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What's On 2024

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Description Delve into the gorgeous Regency era with bestselling author Gill Hornby as she discusses her most recent look at the world of the Austens, this time through the story of Jane’s friend, Anne Sharp. The Sunday Times Bestseller Godmersham Park has been described as a triumph, absorbing and illuminating, thoroughly entertaining and elegant, everything that a book about the Austens should be. Created from the diaries of Fanny Austen held at Maidstone’s very own Kent Archives, Godmersham Park is an imagining of what might have been, of stories untold and lives kept hidden. Copies of Godmersham Park will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Godmersham Park: Gill Hornby in Conversation with A J McDine

!! Friday 4 October !! CHANGE OF DATE

7–8pm

£8
Maidstone Town Hall, High Street, Maidstone, UK
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Love writing? Looking for a group of like-minded writers? Head down to the Kent History & Library Centre to meet with members of the Maidstone Writers' Group.

Maidstone Writers' Group – Meet and Greet

Saturday 5 October

9.30–11.30am

FREE
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Join us for an immersive poetry workshop designed to explore the landscapes of personal identity and expression. In this session, we'll delve into the art of ‘writing the self’, encouraging participants to uncover and articulate their inner experiences through the powerful medium of poetry. Whether you're a seasoned poet or new to the craft, this workshop offers a supportive environment to learn, create, and share. Through a series of guided exercises and discussions, you'll discover how to craft poems that resonate with authenticity and emotional depth. Come ready to write, reflect, and connect with others on a journey of self-expression.

Poetry Workshop: Writing the Self with Dorothy Lehane

Saturday 5 October

10–11.30am

£12
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Enjoy a festival-themed story time featuring books written or illustrated by our festival authors followed by craft activities. For all ages. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Story Time and Craft

Saturday 5 October

10.30–11.30am

FREE
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Award-winning author Lucy Strange leads this practical and supportive workshop, exploring the numerous ways in which writing can not only be a rewarding creative outlet, but can also benefit our mental health. This engaging session is suitable for all adults interested in creative writing, regardless of their experience level. Participants will learn techniques to harness the therapeutic power of writing, fostering creativity and emotional well-being. No prior experience is necessary, making it an inclusive opportunity for everyone to explore their creativity.

Writing Workshop: Writing for Wellbeing with Lucy Strange

Saturday 5 October

11.30am–1pm

£12
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Join children’s author Alex English for a FREE and fun story and craft workshop. This is a hands-on workshop designed for young explorers aged 6-11. Alex English will guide young adventurers through the thrilling process of designing their very own treasure maps, complete with perilous pirate obstacles and an X that marks the spot! Once their maps are complete, we'll transform them into storytelling compasses, sparking their imaginations to come up with exciting tales of treasure hunts and high-sea adventures. Copies of both books in the Sky Pirates series will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Booking is essential. Ages 6+. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Alex English – Map Magic: Create Your Own Island of Adventure!

Saturday 5 October

1.30–2.30pm

FREE
Maidstone Museum, Saint Faith's Street, Maidstone, UK
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Come along and join our story-themed Lego Club. Create your own story with lego! Ages 5+. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Story-Themed Lego Club

Saturday 5 October

2.30–3.30pm

FREE
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Join writers Eva Verde (In Bloom) and Elvin James Mensah (Small Joys) in conversation with New York Times journalist Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff as they discuss the themes of love, friendship and family in their sensational novels. In Bloom tells a deeply affecting story of strength, survival, forgiveness, resilience and determination, and the fierce love and unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters. Small Joys is a moving, funny, tender and epic debut novel about ordinary lives and the joy of finding happiness in the most unexpected places. Copies of In Bloom and Small Joys will be available for purchase and signing by the authors.

