1. More than 15 free events!
Rediscover your passion
for great storytelling at
this year’s festival!
Monday 12 September
to Friday 30 September
For more information visit
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest

2. www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
Barking and Dagenham
Council is proud to host
the fifth annual reading
festival, ReadFest 2016,
taking place between
Monday 12 September
and Friday 30 September.
As with the previous years’
festivals, we’re delighted to
announce that tickets for this
year’s events remain free.
This means everybody has
the chance to meet authors,
discover new genres and just
generally embrace the joy of
great storytelling through a wide
range of events and activities.
But that’s not all; it also affords
us the opportunity to celebrate
a successful year for our
libraries, namely that
ReadFest 2016
Barking Learning Centre
Dagenham Library
Valence Library
Thames View Library
Marks Gate Library
Robert Jeyes Community
Library
To book your free tickets,
go to www.eventbrite.co.uk
and search for LBBD Libraries.
For more information, email
libraries@lbbd.gov.uk or find
further contact details on
page 21.
1 | 2
VenuesDagenham Library scooped
The British Book Industry
Award for Library of the
Year 2016!
This is an amazing achieve-
ment that acknowledges the
contribution libraries make to
Barking and Dagenham – and
best of all, they provide a free
service for all residents.

3. Playwriting Workshop
Verbatim Plays with
Gillian Slovo
When:
Monday 12 September
4pm to 5.30pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
Launching this year’s events is
award-winning novelist and
playwright Gillian Slovo, who
begins ReadFest with a rare
Playwriting Workshop. Gillian
will share her experience of
writing verbatim plays (plays
written from interviews with real
people and using their precise
words to make the script) and
offer advice to aspiring wordsmiths.
Ten Days with
Gillian Slovo
When:
Monday 12 September
7pm to 8.30pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
ReadFest 2016
12
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
3 | 4
Gillian’s acclaimed play, Riot,
was staged at the National
Theatre and is based on first-hand
testimonies from people involved
in and affected by the 2011 riots.
Gillian Slovo offers you the
opportunity to hear about her
latest book, Ten Days. Based on
research for her play about the
London riots, Gillian has written
a fictionalised account of 10 days
of violent unrest in London during
the height of a long hot summer.
Cleverly composed, Ten Days
follows the events through the
eyes of three people caught up
in the disturbances.
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Interested in finding out more
about the book? Make sure
you come along to this insightful
talk where Gillian will be
revealing more.

