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Kit de Waal, Chris Riddell and Laura Bates are among the authors participating at London Book Fair (LBF) this year, which will see discussions on themes spanning from artificial intelligence to #MeToo and Brexit.
Organisers have unveiled the full programme for next week's fair (10th-12th April), which aims to give delegates “an insight into the entire publishing zeitgeist”.
Confirmed speakers at the three-day event in London Olympia include This is Going to Hurt author Adam Kay (Picador), David Baldacci and thriller writer Rachel Abbott as well as Bates, de Waal and Riddell. Jacqueline Wilson and Joanna Trollope were revealed as Authors of the Day last month along with special guest Baldacci.
An LBF spokesperson described poetry and illustration as “at the heart” of the event this year, with Imtiaz Dharker recently revealed as the inaugural Poet of the Fair, following the news that Lauren Child would be LBF’s first Illustrator of the Fair.
Events include a discussion with the International Publishers’ Association about the role of publishers in an evolving media landscape, entitled “Censor, Advocate or Disruptor?”, which will take place on the first day (10th April). Later that day the Publishers Association will discuss “A Bookish Brexit” and Bates will talk about the Everyday Sexism Project as part of the English PEN Literary Salon. ‘Taking the fear out of AI - ethics, machine versus human, and real-life applications’ will explore the future of artificial intelligence in publishing, while Baldacci will share his writing process at the fair's Author HQ.
‘#MeToo: Passion, Politics & Poetry the power of the collective’ will take place in the Poet’s Corner on Day Two (11th April), capitalising on the social media movement which grew out of the allegations levelled at Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein last year. Child will be in conversation with the Association of Illustrators, while Kay will discuss ‘Memoirs that Matter’ later in the afternoon.
English Pen’s Writers in Translation programme manager Theodora Danek will join writer and translator Tessa Lewis to discuss the opportunities and risks in literary translation in a session titled ‘Sex & the Country’ on Day Three (12th April), while Wilson will share insights from her 30-year career as an author.
This year’s Market Focus country is the Baltics, covering various topics such as writing history as fiction and translating children’s books. Market Focus Authors of the Day Kristina Sabaliauskaitė (Lithuania), Nora Ikstena (Latvia) and Mihkel Mutt (Estonia) will take part in sessions throughout the fair, as revealed last month.
For more information, visit www.londonbookfair.co.uk.