Vouchers and Event Tickets
E-Vouchers will be emailed. We don’t provide event tickets. Name (s) will be on the guest list. No postage required
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Author Event | AK Blakemore
Waiting list. Please email us@redlionbooks.co.uk AK Blakemore talking about The Manningtree Witches. A book we discussed, with Amy, over Zoom, during the lock down back in the day. We are thrilled to have an in person event with her Thursday, 2nd April at 6pm, in person at Red Lion Books
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Author Event | Elodie Harper & Nikita Gill
Thursday 23rd April 2026, 6pm in person event at Patch Cafe
Doors open at 5.30pm and the bar will be open. This is a wheelchair accessible venue and the event will commence at 6pm sharpAuthor event with Elodie Harper talking about her new paperback edition of BOUDICCA’S DAUGHTER with Nikita Gill at Red Lion Books.The event ticket is £5 and paperback copies of BOUDICCA’S DAUGHTER and HEKATE will be available to purchase at the eventus@redlionbooks.co.ukBoudicca. Infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe and mastermind of one of history’s greatest revolts. Her defeat spelled ruin for her people, yet still her name is enough to strike fear into Roman hearts. But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow?The woman who has her mother’s looks and cunning but a spirit all of her own?The woman whose desperate bid for survival will take her from Britain’s sacred marshlands to the glittering façades of Nero’s Roman Empire…Born to a legend. Forced to fight. Determined to succeed. Elodie Harper is the award-winning author of the Wolf Den trilogy, set in ancient Pompeii. The first book in the series, The Wolf Den, was a Waterstones Book of the Month, and the second, The House with the Golden Door, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Her next novel, Boudicca’s Daughter, is out in August 2025. Alongside her career as a writer, Elodie has worked as a reporter at ITV News and producer at Channel 4. elodieharper.comNikita Gill is an Irish-Indian poet, playwright, illustrator, and author based in the south of England. She has written and curated seven volumes of poetry, including Wild Embers, Fierce Fairytales, Great Goddesses, and These Are the Words. Her novel Hekate: The Witch, the first book in her chthonic gods trilogy, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Nikita is one of the most followed poets on Instagram and her work is beloved around the world.
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Author Event with Author Nussaibah Younis | Discussing Fundamentally
Wednesday 29th April 2026, 3pm in person book club event
Author event with Nussaibah Younis discussing FUNDAMENTALLY with Appetite Book Club membersThe event ticket is £12 which includes the book.SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION A funny and razor-sharp exploration of love, family, religion and the decisions we make in pursuit of belonging. Nadia is an academic who’s been disowned by her puritanical mother and dumped by her lover, Rosy. She decides to make a getaway, accepting a UN job in Iraq.Tasked with rehabilitating ISIS women, Nadia becomes mired in the opaque world of international aid, surrounded by bumbling colleagues. Sara is a precocious and sweary East Londoner who joined ISIS at just fifteen. Nadia is struck by how similar they are: both feisty and opinionated, from a Muslim background, with a shared love of Dairy Milk and rude pick-up lines. -
Author Event: Bobby Palmer in conversation with Kate Sawyer
Thursday 9th July 2026, 6pm in person event (finished by 7-7.30pm)
Main Characters Getting Away : Bobby Palmer, author of Isaac and the Egg talks about his new book ‘Main Characters’ with author Kate Sawyer about paperback publication of Getting Away Clara and Seb are about to fall in love. They don’t know it yet. But everybody else does. When Clara and Seb meet in a quiet corner of London, it’s the start of something. She wants to be a Director. He’s an actor, unsure what he wants from life. Their connection is magnetic. Everyone can see that falling in love looks something like this. But when Clara casts Seb in the film that will make her name, what should be the happiest time of their lives ends with a gut-wrenching betrayal. Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told through the eyes of friends, flatmates, exes and strangers who see all the sides of Seb and Clara, from their first date to the moment they fell apart. Everyone has their version of events. But only Clara and Seb can decide how their story ends…This is a love story, told by everyone but the main characters.‘Unique, tender and funny’ Pandora Sykes
Bobby Palmer is both an author and journalist. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Isaac and the Egg, was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year in 2022; his second novel Small Hours was published in 2024. Bobby co- hosts the podcast Book Chat with Pandora Sykes and his writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan amongst others. Kate Sawyer is the author of three novels: Getting Away, Waterstones Fiction Book of The Month, This Family, and her debut novel, The Stranding, which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, won the East Anglian fiction prize, was adapted for BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime -
Author Event: Mel Giedroyc
Sunday at noon, 27th September (doors open 11.30am)
In person event at Colchester Arts Centre. In conversation with author Kate Sawyer.
