October 28 – November 3

On October 28, the Mayfair & St James’s Literary Festival will return for its second year with, a series of literary-inspired events at a number of exciting venues throughout Mayfair & St James’s.

This year, the festival – sponsored by Grosvenor – will introduce “Ink on Screen”, a film series at the Regent Street Cinema produced by acclaimed actress Justine Waddell via Asterisk Films & Projects. The season will be launched by legendary film critic Peter Bradshaw who is introducing Don’t Look Now, and curated by actor Tobias Menzies (soon to be Prince Philip in The Crown). Under the Skin, the second film in the series, will be followed by a conversation between the novel’s author Michael Faber and Tobias Menzies.

Poetry will once again be represented by The Josephine Hart Poetry Hour, with Dame Joan Bakewell and Michael Maloney (Truly, Madly, Deeply) joining other stars of stage and screen to read the poetry of Keats, Shelley and Byron at The May Fair Theatre. The Poetry Hour will also host an evening at The London Library, featuring the work of Elizabeth Bishop and Christina Rossetti.

On a broader note, the festival celebrates women’s creativity and success in the literary world. The programme includes painter and poet Frieda Hughes (daughter of late authors Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes); award-winning British/Turkish writer Elif Shafak (shortlisted for the Booker Prize); novelist Caro Fraser (daughter of George MacDonald Fraser of Flashman fame; Swan Song author Kelleigh Greenberg Jephcott; Janet Todd, author of Jane Austen’s Sanditon; and Dame Kelly Holmes.

There will also be a panel discussion with top women chefs including Nieves Barragan, Ravinder Bhogal, Ching-He Huang, Angela Hartnett, Martha Ortiz and Camellia Panjabi.

The festival finale will be an intimate “Evening of Irish Poetry and Song” at Corrigan’s Mayfair, with stars including acclaimed actress Denise Gough.

Selma Day, Editor of Mayfair Times and founder of the festival, said: “Mayfair and St James’s have been the centre of the literary community for hundreds of years and we want to play our part in celebrating this.”
Keith Bailey, Mayfair Director, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said: “In its second year, the Mayfair & St James’s Literary Festival is shaping up to be a vibrant and exciting event that celebrates today’s literary community and commemorates the rich cultural heritage of Mayfair and beyond.

“At Grosvenor, we recognise the critical role that culture plays in making our estate in Mayfair more active and open, and we are proud to support Mayfair Times to deliver a diverse and inclusive programme that will appeal to many”.

Local resident Stephen Fry said: “The history of poetry and literature in Mayfair and St James’s is almost as long as the history of English letters itself. It is a wonderful thing to keep this alive.”
Dylan Jones, who will be appearing at the festival, added: “Mayfair has such a rich cultural heritage that it makes perfect sense for the area to have its own literary festival. In fact, I can’t believe it hasn’t had one before. I am looking forward to appearing so much, as the area has a strong attachment to me, both personally and professionally.”

Find out more about the Mayfair & St James’s Literary Festival at mayfairlitfest.com

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