Book Slam

Remember when Poetry Slams were all the rage in the 90s? When the masses would head down to a funky bar or cafe and listen to spoken word artists wax lyrical on the mic. You couldn't walk down the streets in London without seeing one of these events taking place. Well now in the Noughties we have book slams where arty types and the literati gather round in underground places to hear cool authors read from their bestselling books. I spotted a great article in last week's Grazia where they covered the lastest cultural crazes and along with soirees at museums, political debates and pop cultural clubs, book slams are right up there for evening fun.

Book Slam
Set up by author, Patrick Neate, this is one of the first and only literary event to take place in a nightclub. Not only do you get a reading you also get to enjoy live music from wonderful musicians and the evening is topped off with a DJ spinning great tunes for the rest of the night.

Wapping Project Bookshop
This is a much more intimate event with up to 16 people conversing on the merits of each book. The Wapping Project Bookshop is located in a cosy greenhouse where the reading takes place.

5x15
This innovative event is where five artists and philosophers have 15 minutes to share their stories about their lives and successes. Hosted by journalist Rosie Boycott, 5x15 takes place at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill.

Add that to the numerous book reading Meetups that are taking place up and down the country it looks like books are the new thing. Whoever said reading was boring eh?