An evening with Michael Palin

30 September 2025
The Vaughan Williams Auditorium, James Allen's Girls' School, 144 East Dulwich Grove, London, London SE22 8TE

In February 2025, Michael Palin travelled to Venezuela to get a sense of what life is like in one of South America’s most culturally rich, vibrant but also troubled nations. In the journal he kept during his trip he gives a vivid account of the towns and cities he visited, the landscapes he travelled through, and the people he met.

Venezuela is illustrated throughout with colour photographs taken on the trip, and permeated with his warmth and humour, this is a vivid and varied portrait of a complex country.

Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. He has also made several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, his journeys taking him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil. His books include accounts of his journeys, novels (Hemingway’s Chair and The Truth) and several volumes of diaries.

Please note: this event will be an hour-long talk by Michael Palin. We regret that there will be no time for questions. All books purchased will be signed by Michael Palin.

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Around the Table: 52 Essays on Food and Life by Diana Henry

25 September 2025
The MCT at Alleyn's, Alleyn's School, Townley Road, East Dulwich SE22 8SU

Around the Table is a selection of some of Diana’s very best essays, handpicked from over two decades of her beloved cookbooks.

From the bustling Turkish groceries of the Edgware Road to the kitchen table of a cottage in rural France, a trattoria tucked away in the suburbs of Rome to the chilly Vermont countryside famed for its maple syrup, Diana Henry has followed her tastebuds around the world.

In this collection, Diana’s writing brings ingredients to life on the page. Tuck into salty and sweet, buttery and inky purple and black olives. Blood-red threads of saffron that turn whole platters of food into gold, bleeding yolk-yellow streaks over creamy chicken and milky white yogurt. Mouth-puckeringly citrusy, easy to peel and almost seedless Valencia oranges. The simple pleasure of a warming slice of toast.

This vivid and nourishing collection of essays on the joys of good food is an utter delight for the senses.

Diana Henry is one of the UK’s best-loved food writers with sales of more than one million copies worldwide. She has regular columns in the Sunday Telegraph and Waitrose Weekend, her work has appeared in BBC Good FoodHouse & Gardendelicious. and beyond.. Diana has won numerous awards including Cookery Journalist of the Year and Cookbook of the Year from the Guild of Food Writers; Cookery Writer of the Year and Cookery Book of the Year at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards; and more.

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An evening with Kate Mosse

23 September 2025
The Holst Hall, James Allen's Girls' School, 144 East Dulwich Grove, London, SE22 8TE

Feminist History for Every Day of the Year by internationally bestselling author and feminist champion Kate Mosse tells the story of women’s and girls’ history, sweeping across the world and through the ages.

From Mary Anning to Simone Biles, Billie Eilish to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Malala Yousafzai to Mary Wollstonecraft, Shirley Chisholm to Jayaben Desai, Lily Parr to Sophie Scholl, discover the stories of 366 incredible women throughout history. Within these pages you’ll find well known figures and unsung heroes, key cultural moments and forgotten stories, spanning across the world and through time, from ancient times to the modern day.

Kate Mosse is an award-winning novelist, playwright, essayist and non-fiction writer. The author of eleven novels and short-story collections, her books have been translated into thirty-eight languages and published in more than forty countries. The Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, she is also the founder of the global #WomanInHistory campaign.

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The Traitors Circle by Jonathan Freedland

18 September 2025
The MCT at Alleyn's, Alleyn's School, Townley Road, East Dulwich SE22 8SU

A thrilling true story of courage, resistance and ultimately betrayal in the Third Reich captured by internationally bestselling author and prize-winning journalist Jonathan Freedland.

The Traitors Circle tells the true, but scarcely known, story of a group of secret rebels against Hitler. Drawn from Berlin high society, they include army officers, government officials, two countesses, an ambassador’s widow and a former model – meeting in the shadows, whether hiding and rescuing Jews or plotting for a Germany freed from Nazi rule. One day in September 1943 they gather for a tea party – unaware that one among them is about to betray them all to the Gestapo. But who is the betrayer of a circle themselves branded ‘traitors’ by the cruellest regime in history?

