural). After dealing lightly with these issues … Continue reading "Whatever Happened to Yugoslavia?"
Since 2017, the UK has seen 15 terrible terrorist attacks. But the atrocities we see on our BBC news alerts are the tip of an iceberg – at least twice … Continue reading "Plotters: Wanstead Book Festival presents Lizzie Dearden"
Event Postponed: Unfortunately, our host John Rogers is unable to attend due to medical reasons. This event will be rescheduled and all ticket holders offered a transfer or refund (look … Continue reading "Pariah Genius: Wanstead Book Festival presents Iain Sinclair"
Last year, Patrick Marlowe told three ghost stories to an audience of the living and the dead in St Mary’s churchyard. This year, he’s back, and his thoughts have turned … Continue reading "Crime Stories with Patrick Marlowe"
