Saturday 6 October

Wimbledon Society Literary Walk
The walk encompassed houses and places in Wimbledon Village and the Common where best-selling authors were born, lived or forged important literary connections - from the 17th century travel writer Robert Knox, to 20th century poet Robert Graves amongst the notables.

Sunday 7 October

An Evening with Gyles Brandreth 
The author, broadcaster, former MP and government whip as brought his acclaimed one-man show to Polka, with special guests Joanna Lumley and June Whitfield. All money raised went towards the upkeep of the Teddy Bear Museum collection at Polka.

Polka Theatre

Monday 8 October

Caterpillar Time

Fun for 3-4-year-olds. The Golden Treasury joined forces with Southfields library to explore a bumper box of new activity books.
Southfields Library

Sponsored by Caterpillar Books

Book Collectors’ Tea
Rick Gekoski, rare book dealer, author of 'Tolkien's Gown' and creator of the popular Radio 4 series 'Rare Books, Rare People', gave a talk entitled ‘How Disgusting!’ Adventures in the Rare Books Trade, discussing some of the 20th Century’s most celebrated and collectable books, their value and their often extraordinary histories. The audience brought in books from their own collections, to be valued by modern firsts expert Natalie Galustian and antiquarian boffin Justin Croft (of the BBC’s Antiques Road Show). Live music from cellist Mayda Narvey and Cannizaro’s special buffet tea made this an afternoon to remember.

Cannizaro House Hotel

Girls’ Night Out
An evening of sparkling  wine and conversation with bestselling authors Penny Vincenzi, Sophie Kinsella and Santa Montefiore, in the stylish surroundings of Cannizaro House Hotel.
Cannizaro House Hotel

Tuesday 9 October

Jayne Buxton: Take Someone Like Me
Local author Jayne Buxton talked about her latest novel at Wimbledon Library’s popular Coffee Morning.

William Boyd: Restless
William Boyd charmed and delighted a sell-out audience at Book Etc.
Books etc, The Broadway, Wimbledon

Lady Hamilton's Attitudes
A night with Nelson's mistress. Kate Williams, author of England's Mistress: the Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton, took the audience back to 18th Century London and Naples. Emma began as a young dancer in brothels and shows, and when she became a Lady, she set London and Naples on fire with her performance of Attitudes, classical poses in see-through dress. Sophie Edmonds, from the troupe the Lady Greys, performed the Attitudes, showing why visitors from Goethe to the English Prince of Wales were so transfixed. There was also a vocal performance of Lady Hamilton's songs.

The Chapter House, Merton Abbey Mills

Wednesday 10 October

Victoria Hislop
Victoria Hislop entertained a packed audience at Wimbledon High's magnificent new performance centre. She talked about her novel The Island, the story of families affected by the leper colony on the island of Spinalonga, off Crete - and about how she felt about winning the British Book Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, and now topping the bestseller lists in Greece.
Wimbledon High School Performance Centre

Literary Pub Quiz

Teams like the Dora Road Desperados, The Special Ones, and the not-so-imaginatively-named Table Two puzzled over intellectual questions like 'What did the Very Hungry Caterpillar eat on Monday?'  (It was one apple). A fiercely-fought contest saw the Sheringdale Sharks triumph over the Friends of South Park Gardens. 'Are you enemies of any other parks?', the chairman wanted to know.

Dog & Fox, High St Wimbledon Village 
 

Thursday 11 October

Theatrical Memories with Annette Crosbie
The Wimbledon Guild Book Group meets weekly to hear and discuss book readings. For the Bookfest, they invited others, especially elderly or sight-impaired people, to join them to hear the distinguished actress Annette Crosbie read extracts from books of theatrical reminiscences. Annette's readings and anecdotes were enormously appreciated, and were followed by a buffet lunch.
Wimbledon Guild 
 

A S Byatt at Wimbledon Film Club
Wimbledon Film Club welcomed A S Byatt to a screening and discussion of the film adaptation of her Booker Prize-winning novel Possession. The film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, follows two modern-day academics as they track a love affair between two Victorian poets and ultimately find themselves falling in love.
Polka Theatre

Friday 12 October

John O’Farrell and Giles Milton: Fact or Fiction
A novelist who has written a history and a historian who has written a novel compared notes in a lively and entertaining event at Books Etc.
John O’Farrell is a South London author who has written best selling novels including May Contain Nuts and the Best a Man can Get and works of non-fiction. He wrote a humorous column for the Guardian, contributed to the scripts of Spitting Image, Chicken Run, Have I Got News For You and Murder Most Horrid and so obviously will always be known as 'that bloke off Grumpy Old Men'.
Giles Milton specialises in the history of travel and exploration. He has written five non-fiction books, including the bestselling Nathaniel's Nutmeg. Edward Trencom’s Nose is his first novel.
Books etc

Exchanging Notes
Pianist, writer and broadcaster Susan Tomes, author of A Musician’s Alphabet, talked to Robert Philip, author of Performing Music in the Age of Recording about the pleasures and pains of a life in classical music. Susan Tomes has been described as ‘one of the brightest jewels in Britain’s cultural crown’. She is married to Robert Philip, also a writer and broadcaster and Senior Lecturer in Music at the Open University. They live in Wimbledon. The event included some live piano music and historical recordings.
Colour House Theatre, Merton Abbey Mills