Ticketing options are available with or without a hardback edition of ‘The Comeback’ (rrp £20). Mel will stay on to sign her book after the talk. Ticket only, Ticket with book. 2 Tickets with 1 book Please note, this is not stand up comedy act. This is Mel talking about her book, in conversation with author Kate. The Comeback is a funny, big-hearted story of second chances. Sometimes life surprises you with an encore… Twenty years ago, aspiring performer Gill Piper boarded a bus out of Leatherhead with a spring in her step and stars in her eyes. Things didn’t quite pan out… Back home again, Gill finds much has changed. Young Lights, the youth theatre group which coaxed her out of her shell, is no more. The theatre itself, once the heartbeat of the community, now feels like a has-been; Gill can relate. When Gill learns the theatre is approaching its hundredth year, she decides to put on a spectacular anniversary show to give it a comeback and unite the town. She has just eight weeks, but if she can persuade some shy newcomers to step into the spotlight, it might just be possible. But Gill hasn’t counted on self-appointed Artistic Director and diva extraordinaire Carla Keswick, who declares war. Can Gill and her unlikely company of amateurs defy Carla’s dirty tricks, and prove it’s never too late for a curtain call? -
Author Event: Robert Ashton in conversation with Prof. Colin Samson
Thursday, 6pm, 30th July
In person event at Colchester Crematorium Chapel (finished by 7.30pm)
Ticketing options are available with or without one or both books. Pre ordering books offers a saving otherwise books will be available on the evening at RRP The final chapter in Robert Ashton’s latest book Down to Earth sees him visit Colchester cemetery in search of his great-grandparents’ graves, so the cemetery and crematorium chapel is a fitting setting for what promises to be an intriguing talk about two of his books. Discover how almost forgotten ways are returning in rural East Anglia, and why it is vital that we relearn to respect the ground beneath our feet.Down To Earth, published in Hardback on 2nd July, RRP £16.99
We rely on the soil and its rich biodiversity for our food, traditions and folklore, but are we guilty of taking it for granted? In Down to Earth, Robert Ashton traces five centuries of human relationships with the soil, from farming and folklore to the modern environmental crisis. In so doing he reveals the wisdom of the gardeners, farmers, gravediggers, archaeologists and naturalists who work with it every day. Each chapter focuses on an aspect of our connection to the earth beneath our feet, seeking to deepen our understanding of its importance and encourage us to take its preservation more seriously.Where are the Fellows who Cut the Hay? published in paperback on 19th March, RRP £10.99
Where Are the Fellows Who Cut the Hay? is an ode to rural life, charting traditions of the past, how they were lost and why we need to reconnect. Exploring the relationship between everyday items and the communities that make them, Robert Ashton provides a snapshot of twenty-first century England. Where are the people who grow barley, milk cows and produce wool? How have their farming methods become less ethical, sustainable and natural over time? And what are we doing today to reverse that change? Inspired by George Ewart Evans’ Ask the Fellows Who Cut the Hay, Ashton gives voice to local people and travels rural Suffolk in search for innovation, interweaving his own personal connection to Evans and to the land. Part memoir, part social history, Ashton’s thought-provoking book is a manifesto for why, against all odds, we need to step back in order to progress. SHORTLISTED FOR THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE 2025 LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2024 -
Author Talk: Dr Helen Wall, author of Menopause and ADHD
Dr Helen Wall, author of Menopause and ADHD talking on Monday, 7th September at 6.30pm
In collaboration with the wonderful, Suffolk based Umbrella Hub Menopause and ADHD is your ultimate guide to understanding how your hormones may influence your ADHD – and it’s a two-way street: how your ADHD impacts how your perimenopause lands for you. This book will arm you with the facts, and help you to confidently advocate for your own health and wellbeing. Navigating menopause can be challenging for any woman, but for those with ADHD, the experience can feel like a bomb has gone off in your life. Ticket includes the book Health issues in all women are too often dismissed, misunderstood, or minimised by clinicians who label symptoms as anxiety or ‘just part of being a woman’. We are just starting to empower women to access the menopause support they deserve, but women with ADHD or other intersecting neurodivergence (often undiagnosed) are still woefully left behind in this arena. Helen Wall is a GP with years of experience advocating for women. MENOPAUSE AND ADHD will debunk myths, tackle systemic biases, and empower you to take charge of your well-being through this period of hormonal challenge. It’s time to be heard, be informed, and be your own best health advocate. Dr Helen Wall Dr Helen Wall is a GP Partner, BMS-registered Menopause Specialist, TV broadcaster, and bestselling author of Menopause and ADHD. She is the resident doctor for BBC Breakfast and a trusted media voice on women’s health, regularly translating complex medical issues into practical, evidence-based advice for the public. A passionate advocate for women’s health and ADHD in midlife, Dr Wall has a particular interest in the intersection between female hormones and brain health. Her work focuses on helping women understand how hormonal changes throughout life can influence cognition, mood, wellbeing, and neurodiversity, particularly during the perimenopause and menopause transition.The Umbrella Hub bio:Founded by Beckie Batchelor and Onitha Jarrold, The Umbrella Hub is a not-for-profit CIC that provides a safe, judgment-free space for women and non-binary people aged 21+ to explore neurodiversity. Through meetups, workshops, and wellbeing sessions in Colchester and Suffolk, it creates opportunities for connection, self-discovery, and community. -
Book Club Event with Author Wendy Erskine | Discussing The Benefactors
In person book club event.
