Introducing 'Building a Better World with Words LIVE'

Over the course of the programme, we will invite eight amazing UK & international authors to talk about their works and share their personal story. We will also be discussing the importance of literature during lockdown and which books are bringing solace during these challenging times.

All the events of the programme are free. They are easy to access online, too. We’re using Zoom to host the events, so simply register using the links available and make sure you’ve downloaded Zoom to your device before we start. The event will be BSL interpreted live, and later made available as a captioned video on our YouTube channel.

There will be the opportunity to ask questions in an audience Q&A session at the end of each event, and you will be able to buy copies of the featured books from Five Leaves Bookshop’s website with an exclusive bundle offer. Works by any of the appearing authors will be available at 3 books for the price of 2 - and, for the first event, the offer will be extended to any book by previous Women's Prize winners.

Follow Five Leaves for more updates at @fiveleavesbooks on Twitter and Instagram, and shop here: http://www.fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk

We’ll announce more authors and information about future events as they happen. Make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram so you never miss an update!

On Thursday the 2nd of July, we're collaborating with Dublin UNESCO City of Literature to invite award-winning Irish authors Emilie Pine and Christine Dwyer-Hickey to join us online. They'll be discussing their works in conversation with Deirdre from Five Leaves Bookshop and Alison Lyons, Director of Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.

Next in our event series, we invite Philippe Sands QC, author of the best-selling and multi award-winning 'East West Street', to discuss his latest book, 'The Ratline' a story of love, lies and justice. Stephan Collishaw is the founder of Noir Press, translating Lithuanian fiction. His novel 'The Song of the Stork’ is a story of hope, love and survival, of one woman finding a voice as the voices around her are extinguished. They will both be in conversation with Keith Kahn-Harris.

Faber Academy’s bestselling alumni, Rachel Joyce and SJ Watson will be in conversation with Sandeep Mahal. SJ Watson’s first novel ‘Before I Go To Sleep’, became a phenomenal international success. His new jumpy thriller ‘Final Cut’ is all about time and memory - how and what we remember and how and what we try to forget.

Rachel Joyce is the award-winning author of the world-wide bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Her new novel 'Miss Benson's Beetle' is an uplifting, irresistible novel about two very different women on a life-changing adventure where they must risk everything, break all the rules, and discover their best selves - together.

They will be in conversation with Sandeep Mahal about their new books, paths to publication and experiences of film adaptations.

We kicked off the programme with #ReadingWomen – a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction with writer and founder of the prize, Kate Mosse in conversation with Tayari Jones and Ann Patchett on 25th June at 7pm. The event was a collaboration with Iowa City of Literature.

This event has passed. Please find the full event recording below