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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260604T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260604T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260421T110003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T115131Z
UID:10001585-1780601400-1780606800@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Claudine Boulstridge: Family
DESCRIPTION:Step into a world of flavour\, balance and home-cooked meals with British-French chef and mother-of-three Claudine Boulstridge\, as she talks about her debut cookbook\, Family: Simple\, healthy recipes for everyone. \nClaudine is passionate about family food; she wants to show everyone how to transform everyday meals into flavour-forward\, vibrant and healthy home-cooked dishes you and your children will love at any age. Packed with tempting and creative recipes and practical ideas for a balanced\, varied diet\, Family will make mealtimes more delicious and help you to nourish adventurous eaters at the same time. \nClaudine will be talking about the book\, sharing stories about her background as a chef and taste tester for Yotam Ottolenghi (she has tested the recipes in all of his books!)\, and provide culinary solutions for health-conscious\, time-pressed families.\n\nFamily:\nFrom mini crustless quiches to rainbow sandwiches and healthy ‘Big Mac’ burgers to chocolate fridge cake\, Family features simple\, nutritious and time-efficient recipes that fit seamlessly into busy lives. From tips on cooking with your children to making homemade snacks and treats\, this book is your go-to guide for healthy\, flavoursome\, stress-free family meals. \nClaudine Boulstridge is a French-British chef\, recipe creator and tester for Ottolenghi – she has tested the recipes in all of his books and Guardian\, New York Times and Waitrose & Partners Food Magazine articles. After graduating from The University of Southampton with a degree in European Studies\, she studied at Leiths School of Food – going on to teach a variety of popular cookery classes at Divertimenti and Cookery School at Little Portland Street in London. Claudine has created\, tested\, styled and photographed recipes for companies like Ocado\, Lindt\, Crazy Jacks\, Biotiful Kefir and Bart. She also teaches online workshops and has spoken on BBC radio and The Parent Scoop podcast. \n***\nThursday 4 June | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £30.00 including a SIGNED copy of Family** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/claudine-boulstridge-family/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260528T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260528T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260309T160008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T155325Z
UID:10001561-1779996600-1780002000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Patrick Gale: Love Lane
DESCRIPTION:From beloved\, bestselling author Patrick Gale comes Love Lane\, a quietly powerful new novel about escape and entrapment\, love and loss\, and what home and family can truly mean. Set between the rural plains of Canada and 1950s Liverpool and Yorkshire\, Love Lane is a standalone novel that revisits characters from Patrick’s Costa-shortlisted novel\, A Place Called Winter. Across three generations\, it tells a deeply humane story of reckoning and return. \nBook now for what is sure to be a truly special evening in the company of much-loved author Patrick Gale.\n\nLove Lane:\nWhen Harry Cane\, a veteran Canadian wheat farmer\, is forced to sell up and sail back to an England reshaped by two world wars\, his arrival unsettles the family he abandoned decades earlier — a family for whom he has existed only as a distant myth. His daughter\, torn between duty and long-buried anger\, reluctantly takes him in. Yet Harry’s presence has unexpected consequences for the next generation: enabling his granddaughter to confront an unspeakable trauma\, and allowing her gentle husband\, at last\, to feel seen for who he truly is. \nAs Harry faces the question of whether it is possible to make a new life before it is too late\, Love Lane becomes a moving meditation on memory\, forgiveness\, and the fragile bonds that hold families together. \n***\n\nPatrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight and grew up in Winchester before studying at Oxford University. He now lives on a farm near Land’s End. One of the UK’s best-loved novelists\, his works include Notes from an Exhibition (a Richard and Judy bestseller)\, A Perfectly Good Man\, Mother’s Boy and the Costa-shortlisted A Place Called Winter. His original BBC drama Man in an Orange Shirt was broadcast to great acclaim in 2017 as part of the BBC’s Queer Britannia season\, introducing his work to readers around the world.\n\nThursday 28 May | 7.30 pm\nPenarth Pier Pavilion\, The Esplanade\, CF64 3AU\nTickets:  £25.00 including a signed hardback copy of Love Lane (RRP £20.00)* / £12.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n**There are a limited number of Event Only\, Student and Inclusive tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/patrick-gale-love-lane/
LOCATION:Penarth Pier Pavilion\, Penarth Pier Pavilion
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-4-1.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260521T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260521T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260421T090051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260420T114248Z
UID:10001584-1779391800-1779397200@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Chris Lloyd: The Art of Occupation
