Writeidea Festival

Homesick: How Housing Broke London and How to Fix It

Saturday 22 November 1.00pm

Homesick is the gripping story of how housing defines a city’s past, present and future. London is broken. Only those with vast cash deposits can get on the property ladder, private rents have spiralled out of control and the wait for social housing is measured in decades. Once vibrant communities are being uprooted and homelessness is rampant. It was not always like this. In the 1980s, builders and nurses could afford family-sized homes, there was abundant social housing and long-term security for private renters. Tracing the last forty years of housing policy, Peter also gives us reason to hope, exploring the ways London can transform again.

Peter Apps is a journalist who primarily writes about building safety and social housing. Chairing the event today will be John Boughton, author of Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing

Bowieland

Saturday 22 November 1.00pm

Bowie is still out there... following open heart surgery, Peter Carpenter was given one instruction – ‘Walk, if you want to stay on this planet’. And so when his hero David Bowie died in 2016, he knew what he had to do. The man who was to so many a companion and guide had left no shrine, no focal point of understanding. To reconnect with Bowie, he would take a walk into the past, to the streets, towns and places where David Jones became something more. In Bowieland, Carpenter’s peripatetic trampings seem to echo Bowie’s own wandering creative spirit, the walks often uncovering hidden layers, and making fresh connections to key Bowie stories, revealing influences conscious and subconscious.

Peter will be in conversation with Louise Hulland a Sony Award winning journalist, TV & radio presenter, documentary maker and author.

Moonlight Express: Around The World By Night Train

Saturday 22 November 1.00pm

From the author of the smash-hit Around the World in 80 Trains comes a new globetrotting journey - this time celebrating the peculiar magic and mayhem of the night train. The wonder of the night train: headlamps ablaze, passengers boarding after sunset and leaving before sunrise, slipping in and out of compartments unseen. For Monisha Rajesh, the singular thrill of sleeper trains inspired a new journey around the world – one filled with moonlit landscapes, cosy compartments and quirky companions. 

Monisha Rajesh is a British journalist. Her first book, Around India in 80 Trains, was named one of the Independent’s best books on India.
Monisha will be in conversation with Sunny Singh who is an Indian born writer of fiction and creative non-fiction.

Riots and Rebels: Popular protest in Britain from the Peasants Revolt to Extinction Rebellion

Saturday 22 November 2.30pm

The only power otherwise powerless people usually possess lies in their numbers. Riots and Rebels is an examination of how they have exercised that power over the centuries and how governments have reacted to it. Nick Rennison’s book provides a concise, compelling account of popular protest in Britain. Nick Rennison is a writer, editor and bookseller with a particular interest in history and crime fiction. He is the editor of six anthologies of Victorian and Edwardian short stories and has written books on a wide variety of subjects from polar exploration to the history of Bohemian London, Sherlock Holmes to Robin Hood.

This Way up

Saturday 22 November 2.30pm

This Way Up - When Maps Go Wrong is the debut book from YouTube duo, cartography enthusiasts and comedians Map Men (Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman), containing stories of maps that messed up big time. Some are decades old, some are centuries old, and some are so recent they’re still being published today (or yesterday, if you’re reading this tomorrow). So, ditch the compass (or disable location services) and set out on a journey with us, the Map Men, into a world of cartographic chaos and mappy mishaps.

The Sticky Truth: Writing from Real Life 

Saturday 22 November 2.30pm

An in conversation with award-winning writer and performer Karen McLeod and award-winning comedian, broadcaster and writer Rosie Wilby. They discuss Karen's memoir, Lifting Off, about the 12 years she worked as cabin crew for British Airways while descending into a personal free fall, and Rosie’s nonfiction books The Breakup Monologues and Is Monogamy Dead?, where she put her own relationships under the microscope to learn about the psychology of love.

Bethnal Green

Saturday 22 November 4.00pm

The vibrant and inspiring debut novel that will break and mend your heart. Bethnal Green explores the themes of sacrifice and heartbreak, the power of using your voice and the will to build a life of one's own against the odds. It is also a powerful love letter to dedicated NHS workers from around the world. Amélie’s writing was shortlisted for the 2021 Mo Siewcharran Prize. Bethnal Green is her first novel.

Amelie will be in conversation with Sukh Ojla , who is a comedian, actor and writer. As a comedian Sukh has performed on BBC2’s Big Asian Stand-Up Show and across the BBC Asian Network.

Outrage

Saturday 22 November 4.00pm

Join Ellen Jones, author of Outrage, in conversation with researcher and DJ Grace Goslin exploring the urgent challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities today. Framed by Ellen’s book, this event asks how we can move beyond awareness to proactive support, allyship, and care. Drawing on Grace’s research into queer nightlife fundraising and community building, the discussion will highlight both historical and contemporary strategies for resilience. Together, they will consider how individuals and communities can create sustainable change, protect hard-won rights, and ensure LGBTQ+ people are not just surviving, but thriving.

