The first South Warwickshire Literary Festival (SWLF) evening is coming to Leamington Spa.

The evening will be held on Thursday, 12 June, at the renowned Leamington creative hub on Mill Street. 

The event brings a lively summer evening of literature and laughs with authors Dr Adam Sharp and Sarah Jane Downing in the company of compere and journalist Jo Durrant. 

Guests will be able to buy a drink at Fluters Bar and mingle from 7pm, before the main event kicks off at 7.30pm.

Festival Director Jacci Gooding said: "We're really excited to add some evening events to our offering this year, and it's terrific to see this one coming up so soon.

"It's going to be an excellent evening - please join us for it!"

Wordsmith Adam Sharp's entertaining show blends monologue, stand-up and a reading of excerpts from his books as he journeys around the world in idioms, proverbs and general nonsense. 

A composer and curator of the best, worst and most nonsensical lists, Adam developed a following of over 90,000 like-minded language enthusiasts on social media, including Twitter and Bluesky.

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This led to a series of books, including The Correct Order of Biscuits (2020) and most recently The Wheel is Spinning but the Hamster is Dead (2023). 

His lists have been featured in the Guardian, Irish Times, Stylist, Good Housekeeping, The Poke, The Bookshelf, The Knowledge, and Harper's.

Sarah Jane Downing is an author and freelance journalist with a particular passion for the history of fashion and beauty. 

Fascinated with the interplay of fashion, culture and personality, she has written widely about the arts, contributing to Selvedge magazine since the first issue as well as national and local magazines and newspapers. 

She has written five books: The English Pleasure Garden 1660-1860, Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen, Beauty and Cosmetics 1550-1950, Fashion in the Time of William Shakespeare, and Pastimes and Pleasures in the Time of Jane Austen. 

At this new event for SWLF, Sarah Jane will be celebrating Jane Austen's 250th anniversary by focusing on the Gothic in Austen, framing it within the atmosphere of stern disapproval that surrounded female novel reading in the final decade of the 18th century when Jane wrote Northanger Abbey.

The second festival evening will take place on Thursday, 18 September, with the main Festival taking place at the Fold in Leamington on Saturday, 20 September.

Tickets for the evening are £22.50 and are available here. 

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