In another page-turning work of nonfiction that reads like a thriller, Jonathan Freedland, acclaimed author of The Escape Artist, sheds light on one of the most dramatic episodes of the second world war, telling a story of courage, resistance and ultimate betrayal that has deep moral resonance for our own time, and asks what kind of person it takes to risk everything and stand up to tyranny.

Jonathan Freedland is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Escape Artist which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford, Rathbones Folio and Waterstones Book of the Year prizes. A Guardian columnist, Freedland has won awards for Columnist of the Year and Commentator of the Year and is a past winner of an Orwell Prize for Journalism. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series, The Long View, and the author of twelve other books, three of them non-fiction, including his first, the award-winning Bring Home the Revolution.

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An evening with Tim Spector

11 September 2025
The Vaughan Williams Auditorium, James Allen's Girls' School, 144 East Dulwich Grove, London SE22 8TE

Tim Spector is on a mission to bring fermenting into our lives and kitchens. Drawing on the latest science and his own experiments, Ferment is an accessible introduction to the life-changing benefits of fermentation – for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

Fermenting is one of the most ancient, nutritious and cheap techniques for preparing and preserving food and drink. With little more than time, patience and basic equipment, the humblest of ingredients can be transformed into nutritious foods with an astonishing range of benefits for our gut health, immunity and daily mood.

Including practical tips and some of his favourite recipes, Ferment cuts through myths and misunderstanding to help us navigate the fascinating world of ferments and shows how they can help improve our health, our meal times and our planet.

Tim Spector is Professor of Epidemiology at King’s College London. He is the bestselling author of The Diet Myth, Spoon-Fed, Food for Life and The Food for Life Cookbook, and scientific co-founder of ZOE, the nutrition science company. With a focus on cutting-edge science and honoured with an OBE for his work in fighting Covid-19, Tim stands at the forefront of his field. The original pioneer of microbiome research, he is among the top 100 most cited scientists in the world.

In association with James Allen’s Girls’ School

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Peach Street to Lobster Lane: Coast to Coast in Search of Real American Food by Felicity Cloake

5 June 2025
The Holst Hall, James Allen's Girls' School, 144 East Dulwich Grove, London, SE22 8TE

When award-winning food writer Felicity Cloake announced her dream to cycle across America, the reactions were… mixed: “You’ll die,” warned a Californian colleague. “You’ll be murdered,” added her mum. Friends panicked: “But… what will you eat?” Determined to prove there’s more to American cuisine than burgers and doughnuts, Felicity embarks on the ultimate coast-to-coast adventure, tackling America’s highways, byways and ...

When award-winning food writer Felicity Cloake announced her dream to cycle across America, the reactions were… mixed: “You’ll die,” warned a Californian colleague. “You’ll be murdered,” added her mum. Friends panicked: “But… what will you eat?”

Determined to prove there’s more to American cuisine than burgers and doughnuts, Felicity embarks on the ultimate coast-to-coast adventure, tackling America’s highways, byways and pieways by bike in election year, counting campaign flags and uncovering local favourites like crawfish stew and sauerkraut balls. from Memphis barbecue to Mission burritos, Italian beef to Tex-Mex-Chinese breakfast dumplings, she dives headfirst into iconic American dishes and the fascinating stories and journeys behind them.

Felicity Cloake is the multi award-winning author of the Guardian’s long-running How to Make the Perfect series, the New Statesman’s food column and seven books, including One More Croissant for the Road and Red Sauce Brown Sauce , which won the Fortnum and Mason food book of the year award in 2023.

In association with James Allen’s Girls’ School

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Hitler’s People by Richard Evans

18 May 2025
The Linbury Room, Dulwich Picture Gallery, SE22 7AD

Why did so many Germans take part in the crimes of Nazi Germany? How did they come to support Hitler and follow him almost to the very end? For too long, the Nazis have been presented as little more than psychopaths or criminals. In his major new work, renowned historian Richard J. Evans makes use of a mass of recently ...

Why did so many Germans take part in the crimes of Nazi Germany? How did they come to support Hitler and follow him almost to the very end? For too long, the Nazis have been presented as little more than psychopaths or criminals. In his major new work, renowned historian Richard J. Evans makes use of a mass of recently unearthed new evidence to strip away the veneer of myth and legend from the faces of the Third Reich and present a more realistic view of Nazi perpetrators as human beings who were disturbingly like us.

