I will be putting Ian McEwan Under the Covers on 1st February at The London Library, delving into the books that made him the man and the writer he is today.

I'll be starting a new term of acrylic art classes on October 3rd and 6th, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Looking out of windows, through port-holes, into tiny places, out to vast spaces, inside the mind and out through the eye, diving deep into a kernel, under and overground, alfresco and interior, and generally having fun with acrylic paint!

I'll be starting a new term of acrylic art classes on October 3rd and 6th, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Looking out of windows, through port-holes, into tiny places, out to vast spaces, inside the mind and out through the eye, diving deep into a kernel, under and overground, alfresco and interior, and generally having fun with acrylic paint!

Gardens in Literature — Part of Damian Barr’s Literary Salon.

What are your favourite gardens in literature? Join me for some secret and enchanted bowers.

Keys in literature.

The key to it all is to be found in a book. From the key to the Secret Garden, to the safe-key in the Da Vinci Code, to flying keys and magical keys, I'm going to open all kinds of doors with fictional keys this evening.

Holes in literature.

Books are full of holes - black holes, white holes, metaphorical holes and bullet holes; holes in your head - plot holes and pot holes. Let's take a trip down the rutted lanes of literature and see how many holes we can stumble down together, but come back to tell the tale.

Rescues in Literature.

Help! We all love a rescue! Join me this evening for the best rescues in novels, from superhero rescues to psychological rescues, children's books, rescues of yourself or your best friend, to fairy tales and rescue dogs.

Earth Day is just around the corner. As part of Damian Barr’s Literary Salon I will be celebrating the triumph of the Earth in Literature tonight.

Imposters — we all feel like one sometimes. Join me tonight for some excellent japes with characters who pretend to be someone - or something - they’re not.

Bibliotherapy at Much Ado Bookshop, Alfriston.

I will be advising punters about what to read at the fantastic Much Ado Bookshop. Come along for an April Fool’s Day prescription or buy one for a friend or loved one!

I’m bringing my illuminating Under the Covers series of talks to The London Library for the first time, with acclaimed novelist, classicist, broadcaster and comedian, Natalie Haynes.

This week I’ll be delving into books that take you into the woods . . . and sometimes leave you there.

For Women's History Month, I'll be celebrating women writers on Damian Barr's Literary Salon Facebook and Instagram. (Rescheduled because I was ill last week)

This week I’ll be exploring creation myths from around the world. Everything from ‘men being made of corn’ to ‘turtles holding up the world’ and ‘ravens stealing the sun’. What are your favourite creation myths?

Natalie Haynes is a ‘rock star mythologist’ (Washington Post). She has written four novels and three non-fiction books about ancient Greek myths, and is also regularly on BBC Radio Four with her enormously popular show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics.

For the first time, Natalie will bring her amazing knowledge of Ancient Mythology to the Hellenic Centre, in conversation with Ella Berthoud, bibliotherapist of The School of Life and co-author of the bestselling The Novel Cure. Ella will be asking Natalie about her journey to becoming one of the foremost popular proponents of the relevance of the classical world to our modern world, and all about how she is re-feminizing the ancient myths.

I’ll be visiting this Bert’s Bookshop in Swindon to help locals find the right book for their bibliotherapy needs.