First Authors Announced For This Year's Chiswick Book Festival

Line up includes Nina Stibbe, Paula Hawkins, Sophie Hannah

Nina Stibbe, whose hit memoir Love, Nina is currently being serialised on BBC One, will appear at this year’s Chiswick Book Festival, talking about her new novel, Paradise Lodge.

She’s one of over a dozen best-selling authors unveiled this week, ahead of the full Chiswick programme announcement in July. The Festival takes place from 15-19 September 2016.

Paula Hawkins and SJ Watson will discuss the filming of The Girl on A Train and Before I Go To Sleep. Daisy Goodwin, who has written ITV’s major new drama series about the young Queen Victoria, will talk with AN Wilson, whose biography of Victoria is now in paperback.

And there’ll be an appearance by the How It Works ‘Ladybird’ authors Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, whose books have dominated the best-seller charts for week after week and will have more titles out this Autumn.

They’ll be joining: Jill Dawson, Janet Ellis, George Goodwin, Sophie Hannah, Santa Montefiore, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Alison Weir, Dame Jacqueline Wilson and many other authors in Chiswick in September

Since its inception in 2009, the Chiswick Book Festival has established itself as one of London’s most welcoming and well-attended festivals, attracting a stellar line-up of adult and children’s authors. This year’s programme is no exception; more than 50 writers will be speaking on a wide range of topics, including fiction, history, politics, food, crime, memoir, and biography.

The programme runs over five days at venues including Chiswick Library, The Tabard Theatre and the beautiful setting of Chiswick House and Gardens, where Queen Victoria held a Royal Garden Party in the 1870s with her son, the Prince of Wales. That will be the venue for the opening event with Daisy Goodwin and AN Wilson on the evening of Thursday September 15th.

This year’s programme is the first to be compiled by Chiswick’s new author programme director, Jo James. She said: “I’m really excited about this year’s line up so far; we’ve got a wonderful mix of best-selling authors and fresh talent , plus lots of fun, family events.”

Now in its eighth year, the Chiswick Book Festival is a non-profit making community event. It has raised over £50,000 for St Michael & All Angels Church, which hosts the Festival, and its chosen charities, which support reading and literacy. This year the CBF will continue to support:

RNIB Talking Book Service and Books for Children, supporting blind and partially sighted people. The Festival has paid for the recording of more than half a dozen Talking Books, including Parade’s End by Ford Maddox Ford and others by previous CBF speakers Claire Tomalin, Rosamund Lupton and Andy McNab. The most recent are Mary Berry’s Absolute Favourites, Helen Keller’s The Story of My Life, and Widows, by Lynda La Plante.

InterAct Stroke Support: the Festival has helped to fund its work at Charing Cross Hospital, where professional actors read to stroke patients, contributing some two months of reading each year.

Doorstep Library, which brings books and the magic of reading directly to the homes of children in some of London’s most disadvantaged areas. Its work improves not just reading skills, but confidence, academic performance and long-term employment prospects.

The on-site Festival bookshop will be run by Waterstones Chiswick.
For further information visit: www.chiswickbookfestival.net

June 2, 2016