Eva Verde and Elvin James Mensah in Conversation with Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff

Saturday 5 October

3–4pm

£8
Maidstone Museum, Saint Faith's Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description Author Rosie Hewlett delves into Greek mythology and takes us on a journey of persecution, torment, power and revenge with her Sunday Times Bestseller Medea. Throughout her life, Medea has been shunned by her mother, separated from her sister, and tormented by her father and brother. All because she possesses a mysterious and powerful gift – magic. But when a dashing young hero, Jason, arrives to claim the famed Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea sees her opportunity for escape. In this dark and epic feminist retelling, Ancient Greece’s most powerful and complex woman is explored in a bold and unflinching new way. Copies of Medea will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Medea: Rosie Hewlett in conversation with Nicola Everett

Saturday 5 October

4.30–5.30pm

£8
Maidstone Museum, Saint Faith's Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description Award-winning comedian, author and podcaster Rosie Wilby explores the science of heartbreak and reveals the truth about how we can turn a breakup into an opportunity for healing, learning and growth. She shares the funny and empowering stories she heard while writing her latest book The Breakup Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak, decodes the new lexicon of breakups, discusses how behaviours like ‘ghosting’ make us feel and investigates the surprising male and female relationship patterns and preferences that are revealed by lesbian and gay divorce statistics. Copies of The Breakup Monologues will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Rosie Wilby – The Breakup Monologues

Saturday 5 October

6–7pm

£8
Babasheesh Maidstone, Earl Street, Maidstone, UK
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Come along and join our Rhyme Time featuring traditional literary rhymes with actions. A fun and noisy way to develop a love of language and a foundation for learning. Ages 4 and under.

Rhyme Time

Monday 7 October

11–11.30am

FREE – No Booking Required
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Join archivist Mark Bateson as he explores the role of the Kent Archives and introduces local author Janys Thornton. Janys will talk about how the everyday accounts recorded in the Kent Archive's school logbooks and other records helped build a picture of the everyday lives of women in World War I on the Isle of Sheppey.

Archives Talk and Tour – Teachers and Triangle Girls: Novels of WWI women based on true stories found in the Kent Archives

Monday 7 October

2–3.45pm

FREE
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Join internationally bestselling author Holly Seddon as she discusses the darker side of her deliciously thrilling novels. One sister went out into the dark for help. Will she come back? Returning from a difficult visit to their father, three sisters find themselves lost in a storm. Together, they seek safety in an abandoned manor house, a place where they spent a troubled childhood clinging to each other for support, before one day fleeing with their parents in the dead of night. As the storm intensifies, the sisters draw straws to decide who should go outside to get help. But as they separate, they realise they might not be alone. . . Why did the family leave so suddenly all those years ago? Who else is hiding in the house? And will the sisters survive the night? Copies of The Short Straw will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

The Short Straw: Holly Seddon in Conversation with Helen Bell

Monday 7 October

7–8pm

£8
Waterstones, Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, UK
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Join this discussion to find out more about how AI will change the landscape of future working and revolutionise the way things are done. АI hаs a role in рrасtiсаlly every field - join AI expert and business mentor Tony Boobier to explore which jobs are likely to survive and whether AI will replace or enhance human resources.

AI and the Future: What Lies Ahead

Tuesday 8 October

10.30–11.30am

FREE – Booking Required
The Business Terrace, King Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description Comic book writer, novelist, and game writer Dan Abnett talks about his work and career, and answers questions from the audience. A signing will follow the talk. Books will be available for purchase, but feel free to bring your own books and comics for signing too.

Dan Abnett – Writer of Wrongs

Tuesday 8 October

7-8pm

£5
Waterstones, Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, UK
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Description For Maria, navigating life in all its glory has been accompanied by a steady stream of bicycles. No rule book, just a love of the new and a passion for the open road. Maria details a warm and witty, sometimes difficult ride through childhood, friendships, wealth, fame, reinvention, love and loss. Each bike, each revolution, has contributed to her own evolution and the lessons she has learned along the way. Bumps in the Road gives us the same honesty and humour Maria employs for the many listeners seeking advice in her thirteen years as an agony aunt with Graham Norton. The wheel goes up and the wheel goes down. Happy or sad, life is full of joy, mishaps and annoying obstacles. It’s important to get back in the saddle, keep pedalling up that hill and freewheeling down the other side! Copies of Bumps in the Road will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Bumps in the Road: Maria McErlane in Conversation with Rosie Wilby

