In-person Events
Spring Festival 2024
Four Chancellors and a Funeral - Russell Jones in conversation with Rob Gifford
Wednesday 3 April 2024, Waterstones, 72 Midsummer Boulevard, CMK, 7.00 - 8.00pm; £10/£7 (in-person) £5 (LiveStream)
Russell Jones returns to Lit Fest with Four Chancellors and a Funeral, the sequel nobody wants... Following the Sunday Times bestseller, The Decade in Tory, this darkly comical history of the Tory government explores January 2021 to the end of 2022: after ten years of the Tories, could it get any worse? Spoiler – it does.
Connecting Threads: New Writing with Ghusoun Rahhal and Caroline Davies
Thursday 4 April 2024, CMK Library, 6.30 - 7.30pm; £Free
Ghusoun Rahhal and Caroline Davies read their literary responses to a Milton Keynes Community Foundation-funded project that brought together members of the Westbury Fabric and Fibre Guild and of the Middle Eastern Cultural Group to share stories and stitching traditions from their diverse heritage.
Structuring Life: Memoir Workshop with Julia Bell
Friday 5 April 2024, CMK Library, 1.00pm - 3.00pm; £20 [places limited]
All non-fiction or memoir needs a shape or organising principle to contain its ideas. But how do we know which form works best - particularly for the story we’re telling? As well as practical advice, this workshop with writer and tutor Julia Bell will help you to think about techniques for structuring and developing your work.
Finding the Plot: Creative Writing Workshop with Leigh Russell
Friday 5 April 2024, CMK Library, 3.30pm - 5.30pm; £20 [places limited]
Are you looking for inspiration in your writing? We’re delighted to bring you bestselling author and popular tutor Leigh Russell’s creative writing workshop, with Top Tips for writing successful fiction, and a focus on techniques for developing a plot that draws your readers in and keeps them turning the pages!
Cahokia Jazz - Francis Spufford in conversation with Nell Frizzell
Friday 5 April 2024, Waterstones, 72 Midsummer Boulevard, CMK, 6.00 - 7.00pm; £10/£7
In a city that never was, in an America that never was, on a snowy night at the end of winter, two detectives find a body on the roof of a skyscraper… Multiple-award-winning Francis Spufford discusses his lovingly created, richly pleasure-giving, epically scaled tale set in the golden age of wicked entertainments.
Change Everything - Natalie Bennett in conversation with Adrian Spurrell
Friday 5 April 2024, Waterstones, 72 Midsummer Boulevard, CMK, 7.30 - 8.30pm; £10/£7
We are living in a social, political, economic and environmental emergency. The status quo is profoundly unstable; change is inevitable. Now is the time to get together to build a far healthier and more balanced world, it is time to Change Everything. Natalie Bennett, Green Party peer, explains all in conversation with Adrian Spurrell.
Tales from the City: MinK2024 Writing Competition Awards with Roy Nevitt
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 10.00am - 10.30am; £Free
We announce the winners of our Writing Competition - Tales from the City - and launch the fourth issue of our MinK anthologies of the best local writing. Roy Nevitt, the 'cultural godfather' of Milton Keynes, will be on hand to award the prizes and introduce readings by the winning writers.
Thinking and Writing Short and Long: Flash Fiction, Short Stories, Novellas and Novels
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 11.00am - 12noon; £10/£7 Livestream: £PayWhatYouCan
The OU-sponsored discussion series on fictional forms culminates in an in-person panel event at MK Lit Fest Spring Festival 2024. Emma Claire Sweeney speaks with Edward Hogan, Catherine Menon, Irenosen Okojie and Naomi Wood – authors well known for their novels, novellas, flash fiction and short stories alike.
Why Don't You Love Me? - Paul Rainey in conversation with Caz Tricks
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 12.30pm - 1.30pm; £10/£7
Paul Rainey’s graphic novels channel the challenges and chaos of life into an absorbing narrative filled with dark humour. Neil Gaiman called his acclaimed Why Don’t You Love Me? ‘a masterwork’. Join Paul in conversation with Caz Tricks to find out what makes a graphic novel – and novelist - tick.
Alex Falase-Koya - Suit Up! Step Up! It's Time to Become a Hero! (Ages 5+)
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 12.30pm - 1.30pm; £5 (plus £3 per accompanying adult)
Join Alex Falase-Koya for a super-powered, super-fun introduction to Marv and his amazing adventures! Hear how Alex created the kindest superhero in town, and all about his own favourite superheroes and favourite books growing up - before helping him to design a brand new supersuit for your own superhero.
Now That I Have Your Attention - Nicolas Hamilton
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 2.00pm - 3.00pm; £10/£7
Trailblazing racing driver Nicolas Hamilton’s journey has taken him from being written off due to his cerebral palsy to reaching the top level of British motor sport. Now he shares the valuable, tough and often surprising life lessons he’s learned – and how, with self-discipline and self-compassion, you too can defy the limitations imposed upon you..
Kelechi Okafor and Michaela Dias-Hayes - Strong Like Me (Ages 3+)
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 2.00pm - 3.00pm; £5 (plus £3 per accompanying adult)
Join writer and social commentator Kelechi Okafor and Kate Greenaway Medal-nominated illustrator Michaela Dias-Hayes for an inspirational and engaging event based on their heartwarming debut picture-book, Strong Like Me. An uplifting story about finding your own ways to be strong, discovering your power and championing yourself.
J.J. Arcanjo - Crookhaven (Ages 8+)
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 3.30pm - 4.30pm; £5 (plus £3 per accompanying adult)
Meet J.J. Arcanjo and discover Crookhaven, the mysterious school for altruistic crooks. A rollicking mix of high adventure, daring – and friendship – this is ‘criminally good' entertainment, but...can you ever really trust a thief?
Living With Murderers - Professor David Wilson
Saturday 6 April 2024, CMK Library, 3.30pm - 4.30pm; £10/£7
Join award-winning criminologist Professor David Wilson to explore how so many victims are most in danger in the places they feel safest. Over a forty-year career, David has met all sorts of killers, and applies his unparalleled knowledge of murder and human nature to attempt to make sense of the senseless.
An Uneasy Inheritance - Polly Toynbee in conversation with Nell Frizzell
Saturday 6 April 2024, Waterstones, 72 Midsummer Boulevard, CMK, 7.00pm - 8.00pm; £10/£7
Join one of our most respected, prolific and razor-sharp voices for a colourful, entertaining examination of her own family – which contains everyone from Jessica Mitford to Bertrand Russell, and features Castle Howard as a backdrop – to explore mobility and privilege, and ask for a truly honest conversation about class in Britain.