4. My Husband’s Wife
with Jane Corry
When:
Tuesday 13 September
5pm to 7pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
Debut author Jane Corry will
come to Barking to talk about
her new psychological suspense
story My Husband’s Wife.
This fictional read follows the life
of a newly-married lawyer, Lily,
determined to make a fresh start
and to leave the secrets of the
past behind. But when she takes
on her first criminal case, she
starts to find herself strangely
drawn to her client – a man who’s
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
5 | 6
accused of murder and who
she will soon be willing to risk
everything for. But is he really
innocent?
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How to Promote
Your Book Workshop
with Diane Hinds
When:
Tuesday 13 September
1pm to 3pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
Are you a budding author?
This is an event not to be missed!
Leading publicist Diane Hinds
will be giving a free workshop on
how you can promote your book,
whether you decide to use a
publisher or go down the
self-publishing route.
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5. Ten Days Drama
Workshop with
Lanre Sulola
Suitable for 11+ years
When:
Saturday 17 September
1pm to 4pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
Inspired by Gillian Slovo’s novel
Ten Days, this workshop will
explore the main themes of the
London riots and bring them to
life through debates, discussions
and drama.
A fun and engaging session,
participants will be able to share
their views and insights on this
defining event and take on the
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
7 | 8
roles of some of the main
characters in the story. Come
along and help bring the story
of the riots to the present day,
looking at causes, solutions
and ways of moving forward.
This socially-conscious,
educational and exciting session
will leave you feeling inspired to
make a difference.
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Crime Fiction Panel
An Audience with Kimberley
Chambers and Dreda
Say Mitchell
When:
Thursday 15 September
7pm to 9pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
Leading East London crime
author, ‘The Duchess’ Kimberley
Chambers and novelist,
broadcaster and journalist Dreda
Say Mitchell will be joining us
to discuss their latest books and
more! Never a dull moment, you
are guaranteed lively conversation
and the opportunity to buy signed
copies of both authors’ books.
©JosephKaler
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6. Love by All Sorts of Means:
A Biography of Beryl
Bainbridge with
Brendan King
When:
Monday 19 September
7pm to 9pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
In this first full-length biography
of Dame Beryl Bainbridge, one
of the most-loved English novelists
of the 20th and 21st centuries,
Brendan King draws on a mass
of unpublished letters and diaries
to reveal the real woman behind
her popular image. The book tells
the story of a life that is every bit
as dramatic and compelling as
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
9 | 10
one of her own perfectly-crafted
novels – and author Brendan
King will be discussing it all in
this talk.
The Peter Grant Rivers
of London Series with
Ben Aaronovitch
When:
Tuesday 20 September
7pm to 8.30pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
Ben Aaronovitch will join us at
Dagenham Library for a question
and answer session about his
successful writing career.
Although best known for his
Rivers of London Series, Ben
has also written for Doctor Who
and Casualty. Excitingly, Ben’s
Peter Grant series has recently
been turned into a comic book
series, Body Work, written along
with Andrew Cartmel.
©SabrinaAaronvitch
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7. EastLife: An Anthology of
Life - Writing from UEL
and the East London
Community
When:
Wednesday 21 September
1pm to 3pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
The EastLife Autobiographies
were written by UEL creative
writing students about their own
lives and those of people from the
East London community. Moving,
vivid and full of insights into
places and people we rarely hear
about, the students are passionate
about bringing these stories to a
wider audience.
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
11 | 12
Editors Tessa MacWatt, Stephen
Maddison, along with students
from UEL invite you to join them
as they talk about the experience
of creating their book and how
they now plan to extend their
work with follow up project,
City Life.
Dagenham Poetry
Open Mic featuring
Lanre Sulola
When:
Thursday 22 September
6.30pm to 8.30pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
Join us to celebrate spoken word
in what promises to be a great
night out for poets wishing to flex
their lyrical muscles and those
who prefer to sit back and admire
them. In addition to local talent,
Lanre Sulola will also be taking to
the stage to perform poems from
his latest book On The Way To
Somewhere: Memoirs of a Poet.
There’s no need to book, just
come along and soak up the
atmosphere or take to the stage
to share your work.
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8. Your Father Sends
His Love with
Stuart Evers
When:
Saturday 24 September
11am to 12.30pm
Where:
Valence Library
Stuart Evers, the author of the
critically-acclaimed, prize-winning
collection Ten Stories About
Smoking will visit Valence Library
to share 12 unforgettable stories
of parental love and parental
mistakes. Set in the past, present
and future, these short stories are
unified by their compassion,
animated by the unsaid and
distinguished by how beautifully
they extract the luminous from
the ordinary.
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
13 | 14
11+ Parents Get a Grip:
Tips for Guaranteed
Success with Foluke
Sangobowale
When:
Saturday 24 September
2pm to 3pm
Where:
Robert Jeyes Community
Library
Local author Foluke was inspired
to help other parents when she
found it difficult to get information
on how the 11+ system works.
If you want to know more, come
along for a quick overview of the
process and advice to help you
navigate the application process.
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9. Crazy in Death - Mental
Illness in Crime Fiction
with Barbara Nadel
and Ian Ayris
When:
Monday 26 September
7pm to 8.30pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
How are mentally-ill offenders
portrayed in crime fiction and
is that image close to the truth?
During this live talk, authors
Ian Ayris and Barbara Nadel
are set to discuss common
perceptions of mental illness
and crime in society.
The Beautiful but Deadly
North with Stephen
Booth and Sarah Ward
When:
Tuesday 27 September
7pm to 8.30pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
Leading crime author Stephen
Booth is coming to Dagenham to
talk to fellow author Sarah Ward
about writing crime thrillers set in
the north of England, and what
makes this such a popular setting
for fictional murder mysteries.
Stephen Booth is best known for
the Cooper and Fry Series the
latest being Murder Road set in
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
15 | 16
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the beautiful but fatal Lake
District. Sarah Ward is the
author of In Bitter Chill, published
in 2015 to high praise, and
A Deadly Thaw which continues
the crime series and is set in the
stunning but lethal Derbyshire
Peak District.

