Book Arts

Friendly book group Please remember to change your RSVP if you can't make it so someone on the waitlist can take your slot. New books chosen by popular vote and read 2 months later. We look forward to seeing you there!

Life drawing, shorter poses, experimental and fun! This session will be run by Freya Tate, a wonderful artist with a sharp eye and a playful line. The session will be life model focused but Freya will introduce chaotic elements to challenge you and move your drawing on to higher levels. You can see more of Freya’s work on Instagram: [@freyatateify](https://www.instagram.com/freyatateify/) Our studio is purpose built, spacious and well equipped with easels, drawing boards, clips and so on. We sell materials at reasonable prices so if you forget anything we should be able to help you out. We have professional lighting for the models and and full spectrum lights for the studio to give you a good experience. £15 to join us in the studio £8 to join us on Zoom. £5 for students in studio, or £12 via Zoom. Drop us an email at info@dulwichartgroup.co.uk and we will send you the discount code. To book, [please click here ](https://www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk/product/tuesday-evening-fast-poses-creative-life-drawing/)

Join us at **Craft Beer Co. Brixton** for an honest, practical panel discussion on **self-publishing**, featuring authors who’ve successfully done it and an industry expert who helps make it happen. Self-publishing can offer creative control, speed, and direct access to readers, but it also comes with big questions. In this panel Q&A, we’ll explore the self-publishing journey from multiple perspectives. Our panellists will discuss how they’ve brought their books into the world and what they’ve learnt along the way, with plenty of time for audience questions. We’ll also be joined by **Rachael Jones**, Key Account Manager at **IngramSpark**, an award-winning independent publishing platform that enables authors and publishers to produce and distribute professional print books and ebooks worldwide. Rachael will offer insight into the indie publishing landscape and explain how platforms like IngramSpark fit into the wider publishing ecosystem. **Our Panelist Authors** **Alpha M. C. Cauwenbergh** Alpha is an anomaly of the literary world. His latest novel, *The Rain: Death & All His Friends*, is the talk of book conventions up and down the country. Its diverse characters & seldom-seen narratives are surpassed in uniqueness only by the book’s design. A hybrid novel of prose and manga that could reshape the Sci-Fi Fantasy Landscape. Alpha hasn’t come to authorship from traditional literary academia but from boundless optimism and a tireless work ethic. Years of writing short fiction, poems and Haikus have cultivated an acclaimed craftsmanship in storytelling he now wants to share with the world. His book is available online, at indie bookshops across the UK & select stores in the Netherlands. **Camilla Andrew** Camilla is the award-winning indie author behind *The Essence of the Equinox*—a darkly romantic fantasy trilogy about gods, monsters, and the intoxicating power dynamics between them. Known for her poetic prose and morally complex characters, Andrew has cultivated a dedicated readership worldwide. Her work has also featured in the Cloaked Press Fall into Fantasy anthology and midnight & indigo. **Sage Abiola** Sage Abiola is a British-Nigerian technologist, artist, author and creator of *The Falliblle*. His identity has always been marked by duality: African and British. Scientific and artistic. Analytical but intuitive. That duality lies at the heart of *The Falliblle*: a high-stakes, philosophical sci-fi novel about a world that tries to eliminate failure, only to discover that without it, nothing real can grow. This story is not just fiction. It is a mirror. A way of asking: What do we lose when we chase perfection? What do we become when we forget how to fall? Whether you’re considering self-publishing, already on the indie path, or simply curious about alternative routes to publication, this panel offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from creators and industry professionals working at the heart of indie publishing today.

For those of you who've not come along before, we'll read the book, then discuss it on the night guided by questions to keep us focused. It's relaxed and good fun. We'll do this over drinks. If it's your first time, I know it can be a bit daunting, but don't worry, we'll make you very welcome and before you know it you'll be stuck in! About the Book A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys. By day, they discover fantastic wildlife and dazzling beaches, learning to survive; at night, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast. Orphaned by society, it isn't long before their innocent childhood games devolve into a savage, murderous hunt ... (The book is available to buy from various second hand outlets, on kindle, and widely available on the Surrey/Croydon Library websites)

Enjoy drawing from a different model each week Tuesday, to an eclectic compilation of sounds, in a friendly welcoming community and local artist host, Anna @LAD. These sessions are held in-person and sometimes offering an online element too, in the home of this group, in the heart of Finsbury Park in a quirky and cosy cafe setting. Sip your favourite beverage whilst drawing. This session has a midway break and vibrant friendliest atmosphere, headed by Anna Niman. All welcome to drop by and join in and draw.

**Message Graig in advance for location, usually a pub or beer garden in new cross** Come along and join some fellow writers. We'll write together and chat together. Take two hours to get creative! All you need is yourself and a pen and paper (or laptop) :) You can either work on your own project, or pick one of the provided prompts to fire your imagination.

[Follow this link to get your ticket ASAP](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/exhibition-viewing-and-curators-tours-saturday-opening-repeat-tickets-1976713996776) Join us for an in depth look at the exhibition Guildhall Library 600 where the curator will share the stories of the objects in the exhibition including their oldest book, medieval manuscripts, early printed books as well as Victorian and modern publications and why they were chosen for this exhibition. Followed by social at a nearby cafe. See comments below for updates.