Wednesday 9 October

7–8pm

£8
Maidstone Museum, Saint Faith's Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description Waterstones longest serving employee, employed by Tim Waterstone, will talk about The Bookseller’s Tale – now published in 6 languages and praised by Alan Bennett and David Mitchell – and about the tactility of books, about marginalia, page-folders, spine-crackers, incunabula, reading nooks, book pedlars and comfort books. "The right book has a neverendingness, and so does the right bookshop. This is the story of our love affair with books, whether we arrange them on our shelves, inhale their smell, scrawl in their margins or just curl up with them in bed. Taking us on a journey through comfort reads, street book stalls, mythical libraries, itinerant pedlars, radical pamphleteers, extraordinary bookshop customers and fanatical collectors, Canterbury bookseller Martin Latham uncovers the curious history of our book obsession - and his own. Part cultural history, part literary love letter and part reluctant memoir, this is the tale of one bookseller and many, many books." Copies of The Bookseller's Tale will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Martin Latham – The Bookseller's Tale

Wednesday 9 October

7–8pm

£5
Waterstones, Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, UK
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Come along and join our Rhyme Time featuring characters from your favourite books. A fun and noisy way to develop a love of language and a foundation for learning. Ages 4 and under.

Rhyme Time

Friday 11 October

11–11.30am

FREE – No Booking Required
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Meet crime writer Tim Weaver, Sunday Times bestseller and the million-copy bestselling master of the missing person mystery and author of the new edge-of-your-seat David Raker thriller The Missing Family. IT WAS THE PERFECT DAY OUT... UNTIL THEY NEVER CAME BACK. On a beautiful summer's day, at a remote lake in the middle of Dartmoor, three members of the Fowler family take a dinghy out onto the water, leaving mother Sarah at the shore. Less than sixty seconds later, she checks to see where they are. The boat is drifting in the middle of the lake. It's empty. Praise for Tim Weaver: ‘Fiendishly serpentine and utterly compulsive’ Louise Candlish ‘These books are unputdownable. If you haven't yet met Raker, you're in for a treat’ Mick Herron 'Corkscrew twists. Impossible to read without breaking into a sweat' THE TIMES

The Missing Family: Tim Weaver in Conversation with Gianna Pollero

Friday 11 October

7.30–8.30pm

£8
Waterstones, Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, UK
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Story time and craft with Stuart Heritage based on the hit book The Rise of Invisidog. For all ages. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Story Time and Craft with Stuart Heritage

Saturday 12 October

10.30–11.30am

FREE
Kent History & Library Centre, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, UK
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Description Best-selling author and English language virtuoso, Gyles Brandreth, takes us on a whirlwind tour of the English language in his signature style and wit. Prose & Cons combines the brilliance of the English language with the beloved institution of Radio 4’s Just A Minute, putting readers through their linguistic paces so they can become experts themselves. Throughout the book, Gyles takes us on a journey through the history, uses, and abuses of English – from the origins of words and phrases, to correct grammar and punctuation, from similes and euphemisms to record-breaking tongue twisters – all in pithy 60-second entries, with absolutely no hesitation, repetition, or deviation. This is Gyles Brandreth at his word-perfect best. Books available for purchase and signing by the author.

Gyles Brandreth – Prose & Cons: The English Language in Just A Minute

Saturday 12 October

12–1pm

£8
All Saints Church, Mill Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description Join historians and authors Helen Fry (Women in Intelligence) and Caitlin Davies (Private Inquiries) as they discuss the fascinating but often hidden contribution that women have made throughout history. 'Women in Intelligence' is a ground-breaking history of women in British Intelligence, revealing their pivotal role across the first half of the 20th century. In this major, panoramic history, Helen Fry looks at the rich and varied work women undertook as civilians and in uniform. From spies who worked for the Belgian network ‘La Dame Blanche’, knitting coded messages into jumpers, to those who interpreted aerial images and even ran entire sections, Fry shows just how crucial women were in the intelligence mission. Filled with book-exclusive unknown stories, Women in Intelligence places new research on record for the first time and showcases the inspirational contributions of these remarkable women. 'Private Inquiries' explores the world of female private eyes, long a staple of popular culture – from plucky Victorian ladies to ‘busy body spinsters’ and fearless modern investigators. But what about the real women detectives? What crimes did they solve? Where are their stories? Dismissed as ‘Mrs’ Sherlock Holmes or amateurish Miss Marples, mocked as private dicks or honey trappers, they’ve been investigating crime since the mid 19th century – from theft, fraud and burglary, to missing persons, blackmail, drug dealing, robbery, marriage scams, ‘white slavery’, industrial espionage, and murder. After more than a century of working undercover, it’s time to hear the real women’s stories. Copies of 'Women in Intelligence' and 'Private Inquiries' will be available for purchase and signing by the authors.

