Authors In Oundle

15/09/2026

15/09/2026

Recycle Week starts today. It’s the annual campaign by WRAP to help us all recycle more of the right things, more often. And although we say this every year, public libraries are a perfect example of recycling for the common good.
After all, you borrow a book, read it, and then return it to the library so someone else can then do exactly the same.
You can’t be more environmentally friendly than that!

14/09/2026

A new event has just been added to our autumn programme! Come along and support a local author.
Julian O’ Neill – The Lines We Cross: Finding local war heroes and how this book evolved.
Friday 20th November, The Whitwell Room, The Talbot Hotel, Oundle. 7.30 pm.
What might happen when men who fought alongside one another in the First World War returned home to Ireland and found themselves in another kind of conflict?
The novel begins at the Somme in 1916 and follows the main characters' lives through the turbulent years ahead. More details on the website.
The Lines We Cross brings the killing fields of France and the turbulent struggle for Irish Independence vividly to life.
An evocative and visceral novel that doesn’t shy away from the realities of war and conflict.
Julian has a long-standing interest in twentieth-century military history and has travelled extensively through Northern Europe, visiting battlefields, cemeteries and memorials.
The Lines We Cross is his first novel, but he is currently working on the sequel and a travel book.
Tickets £8 (£6) available from The Oundle Bookshop, (cash only) or online www.authorsinoundle.co.uk
Enquiries contact [email protected]
, ,

13/09/2026

Calling all Poets, Writers and Spoken Wonders!

Syntax are partnering up with Westraven Community Garden and Angry Pencil which is an Arts jam that bring artists across and beyond the city together to make and create in the natural and inspiring atmosphere of WestRaven Community Cafe and Garden
To compliment the Arts Jam which is an outdoor and live arts festival. Syntax will host a 'writing jam' which will also be live and outdoors.
What is a 'writing jam'?
It's a chance for us to be together, to be inspired, be supported in a time when And yep have a giggle too.

It’s from 10am till 4pm on Sat 19th of September.
FREE ENTRY

Syntax will have some writing exercises and games to share. From 10am till 11:30am join the 'poetry brekkie' for a mindful brew and a poem of the day. Afterwards there will be some special workshops with poets, these will be confirmed soon, so keep checking for those. You might want to write in response to the theme and the artists work too. There will be rolls of paper to write on, possibly a board to doodle/write on and then an open mic too. And the theme for this jam is 'Wild'. If you are a writer, poet or just like words and fancy taking part in the open mic or be in the jam then message: [email protected]

These are the times of the day: 10:30am-11:30am ‘Poetry Brekkie’ with Keely Mills and Syntax. Have a brew, pull a poetry oracle card of your day, choose a poem for the day and free write.

12pm-1pm ‘Sounds of the garden’ with Sandy Wardrop. Muck about with Sandy, the M.A.D Scientist of words by finding your favourite sounds, sights and other sensory stuff of the garden. Turning them into an enormous sound poem.

1:30pm-2:30pm ‘Forage Poetry’- spend some time exchanging wild words with Kat Beeton. Explore creativity in nature through poetry and poetic prose, inspired by the garden. Write just for yourself or to share with others at your own pace or with a little help. Surrounded by artists and good vibes.

2:45-3:45pm- Open mic, perform 1 or 2 poems on the bandstand. Enjoy a relaxed sharing and hear new work and perform in one of the most beautiful settings. If you want to take part then message Syntax or drop in on the day and sign up.

The main aims are to hang out, write together, be with other creatives and have a laugh.
And we know when creatives from different forms get together it's like the Avengers assembling.
Comment or message us if you want to take part in the open mic.