Thursday 25 June 2026, 11.00am – 12.00pm Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Colchester, CO1 1NF View location on google maps Travel and Parking: Directions at https://colchesterartscentre.com/getting-here/ Address: Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1NF There is no parking at the venue. The nearest public car park is St Mary’s on Balkerne Hill. Refreshments: The bar at the venue will not be open at this time. We will be providing water, juice and biscuits or please bring a drink with you. The Mercury Theatre Café/Bar is just next door and is open from 10am. Timings: 10.30am Doors 11.00am Event: Wendy Erskine – includes audience Q&A 12.00pm Wendy Erskine book-signing Spoilers: As this is a Book Club event there is an assumption that the audience has read the book and this event may include spoilers for the book. Books: Wendy Erskine’s book will be available to buy from Red Lion Books at the event and there will be an opportunity to get books signed by the author. Accessibility: For details of accessibility at the venue visit: https://colchesterartscentre.com/accessibility/ Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements.Photography: Essex Book Festival will be taking photos at this event. If you do not wish to be photographed, please let a member of the Essex Book Festival team know when you arrive.
Book Club / Author event with Wendy Erskine discussing THE BENEFACTORSIndividual readers and Book Club groups are invited to hear Author Wendy Erskine speak about her book The Benefactors. In conversation with Red Lion Book in collaboration with Essex Book Festival this event encourages questions from the audience. The Benefactors was an Observer Best Debut Novel 2025, longlisted for The Gordon Burn Prize and 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The Benefactors is brutal, tender, and rigorously intelligent, The Benefactors is a daring, multi-voice presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland.The event ticket is £16 which includes the bookThis event is held offsite at a wheelchair accessible COLCHESTER ARTS CENTRELONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL 2025 LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZEWhat a beautiful, hilarious blast of brilliance (Donal Ryan, author of Heart, Be at Peace)
Meet Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh: three very different women from Belfast, but all mothers to eighteen-year-old boys. Gorgeous Frankie, now married to a wealthy, older man, grew up in care. Miriam has recently lost her beloved husband Kahlil in ambiguous circumstances. Bronagh, the CEO of a children’s services charity, loves celebrity and prestige. When their sons are accused of sexually assaulting a friend, Misty Johnston, they’ll come together to protect their children, leveraging all the powers they possess. But on her side, Misty has the formidable matriarch, Nan D, and her father, taxi-driver Boogie: an alliance not so easily dismissed. -
Book signing | Nick Butterworth
Saturday 28th March, 2pm On the ground floor of Red Lion Books until 2.30pm Nick will be in signing copies of his latest two titles Cross Rabbit and The Easter Egg Hunt We’d love to see you here. If there is a particular book you would like him to sign, please email us beforehand and we will ensure we have copies in. us@redlionbooks.co.uk
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Bookseller Consultation
Bibliotherapy sessions must be pre-booked so that our booksellers can dedicate time to you. You will be sent a questionnaire before your session, and arrange a date to have 30 minutes one-to-one time with a bookseller, over a cuppa. You will leave with a tote bag, a list of recommendations, 1 hardback and 1 paperback book A similar service can happen offline and options are HERE Read more about the power of bibliotheraphy here
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Bookshop Yoga
Yoga with Jamie in the bookshop. All genders and levels of experience welcome. Maximum 6 spaces. Classes involve warm up exercises, breathing techniques, mindful movement, traditional yoga poses (asanas), and end with a guided relaxation. Mats are provided. Wear comfortable clothing that you can move in. Jamie has been teaching yoga for 10 years and specialises in inclusive and restorative practice.
