Ealing Book Festival aims to celebrate the joy of reading and to advance engagement and education around literature and reading.
They aim to:
- bring people and communities together
- grow audiences for literature
- inspire writers and readers of all ages
- showcase well-known authors
- promote local writers
This year, the festival has an incredible line-up bringing together internationally-acclaimed authors and local talent. Jung Chang, alumna of UWL kicks off the Festival with a rare chance to hear her talk about Fly, Wild Swans, her much anticipated follow-up to the international bestseller Wild Swans.
Another local connection is Naz Shah, Member of Parliament for the Labour Party in Bradford West. Although born in Bradford, it was the Southall Black Sisters who provided a huge amount of support with her campaign to release her Mother from prison, where she was serving time for killing an abusive partner. Hear Naz talk about her first book Honoured: Survival, Strength and my Path to Politics, an unflinching and unforgettable story of her survival, resilience and political awakening which led to her election for Bradford West in 2015, following a bruising battle with George Galloway’s Respect Party.
- Mary Portas, retail pioneer, innovative businesswoman and acclaimed author
- Sibling duo Anita Mangan, graphic designer and illustrator with Stephen Mangan, author, scriptwriter
- William Boyd, author of 17 highly-acclaimed novels
- Anthony Horowitz, who has written over 50 acclaimed novels
- Robert Macfarlane, internationally-renowned for his writing on nature, people and place
- Blake Morrison, poet, novelist and journalist
- Andrew Graham-Dixon, art historian and broadcaster
- Simon Jenkins, journalist and best-selling author
- Alan Johnson, former Labour cabinet minister and bestselling author
- John Robb, bassist and singer of The Membranes and bestselling author, DJ, radio and TV presenter
- Oyinkan Braithwaite, one of the most exciting new contemporary authors
- Dan Cruickshank, distinguished architectural historian and TV presenter
- Lucy Steeds, novelist
The 2026 Ealing Book Festival promises one of our most exciting programmes yet, with a truly inspiring line-up of significant and well-known authors. This year, our partnerships with the University of West London and Questors Theatre allow us to welcome significantly larger audiences to our most popular events, while our continued collaboration with Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery offers a dedicated programme of culturally-inspired talks.
Catherine Jaquiss, Chair, Ealing Book Festival