Hidden Women, Hidden Lives: Helen Fry and Caitlin Davies in Conversation with Dr Jane Shankar

Saturday 12 October

2–3pm

£8
Maidstone Museum, Saint Faith's Street, Maidstone, UK
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Ages 5+. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Gianna Pollero and Sarah Horne – Monster Doughnuts

Saturday 12 October

2–3pm

FREE - Booking Required
All Saints Church, Mill Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description From the bestselling author of The End of Mr Y comes this savage and subversive literary thriller as a Greek honeymoon descends into chaos. Still reeling from the chaos of their wedding, Evelyn and Richard arrive on an idyllic Greek island for their honeymoon but are soon caught in a web of deception and intrigue, where nothing and nobody are quite what they seem. Evelyn and Richard discover that their island paradise may in fact be hell on earth and that their only means of escape is to confront dark truths about themselves and those they love. Exhilarating, suspenseful, and subversively funny, Thomas takes elements of Daphne Du Maurier and Patricia Highsmith and blends them with her own unique sensibility to create an unforgettable thriller of rare intelligence that cements her reputation as the most exciting and original author of her generation. Copies of The Sleepwalkers will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

The Sleepwalkers – Scarlett Thomas in Conversation with Chloe Timms

Saturday 12 October

3.30–4.30pm

£8
Maidstone Museum, Saint Faith's Street, Maidstone, UK
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Description Unlock your inner mystery-solver and learn the SECRETS OF TIME in this FREE fact-packed event from bestselling author and confirmed-nerd Sam Sedgman. In The Clockwork Conspiracy, aspiring inventor Isaac Turner hunts a trail of clues through London’s landmarks and uncovers a sinister plot in the gears of government. In this interactive and educational Clockwork Conspiracy event, Sam uncovers the incredible science behind time itself, and explains how it inspired his thrilling mystery. Sam Sedgman’s new series is a fun and friendly introduction to storytelling and science for the next generation of inventors, whoever they may be. For children aged 7+. Copies of The Clockwork Conspiracy will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

Sam Sedgman – The Clockwork Conspiracy

Saturday 12 October

4–5pm

FREE
All Saints Church, Mill Street, Maidstone, UK
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Enjoy an evening of poetry with award-winning poets sharing their work in the tranquillity of Waterstones after hours.

An Evening of Poetry

Saturday 12 October

6–7.30pm

£5
Waterstones, Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, UK
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Description Join Stuart Heritage in conversation with Adrian Wills at the Market House pub in this hilarious exploration of the inevitable… “This is a guide to life in the club that nobody wants to join. Nobody chooses to be bald. Nobody wants to look into the mirror and be confronted with an absence. Nobody gains any comfort from having a slightly better idea of what their skull looks like. Stuart Heritage has been bald for two years. But before he accepted the inevitable, he spent a number of years ineptly trying to conceal this fact with an array of expensive treatments and terrible haircuts. Can a man go bald with dignity? Maybe. But can a man go bald with more dignity than Stuart Heritage? Oh good god yes, and this book is his attempt to make that happen for you. Part-manual-part-tantrum, this is a self-deprecating, funny and genuinely helpful guide to being bald: what really happens, why it matters and how to feel much less crap about it.” Copies of Bald will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Private bar available at the event.

Bald – Stuart Heritage in Conversation with Adrian Wills

Saturday 12 October

7–8pm

£8
Market House, Earl Street, Maidstone, UK
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