Hitler’s People is a chilling, brilliantly written work which allows the reader to understand the texture and values of the Third Reich and just how far individuals will go when so many normal moral constraints have disappeared.

A Dulwich Festival event.

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Tree Hunting: 1,000 Trees to Find in Britain and Ireland’s Towns and Cities by Paul Wood

18 May 2025
The Linbury Room, Dulwich Picture Gallery, SE22 7AD

In Tree Hunting , Paul Wood seeks out the best individual trees – the most charismatic, quirky or downright spectacular – that grow in Britain and Ireland’s towns, cities and villages (and, in one case, from the crack in a church steeple). From a stumpy sycamore in Shetland, contorted by wind and hard weather, to the shining jewel in Brighton’s ...

In Tree Hunting , Paul Wood seeks out the best individual trees – the most charismatic, quirky or downright spectacular – that grow in Britain and Ireland’s towns, cities and villages (and, in one case, from the crack in a church steeple). From a stumpy sycamore in Shetland, contorted by wind and hard weather, to the shining jewel in Brighton’s unlikely treasure trove of elms, Paul travels on a quest from north to south rooting out the legends and tall tales behind these marvellous specimens. As he delves into this rich ecosystem, he reveals how trees are inextricably bound to the story of our towns and cities: they have always meant a great deal to those that live near them, and they continue to shape the fabric of urban life in deep, and often surprising ways.

Including sumptuous maps, grid references and charming travel notes so you can plan adventures of your own, Tree Hunting will help you unlock the secrets of Britain and Ireland’s urban forests.

Paul’s event will be taking place during the Urban Tree Festival.

A Dulwich Festival event.

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Pull up a Chair by Martha Collison

18 May 2025
The Linbury Room, Dulwich Picture Gallery, SE22 7AD

**CANCELLED** DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED. Pull up a chair to Martha Collison’s table, where the recipes are big on flavour with minimal fuss, making sharing food with friends easier than ever. Whether you’re looking for a weekend brunch spread, a little treat to share over coffee with a friend, a three-course extravaganza or a weeknight ...

**CANCELLED** DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Pull up a chair to Martha Collison’s table, where the recipes are big on flavour with minimal fuss, making sharing food with friends easier than ever.

Whether you’re looking for a weekend brunch spread, a little treat to share over coffee with a friend, a three-course extravaganza or a weeknight winner for two, Martha has got you covered. The recipes are all easy to follow, and produce delicious results without hours of effort in the kitchen.

Martha Collison is a bestselling food writer and recipe creator. She has written three cookbooks, established a regular column for Waitrose Weekend, built a dedicated online following and become resident Show Chef on the Graham Norton Radio Show with Virgin Radio. She was also a finalist in the Guild of Food Writers Awards 2024, and has appeared on Saturday Kitchen. In 2014, aged 17, she took part in the fifth series of The Great British Bake Off and remains the youngest ever contestant.

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Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers

17 May 2025
The Great Hall, Alleyn’s School, SE22 8SU

From the Women’s Prize longlisted, British Book award-winning, bestselling author of Small Pleasures, a new novel about love, family and the joy of freedom. Croydon, 1964. Helen Hansford is in her thirties and an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she has been having a long love affair with Gil: a charismatic, married doctor. One spring afternoon they receive ...

From the Women’s Prize longlisted, British Book award-winning, bestselling author of Small Pleasures, a new novel about love, family and the joy of freedom.

Croydon, 1964. Helen Hansford is in her thirties and an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she has been having a long love affair with Gil: a charismatic, married doctor.

One spring afternoon they receive a call about a disturbance from a derelict house not far from Helen’s home. A thirty-seven-year-old man called William Tapping, with a beard down to his waist, has been discovered along with his elderly aunt. It is clear he has been shut up in the house for decades, but when it emerges that William is a talented artist, Helen is determined to discover his story.

Shy Creatures is a life-affirming novel about all the different ways we can be confined, how ordinary lives are built of delicate layers of experience, the joy of freedom and the transformative power of kindness.

A Dulwich Festival event.

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