The Genius of Trees

Saturday 22 November 4.00pm

Taking us on an awe-inspiring journey through deep history and across the globe, The Genius of Tress restores trees to their rightful position not as victims of our negligence but as ingenious, stunningly inventive agents in a grand ecological narrative. At once transporting and expert, this eye-opening, mind-expanding journey into the inner lives of natures most powerful plant is a profoundly new and original way of understanding both the miracles trees perform and the glories of our natural world.

Harriet is a tree science consultant and writer.
Chairing the event today will be Tom Willis, founder of the Soho Reading Series.

Quantum Of Menace

Saturday 22 November 5.30pm

James Bond comes to WriteIdea! – In a major new series in partnership with the Flemming Estate, this is the first in a series of mystery novels where Vaseem reimagines Q, the iconic character from the James Bond Franchise. Quantum of Menace is about the death of a quantum computing scientist. If you don’t know what a quantum computer is, you soon will…and you thought AI was terrifying?
Vaseem is an award-winning author and the first non-white chair of the 70 year old UK Crime Writers Association.

Maybe I’m Amazed: A Story of Love and Connection in Ten Songs

Saturday 22 November 5.30pm

Obsessed with music since he was a child, John Harris had no idea he had in fact been preparing himself for the greatest challenge of his life. When his son James was diagnosed with autism, music became their shared language. In this extraordinary memoir, Harris tells the story of how music has opened up the world to his son. The Beatles, Kraftwerk, Funkadelic, The Velvet Underground, Amy Winehouse and more have become woven into the fabric of James’s life. John uncovers a hidden history of neurodivergence that casts new light on why notes, chords and sheer sound speak so powerfully to the human mind.
John Harris is a prize-winning writer, journalist, and presenter. John will be in conversation with Sean Hannam who is a freelance journalist specialising in retail, tech and music.

Scattered: A Memoir of Three Homecomings

Saturday 22 November 5.30pm

Join Guardian journalist Aamna Mohdin to celebrate the paperback release of her acclaimed memoir Scattered. In this intimate conversation, Aamna reflects on migration, identity and finding home, tracing her family’s extraordinary journey escaping the Somali civil war, through her childhood living undocumented and in a refugee camp, before resettling in the UK.

One Shilling - The Football Programme Design Revolution of 1965-85

Sunday 23 November 1.00pm

One Shilling is the first-ever exploration of this golden era of football programme design, when the humble football programme, a staple of the game since the Victorian times, suddenly boasted remarkable eye-catching covers and layouts. But the names behind the artworks for these pocket-money priced matchday publications were often uncredited or ignored. Until now. The authors have tracked down these long-forgotten innovators, finally cementing their deserved place in design history. 

Alan Dein is an oral historian, radio documentary maker, writer, and a life-long collector of football ephemera. Matthew Caldwell set up the Instagram account @1_shilling to share the story of forgotten football programme designs with the world.

A Mother's Promise

Sunday 23 November 1.00pm

From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand that clutched hers - her mother's. Every day for nearly six years, mother and daughter were bound together in hell. From Auschwitz-Birkenau to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope for one another. The strength of Sala's love gave them both something fragile yet beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid Renee, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left - whose small actions had life-saving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget.

Kate is a journalist, fiction and non-fiction author and social historian. She has written 15 books, 4 of which have been Top Ten Sunday Times bestsellers.

This Ain’t Rock N Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika and the Third Reich

Sunday 23 November 1.00pm

Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. This Ain’t Rock N Roll is a shocking and absorbing chronological account of pop music’s complicated history with fascism and the imagery surrounding it. Whether shock factor, stupidity, or crass attempt at subversion, rock 'n' roll has indulged these associations in a way not accepted by any other artform.

Daniel will be in conversation with Sean Hannam who is a freelance journalist specialising in retail, tech and music.

London: The Hidden Corners for Curious Wanderers

Sunday 23 November 2.30pm

We are delighted to welcome Jack back to the festival with an all-new collection of London curiosities and secluded hidden gems that dig even deeper into the city’s rich past. From the alleyways of Soho to the medieval remains of Moorgate, the second book from Sunday Times bestselling author Jack Chesher takes you on a journey through London and its history, showing you its hidden corners. Jack is an author, tour guide and the creator of the successful Living London History social media accounts and blog with over 1 million followers across his channels.

A conversation between Angelique Tran Van Sang (Felicity Bryan Associates) and K Patrick.