10. When:
Thursday 29 September
4pm to 6pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
When:
Friday 30 September
4pm to 6pm
Where:
Barking Learning Centre
Looking for outing that’ll spark
imaginations and get the whole
family smiling? Let us introduce
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
17 | 18
you to pioneering puppet musical,
Bookstory. Bringing together
seasoned puppeteers and the
joy of musical theatre, MONSTRO
has created an inventive show for
children and grown-ups alike.
Set in a library, the musical tells
the story of reading in the digital
age, as a talented team of
performers use song, puppetry
and dynamic performance to
bring library books to life.
Great for children aged five and
above, this engaging production
is certain to have all the family
falling in love with books again.
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Bookstory – MONSTRO theatre’s
new puppet musical
Suitable for 5+ years

11. ReadFest 2016
Readers’ Evening
When:
Friday 30 September
7pm to 9pm
Where:
Dagenham Library
Our popular, relaxed and informal
evening will make a welcome
return to round up the festival.
Featuring short discussions with
authors who have taken part in
the events, the Readers’ Evening
will also feature poetry recitals,
musical entertainment and
refreshments.
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
19 | 20
What’s more, this year will also
feature short plays written by the
participants of the Pen to Print
Real People, Real Stories
playwriting course.
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12. Marks Gate Community Centre
Rose Lane
Marks Gate
Chadwell Heath RM6 5NJ
Phone: 020 8270 4165
Email: marksgate.library@lbbd.gov.uk
Sue Bramley Community Centre
Bastable Avenue
Barking IG11 0LG
Phone: 020 8270 4164
Email: thamesview.library@lbbd.gov.uk
Becontree Avenue
Dagenham RM8 3HT
Phone: 020 8270 6864
Email: valence.library@lbbd.gov.uk
Chadwell Heath Community Centre
High Road
Chadwell Heath RM6 6AS
Phone: 020 8270 4305
Email: robertjeyes.library@lbbd.gov.uk
Marks Gate Library
Thames View Library
Valence Library
Robert Jeyes Community
Library
2 Town Square
Barking IG11 7NB
Phone: 020 8724 8722
Email: barking.library@lbbd.gov.uk
1 Church Elm Lane
Dagenham RM10 9QS
Phone: 020 8724 3942
Email: dagenham.library@lbbd.gov.uk
Barking Learning Centre
Dagenham Library
ReadFest 2016
www.lbbd.gov.uk/readfest
21 | 22
Opening Times:
(For some periods the library is
self-service only)
Monday, Tuesday and Friday:
10am to 5pm
Thursday: 1pm to 5pm
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday:
Closed
Opening Times:
Monday and Wednesday: 10am to 5pm
Tuesday: 11.30am to 6pm
Thursday: 10am to 7pm
Saturday: 10am to 4pm
Friday and Sunday: Closed
Opening Times:
Monday: 10am to 5pm
Tuesday: 10am to 7pm
Wednesday and Friday:
12 noon to 5pm
Saturday: 11am to 3pm
Thursday and Sunday: Closed
Library venue details
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 9.30pm
Friday and Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: 10am to 4pm
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday: 9am to 7pm
Friday and Saturday: 9am to 5pm
Sunday: Closed
Opening Times:
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday:
10am to 5pm
Tuesday: 10am to 7pm
Saturday: 10am to 4pm
Friday and Sunday: Closed

13. You must not copy this document
without our permission. © 2016 London
Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Publication reference number: MC7906
Date: August 2016
Rediscover your passion
for great storytelling