11/09/2026

Rob Cowen – The North Road: A journey through time, place and memory
Wednesday 30th September, The Talbot Hotel, Oundle.
Tickets £9, (£7) available from The Oundle Bookshop, Oundle (cash only) or online
https://www.authorsinoundle.co.uk/events/upcoming-events/
Limited number of tickets left.
The Great North Road – running from London to Edinburgh – is a 400-mile multiplicity of ancient trackways that has run like a backbone through Britain for the last 2,000 years. In this profoundly personal book, Rob Cowen follows this ghost road from beginning to end on a journey through history, place, people and time. It’s an unforgettable exploration of Britain’s great highway and a story of the roads that lead us to where we find ourselves.
LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2025 AND A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK
'A dazzlingly inventive work of literature' Robert Macfarlane, author of The Old Ways
'A wonderful, epic braiding of history, geography and personal memoir' James Rebanks, author of English Pastoral

11/09/2026

Rob Cowen – The North Road: A journey through time, place and memory
Wednesday 30th September, The Whitwell Room, The Talbot Hotel, Oundle.
7.30 pm – 8.30 pm. Tickets £9, (£7) available from The Oundle Bookshop, (cash only) or online : https://www.authorsinoundle.co.uk/events/upcoming-events/
Limited number of tickets left.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2025 AND A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK
'A dazzlingly inventive work of literature' Robert Macfarlane, author of The Old Ways
'A wonderful, epic braiding of history, geography and personal memoir' James Rebanks, author of English Pastoral

The Oundle Bookshop , LoveOundle

10/09/2026

More books are arriving daily to the Oundle Bookshop and the unique areas inside are developing into special places.
Future Author In Oundle events tickets are now available in the shop, cash only, as well as online at: https://www.authorsinoundle.co.uk/events/upcoming-events/

,

06/09/2026

December feels far off right now, but as we've seen in past years, it will be here before you know it. Get ahead of the game and plan ahead. Book your tickets for our December event now!
Paul Atterbury: A Life with Books and Antiques.
Thursday 17th December, 7.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Great Hall, New Street, Oundle, PE8 4GH
Paul Atterbury, author and one of the experts from the Antiques Roadshow, will be in conversation with Kate Bateman, antiques expert and bestselling historical romance author.
Come and spend an evening with us and hear about Paul’s incredible life. Paul is a writer, lecturer, curator, historian and broadcaster with an eclectic and wide-ranging interest in the art, architecture, design and history of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Paul is widely known for his many appearances since 1979 on the BBC TV programme Antiques Roadshow. He specialises in the art, architecture, design and decorative arts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
He has written or edited over 50 books on art, antiques, ceramics, silver, sculpture, canals, railways, travel and the First World War. At one point he was Britain’s best-selling railway writer.
Kate is well suited to have a lively, interesting conversation with Paul, as a fine art appraiser, auctioneer, and antiques expert. She is the co-founder of Batemans Auctioneers in Stamford, and regularly appears as an antiques expert on several popular BBC television shows such as Flog It! and Bargain Hunt.

Tickets are available online and at the Oundle Bookshop.
https://www.authorsinoundle.co.uk/events/
, ,

06/09/2026

The Oundle Bookshop is open today, following yesterday's huge launch success. So take a few minutes to call in, check out the new layout and fabulous features, and treat yourself to a new book.
I was delighted to see many of the authors featured on the shelves who have had events locally with AIO, so do look out for their books, such as Antony Johnston, Sophie Hannah, Ajay Tegala, Tracy Chevalier, Peter and Lisa Fretwell, to name a few.
Sam will also be stocking books for our forthcoming events; there are fliers in the shop, so if you wish to buy books before the events, do ask about them:

30th September, Rob Cowen: The North Road: A journey through time, place and memory. A journey through history, place, people and time along Britain’s primary route, combining national and personal feelings.

10th October, Dr Hannah Critchlow: The 21st Century Brain: How to Future-Proof Your Mind in the Age of AI. Find ways to develop the essential human skills that technology cannot replace.

29th October, Joanne Harris: Sleepers In The Snow. A superb novel which illuminates the heartbreak and quiet horror of dementia, in this beautiful yet haunting ghost story.

17th December, Paul Atterbury: A Life with Books and Antiques. Come and hear about Paul’s full-on life and career as a writer, lecturer, curator, historian and broadcaster.

More details are on the website; all events are in Oundle, so it's not far to travel. https://www.authorsinoundle.co.uk/events/