Sunday 23 November 2.30pm

Literary Agent, and Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize judge, Angelique Tran Van Sang will be joined by K Patrick, author of Mrs S (selected as an Observer Best Debut of the Year) and Three Births to share their professional insights on how to stand out to a literary agent as a short story writer.

Angelique Tran Van Sang is a literary agent at Felicity Bryan Associates. Her authors include Amy Key, K Patrick and Polly Barton to name but a few. K Patrick’s work has appeared in The Paris Review, Poetry Review, Granta and Five Dials, and was shortlisted for The White Review Poet’s Prize in 2021.

The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and recipes from a British- Bangladeshi Kitchen

Sunday 23 November 2.30pm

Shahnaz Ahsan is an author, columnist and award-winning food writer who writes regularly for The Observer Food Magazine. The Jackfruit Chronicles is a tale of migration, love and identity told through one family’s recipes and their search for home. From curry houses to wedding feats to supper clubs, traversing borders from Bangladesh, Manchester, London and Zimbabwe, The Jackfruit Chronicles is a heart-felt memoir that delves into the unique flavours and captivating history of Bengali food.
Shahnaz will be in conversation with Mallika Basu who is a writer, presenter and consultant in food.

East End Jews

Sunday 23 November 4.00pm

East End Jews offers an unparalleled view into the life, labour, politics and joys of London's Jewish East End, from its heyday in the 1890s until the 1950s. Drawing from the light feuilleton column in the London Yiddish press, these deceptively accessible, often humorous urban sketches capture incisive and sometimes cheeky encounters with challenges and debates of the time.
Vivi Lachs is a historian, Yiddish translator and singer. Her books Whitechapel Noise, London Yiddishtown and East End Jews explore Jewish history through popular culture. She co-hosts the Cockney Yiddish Podcast, runs the Great Yiddish Parade and sings with the bands Klezmer Klub and Katsha’nes.
Vivi will be in conversation with Alan Dein, an Oral Historian and Radio documentary presenter.

Stone & Sky

Sunday 23 November 4.00pm

Born and raised in London Ben Aaronovitch had the sort of unrelentingly uninteresting childhood that drives a person to drink or Science Fiction. It was while running the Crime and Science Fiction sections at Waterstones that he conceived the notion of writing novels. Thus was the Rivers of London series born and when the first book proved to be a runaway success he waited all of five minutes to give up the day job and return to the bliss that is a full-time writing career. He still lives in the city that he modestly calls 'the capital of the world' and says he will leave when they prise London from his cold dead fingers.

In Writing: Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration and Creative Desperation

Sunday 23 November 4.00pm

Hattie Crisell is a freelance writer based in London. Based on the hit podcast of the same name, In Writing is a rare glimpse into the creative processes of our best-loved contemporary writers. In these intimate and frank conversations with leading literary artists, Hattie Crisell uncovers the mysteries of the creative process, asking: Where do ideas come from? How do stories find their shape? What happens when confidence falters or the work fails? And what does success look like?
Hattie will be in conversation with Anna Metcalfe who is a writer and lecturer in creative writing. Her first novel Chrysalis was published in 2023.

Hackney Mosaic Project 

Sunday 23 November 5.30pm

Tessa Hunkin's Hackney Mosaic Project has been responsible for some of the most witty and imaginative mosaics of recent years. In a bold reinvention of the classical tradition, Tessa has assembled a passionate and diverse team of makers, creating beautiful mosaics that have become cherished landmarks, celebrating community and elevating the streets of East London.

In this illustrated lecture, introduced by The Gentle Author of Spitalfields Life, Tessa tells the story of Hackney Mosaic Project and shows some of the mosaics, ranging from modest pieces in private gardens to expansive murals and pavements in public parks.

Exterminate! Regenerate! The Story of Doctor Who

Sunday 23 November 5.30pm

On screen, Doctor Who is a story of monsters, imagination and mind-expanding adventure. But the off-screen story is equally extraordinary - a tale of failed monks, war heroes, 1960s polyamory and self-sabotaging broadcasting executives. From the politics of fandom to the inner struggles of the BBC, thousands of people have given part of themselves - and sometimes, too much of themselves - to bring this unlikeliest of folk heroes to life.
John Higgs is the author of many books including Lynchian, I Have America Surrounded, The KLF, and Stranger Than We Can Imagine.
John will be in conversation with comedian, actor and writer Robin Ince.

Maryville

Sunday 23 November 5.30pm

With a vividly sketched cast of characters, award-winning poet Joelle Taylor uses the Maryville butch bar as a lens to consider the underground histories of queer London. The violence and pain of oppression and the beauty and intimacy of community are rendered in awe-inspiring high definition in a collection as filmic as it is familiar. A hybrid chronicle, tv series, prayer and insurrection, Maryville conjures the ghosts back to their bodies, a community to its feet.