Join to us to talk about Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" (1958) chronicles the life of Okonkwo, a proud, influential Igbo leader in colonial Nigeria whose life and community are torn apart by British colonialism and Christianity.

Get ready to bring your sketchbook and art supplies for a chilled café sketching session! There'll also be a movie hangout afterwards! You're free to just attend the sketching session. If you'd like to come to the movie hangout, scroll down for more info. No matter your skill level lets grab a coffee and unleash our creativity into our sketchbooks. There's no formal guidance, you'll be free to get on with your own drawings/personal art projects while being able to connect with other local artists. You're welcome to join in on the group conversations or quietly get on with your art studies whatever your preference. A few basic drawing supplies (pencils, colouring pencils, erasers etc) will be provided but please bring your own sketchbook / tablet / paper / something to draw on! After the sketching session at approx 2:30pm, we will make our way to BFI IMAX in Waterloo for 3:30pm to see **The Super Mario Galaxy Movie**. The film starts promptly at 3:30pm - approx 5:20pm. I've booked seat H11 so make sure you book a seat in or around row H! [Link to buy your ticket](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/imax/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=super-mario-galaxy-movie-2d) **(Make sure you book the 2D screening on 11th April at 3:30pm on page 4!)** Hope to see you there 👋 (Also please feel free to join even if RSVPs are full!)

#### WEDNESDAY **8/April 6.30pm** ## The Art of Crime Writing #### *with **Katherine Faulkner**, **Emily Freud** and **Mel Pennant*** #### What makes a crime story irresistible? How do writers balance motive, mystery and meaning? Following up from last's year International Women's Day event we have a female led panel where, Katherine Faulkner, Emily Freud and Mel Pennant will delve into the art of crime writing — from building tension and crafting unforgettable characters to reflecting social currents in fiction that keeps us turning pages late into the night. Hear how they approach plot twists, moral ambiguity and the genre’s endless capacity to surprise. This event is funded by the Arts Council and is free to attend

This Month's Book: *On A Sunbeam* by Tillie Walden Join us for discussion at the Granville Public Library from 6 to 7pm. Follow us on Instagram: @granvillepridebookclub

* Second ever book club! April meet up. All are welcome. * The book will be Play Nice by Rachel Harrison (determined by votes from March Book Club. Let me know if you’d like a free digital copy of the book) * This event will be at the main library, meeting room 1B, the location will not be changed for this event due to the number of people attending, we will just add more chairs if needed! * Feel free to come whether or not you’ve started or finished the book ◡̈ * Small snacks will be provided. You’re welcome to bring your own snacks & drinks too! Starting in June I will try to keep future book clubs at the Dublin Library. Now that I understand their reservation system, I will be on top of it with booking that location as soon as the date is released for the month. Thanks for your understanding with the varying locations in the meantime.

**Our April novel is: *The Hong Kong Widow* by Kristen Loesch** **This month’s novel blends gothic atmosphere with historical fiction and chilling horror, set against the haunting backdrop of China. The book is 368 pages in print and 10 hours and 42 minutes on audiobook.** In 1950s Hong Kong, Mei is a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation—to take part in a competition in one of the city's most notorious haunted houses, pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a single winner emerges—she has every reason to refuse. Except that the hostess, a former Shanghainese silent film star, is none other than the wife of the man who once destroyed Mei’s entire life. It is promised the winner will receive a fortune, but there is only one prize Mei wants: revenge. Decades later, the final night of that competition has become an infamous urban legend: The police were called to the scene of a brutal massacre but found no evidence, dismissing it as a collective hallucination. Mei knows what she saw, but now someone else is convinced they know what she did. She must uncover the truth about the last night she ever spent in that house—even if the ghosts of her past are waiting for her there. . . .

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services)

Let's bedazzle some books while we discuss our April pick: Bloodguard by Cecy Robson! Book description: One hundred years. Tens of thousands of gladiators. And today, only one will rise… Everything in the Kingdom of Arrow is a lie. Leith of Grey thought coming to this new land and volunteering to fight in the gladiator arena—vicious, bloodthirsty tournaments where only the strongest survive—would earn him enough gold to save his dying sister. He thought there was nothing left to lose. He was wrong—and they took everything. His hope. His freedom. His very humanity. All Leith has left is his battle-scarred body, fueled by rage and hardened from years of fighting for the right to live another day. Then Leith meets Maeve, an elven royal who is everything he despises. Everything he should hate. Until the alluring princess offers him the one thing he needs most: a chance to win the coveted title of Bloodguard—and his freedom. But in a kingdom built on secrets and lies, hope doesn’t come cheap. Nor will his ultimate revenge… Event: Please bring your own book, journal, bookmarks, etc to bedazzle. If you have bedazzling supplies, please bring them as well. I will supply gems, glue, and picker tools, but if you have certain colors in mind, you may want to bring your own.

**We are expanding our creative programming opportunities with Queer Quills, a quiet writing and sharing space. Queer Quills features some prompts, supplies and friendly faces to help get some inspiration or feedback for your writing. Hope to see you there!**