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Listening Party | Angela Blacklaw EP launch
Sunday 31st May 2026 11am – 12.30pm
The Price of Love: Lilies 2 – EP launch and discussion
“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.” Epictetus
A special addition to our regular Death Club meetings – this is a chance to explore and discuss some aspects of death with a local songwriter. There is no cost, but we do ask you to book a ticket and you will be able to make a donation, if you would like to, to St Helena’s Hospice.
We will listen to some of Angela Blacklaw’s music, hear what inspired the songs and discuss the specific death-related topics that the songs refer to.
Who is Angela Blacklaw?
Angela is a singer, songwriter and producer who lives in Wivenhoe. She works with a range of styles and genres, and is particularly interested in jazz, soul, and electronic music. Angela is a regular attendee of the Red Lion Books’ monthly Death Club, and she has been writing about the topic of death for a few years.
The music
“The pain of grief is just as much part of life as the joy of love: it is perhaps the price we pay for love.” Dr. Colin Murray Parkes
Her new EP – The Price of Love: Lilies 2 – is the second in a series about death. This EP explores death in the here-and-now, covering topics such as assisted dying, suicide, the sudden shock of bereavement and acceptance of the inevitable. Inspired by Angela’s own experience of grief, and other people’s sometimes clumsy or awkward responses to that, Angela is seeking to break the taboo and normalise conversations about the thing that we all face.
What else Angela has done?
Her first EP on death – What Love Sows: Lilies 1 – was released in 2025 and explores the inevitability of life ending, covering topics like miscarriage, anticipatory grief and giving our short lives meaning. Her first album The Scale of Love and Destruction was released in 2014 with the jazz-influenced Gin and Regret following in 2025. She has released music as part of the production partnership Kaleidogroove (Kaleidoscope Visions, 2023) and is developing an increasing interest in the use of spoken word. Angela teaches creative process on a Masters in Songwriting.
Angela also sings soprano in the Mike King Collective. MKC has recorded for the BBC, performed live on Channel 4, sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe and worked with some of the music industry’s biggest names including Mark Ronson, Florence + the Machine, Lily Allen, Boy George and GRAMMY® world music artist Angelique Kidjo.
In addition to her musical work, Angela studies stage performance and has acted in several plays. She is also a highly experienced consultant, facilitator and coach in leadership and personal development, and a qualified Time ToThink® facilitator.
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MATTER OF FACT: Our Non-Fiction Book Club
- Welcome to Matter of Fact – Red Lion Books’ newest book club.
BOOKING INCLUDES A COPY OF THE BOOK, TO BE READ AHEAD OF MEETING
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Meet the Gruffalo when you collect your Gruffalo Granny book
You need to be quick! The Gruffalo will be popping in to Red Lion Books for half an hour on Saturday 12th September. See if you can spot him If you have pre-ordered a copy of GRUFFALO GRANNY come on over to meet him. He will have your book ready and if you pre-ordered it, you will also be given a limited piece of artwork with the book *The author won’t be here. Just the Gruffalo” We have a few left HERE
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Needle Felting workshop with Nicola
First Thursday of the month at 10am
Needle felting workshops with Nicola
Seasonal themes starting with mushroomsLet’s make mushrooms!
Get creative with Nicola in this fun, hands-on, needle felting workshop! Learn the art of transforming soft wool into an Autumn mushroom.Suitable for beginners and those with previous experience can try some new techniques using yarn. No experience needed – just bring yourself! We’ll provide everything you need for a relaxed, creative session where you can learn a new skill and leave with something totally unique.£25, ages 14+ -
Primary Teacher Event 2026 | April 15th, 6pm
Wednesday 15th April 2026, 6pm
We are hosting a Teacher Event at Red Lion Books as part of the National Year of Reading Our invitation may be best suited to your Literacy Lead but it is open to any educator interested in championing reading. Tickets are free but booking is essential as space is limited. This event is exclusively for teachers in Colchester and will be aimed at Primary Teaching The idea is that you’ll meet us, meet your peers and also meet childrens’ publisher, Dominic Kingston from Hachette who’ll give a short talk about how schools can access free events and activities. Attendees will receive a goody bag and a shopping discount, as well as a glass of wine.