Barnes BookFest brings writers of all genres to SW13 in London for a weekend of books and lively debate – from politics, history and new fiction to memoir, music and art. Authors join us to discuss their writing and share insights into their research and specialist subjects.
Past speakers include: best-selling authors Anne Glenconner, Frank Gardner, Anthony Seldon, Ben Macintyre, Robert Harris, Anthony Horowitz, Sebastian Faulks and Bonnie Garmus; award-winning writers Oliver Soden, Natasha Brown and Yara Rodrigues Fowler; writers on current affairs and political history including Chris Patten, Vernon Bogdanor, Tomiwa Owolade and Simon Heffer; specialist writers Dipo Faloyin, Helen Czerski, Sue Prideaux, Tim Marshall, Alicia Foster, Laura Cumming and Andrew Graham Dixon; plus, biographers and memoirists, from Gyles Brandreth, Hadley Freeman, Hayley Mills, Sam Delaney and Leslie Thomas KC to Dame Eileen Atkins, Miriam Margolyes, Theo Fennell and Richard E. Grant.
Barnes BookFest was initiated in 2021 by The Barnes Bookshop, together with Magic Productions and The Friends of St Mary’s Barnes. We were then delighted to be joined by Simon Heffer and Patricia Hodge as our official Patrons in 2022 and 2024 respectively
Each year proceeds from the festival are given to given to literacy and community projects. In 2024, inspired by talks given by Laurie Bristow and Abi Daré, donations were made to Rukhshana Media and to the Louding Voice Educational and Empowerment Foundation. Rukhshana Media is a female-led online news agency reporting on the lives of women and children living in Afghanistan. The Louding Voice Educational and Empowerment Foundation provides educational scholarships for young girls living in rural Nigeria.
We are grateful to work with Laurent Residential, the leading independent property company in Barnes. Laurent Residential is the festival’s founding sponsor and has provided on-going support and sponsorship each year. Barnes BookFest is also generously sponsored by International Literary Properties (ILP), a global company that invests in the intellectual property rights to books, plays and other literary works. ILP works closely with authors, families, agents, publishers and producers to secure, protect and grow their literary legacies for future generations.