Sponsored by Hanna Pianos

Malorie Blackman
Polka welcomed award-winning author Malorie Blackman. Malorie was in conversation about her successful writing career and her books including the Noughts and Crosses series, Pig Heart Boy and the forthcoming Stuff of Nightmares. She also awarded prizes to winners of the Bookfest's Young Writing competition.
Polka Theatre

Saturday 13 October

SOUTH PARK GARDENS
Throughout the weekend of the festival, there was a marquee in South Park Gardens, with a full range of catering offered by the Friends of South Park Gardens. Festival-goers enjoyed BBQ  lunches, teas, and strolling in this beautifully restored Victorian garden, and stayed to join the lively programme of events.

Marquee sponsored by Samuel Estates, Hanna Pianos, Domestic & General, and City Car Club

The Garden as Art and Metaphor
A novelist and poet, a garden designer and a journalist talked about the meaning of gardens to them and their ways into garden writing. What are the similarities between literature, art and gardens? Katie Campbell, novelist and poet, turned increasingly to garden writing to explore the symbolism, allegory and iconography found in garden design through the centuries. Anne Jennings came to garden writing through her work as Garden Director at the Museum of Garden History in Lambeth, where she developed a particular interest in the knot garden. Emma Townshend is a garden historian and journalist who writes the weekly gardening feature for the Independent on Sunday Magazine and has a particular interest in the concept of the garden in the Victorian era.
South Park Gardens Marquee

The Longest Little Book
Over 200 people helped make the longest illustrated book in London, as part of the Big Draw. Instructions awaited in a secret envelope. The finished work will be on display at the Old Sweet Shop gallery 1-8 November 2007.

Saint Cecilia’s school, Sutherland Grove, Southfields http://www.theoldsweetshopweb.com/

Literary Papers
Anna Sander, Archivist at Balliol College Oxford, offered a short talk, and answered questions on this fascinating field.
South Park Gardens Marquee

Roy Williams
A special performance of Polka’s show There’s Only One Wayne Matthews! This fast, action-packed new play about a boy who dreams of becoming the world’s greatest footballer was written by award-winning playwright Roy Williams.  Roy gave a post-show discussion about the play and his writing career which has included writing sell-out plays for the National Theatre and the RSC.
Polka Theatre

Aspiring Authors Q&A
Author and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig presented prizes to the winners of the Writing Challenge, and led a discussion of the winning entry with a panel of experts: Mary Mount, Editorial Director of Viking Penguin, Peter Straus, literary agent, of Rogers, Coleridge & White, and two local authors, Michelle Paver, best known for her Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, and Jayne Buxton, chair of the judging in the Writing Challenge. The panel took questions and offered advice about writing for publication.

South Park Gardens Marquee

The competition entries are displayed in Wimbledon Library and on this website, under 'competition'.

Bookfest Literary Dinner
The Friends of South Park Gardens celebrated the festival with a top quality Indian meal, with Bookfest authors and organisers.
Speaker: Bookfest patron Penny Vincenzi.
South Park Gardens Marquee

Sunday 14 October

Grand Book Fair
June Whitfield opened proceedings at 11am.
A day for all the family, with BBQ and refreshments provided by the Friends of South Park Gardens, and children’s activities provided by the Golden Treasury Children’s Bookshop. Large and small groups from the Wimbledon area sold and promoted books and book-related activities; there was also a select range of craft stalls.

South Park Gardens Marquee

Sponsored by the Golden Treasury Children’s Bookshop, Southfields

John Humphrys – In God We Doubt

John Humphrys talked about his latest book, In God We Doubt, and about his long and varied career in broadcasting.

Polka Theatre

Dodo Modern Poets
Dodo Modern Poets brought to the New Wimbledon Theatre Studio a sparkling evening of poetry and music to provide a fitting finale to Wimbledon’s first literary festival. The line-up included Edinburgh regulars Project Adorno, passionate people’s poet Patric Cunnane, surreal poetry doctor, Emile Sercombe, Cornish pearl Sue Johns and every girl’s heroine, Rachel Pantechnicon.

Studio Theatre, New Wimbledon Theatre

Sponsored by the Founder Friends of New Wimbledon Theatre

SCHOOLS EVENTS
Events went on in schools throughout the area to celebrate Wimbledon Bookfest. Special events included writing competitions, launched in the Ursuline High School and Wimbledon Chase Primary School in June; prizes were awarded at the Polka to secondary school winners, and primary school winners were congratulated at Wimbledon Odeon on Saturday 13 October by Paul Geraghty.

Girls from Ricards Lodge presented art and drama displays to the elderly people at the Wimbledon Guild.

Authors Ifeoma Onyefulu and Michelle Paver visited primary school children in Mitcham for special storytelling events during the festival week.

Mitcham Library and

St Mark's Church, Mitcham
Supported by Merton Arts Development Fund