DESCRIPTION:The wonderful Chris Lloyd returns with a brand new book in his award-winning Occupation series! \nLocal Penarth author Chris Lloyd is a good friend of the shop and we’re delighted to be hosting an event to celebrate the release of The Art of Occupation\, the fourth book in his Occupation series featuring Eddie Giral\, a French police detective working in Paris under Nazi rule.\n\nThe Art of Occupation:\nIn the city of light\, some deals are only made in the shadows. When a corrupt art dealer is killed\, Detective Eddie Giral descends into an underground world of stolen paintings\, forged identities\, and whispered deals with Nazi Occupiers. As Eddie discovers links to a wealthy Jewish family’s missing collection\, the trail leads him to Paris’s Jeu de Paume\, where looted masterpieces have vanished – and where guarded curator Rose Valland gives nothing away. But in Eddie’s efforts to win her trust he forgets – can he trust her? With Parisians turning against their neighbours to survive\, and the different factions of the city’s Occupiers entangling Eddie in their power struggles\, the answers he needs lie in the museum’s most secretive collection… \nChris Lloyd: After graduating in Spanish and French\, Chris Lloyd lived in Catalonia\, where he worked in educational publishing and as a travel writer. He writes the Occupation series\, set in the Second World War\, featuring Eddie Giral\, a French police detective in Paris under Nazi rule.\nThe first book in the series\, The Unwanted Dead\, won the HWA Gold Crown Award for best historical novel of the year\, was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger Award and was Waterstone’s Welsh Book of the Month. The second\, Paris Requiem\, was a Sunday Times Best Historical Fiction Book of 2023. Published in August 2024\, the third in the series\, Banquet of Beggars\, was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger Award. He has also written a trilogy set in present-day Girona\, in Catalonia\, featuring Elisenda Domènech\, a police officer in the devolved Catalan police force. Chris is a member of Crime Cymru\, a co-operative of crime fiction writers with a connection to Wales\, and was part of the team that brought the country’s first international crime fiction festival to Aberystwyth\, in 2023. \n***\nThursday 21 May | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £28.00 including a SIGNED copy of The Art of Occupation (RRP £25.00)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/chris-lloyd-the-art-of-occupation/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Chris-Lloyd-Facebook-Banner-.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260506T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260506T220000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260326T140051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T124408Z
UID:10001570-1778095800-1778104800@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Matty O'Brien: Boots and Bare Hands [BOOK LAUNCH]
DESCRIPTION:From drumming on global tours to selling out a backyard supper club months in advance\, Matty O’Brien – the mastermind behind Matty’s BBQ Chop Shop – is bringing his fire-stoked secrets straight to home kitchens with the launch of his debut cookbook\, Boots and Bare Hands. Matty will be in conversation with broadcaster and 44Group co-founder Owen Morgan\, in what we know is going to be a very special event! \nBoots and Bare Hands is a deeply personal and practical guide to live-fire cooking\, reflecting the creativity\, precision and passion that have made Matty’s Penarth cul-de-sac a must-visit destination for food lovers. In the book\, he takes readers through everything from preparing premium cuts of beef\, pork\, poultry and seafood to mastering smoking\, brining and the techniques that elevate everyday meals into something extraordinary. Beyond the barbecue\, Boots and Bare Hands shows how to bring these skills into a busy family week\, with midweek meals and clever kitchen hacks designed for home cooks of all levels.\n\nMatty O’Brien: Matty’s journey is as unconventional as it is inspiring. Two years ago\, he ran his pop-up events from a domestic oven and a single chip tray. Today\, ten smokers hum in his backyard and his “cue fine dining” experiences have caught the attention of Saturday Kitchen’s Matt Tebbutt\, who called his short rib a “need to try” dish. Alongside his wife\, Lowri\, and children\, Rune and Red\, Matty has built a community hub where the thrill of cooking live over fire mirrors the adrenaline of his days on stage. \nThis is more than a cookbook: it’s an invitation into the Chop Shop experience\, the haphazard museum aesthetic of antiques and Americana\, and the philosophy that world-class barbecue can fit into everyday life. An event not to be missed for food lovers\, home cooks and anyone curious about the live-fire revolution happening right here in Penarth. \nWHAT TO EXPECT: Matty O’Brien will be in conversation with Owen Morgan (around 60 minutes)\, followed by an audience Q&A (15 mins). Matty will then be available after the ‘in-conversation’ part of the event to sign books and add a personal dedication. \nThe first 100 tickets sold (with book included) will also receive an exclusive Boots and Bare Hands tote bag!\n\n***\nWednesday 6 May | 7.30 pm\nThe Paget Rooms\, Penarth \nTickets: £35.00 includes a SIGNED hardback copy of Boots and Bare Hands (RRP: £24.99)* / £15.00 Event Only** / £10.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held at Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n** There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/matty-obrien-boots-and-bare-hands-book-launch/
LOCATION:Paget Rooms Penarth\, Paget Rooms Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-5.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260309T130028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T154644Z
UID:10001560-1777577400-1777582800@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Amanda Tuke: Wild Pavements (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:Step into the cracks\, corners and overlooked spaces of our towns and cities with urban naturalist Amanda Tuke\, as she discusses her new book Wild Pavements – a timely and quietly radical celebration of urban nature and the people who care for it. \nWild Pavements\nAmanda invites us to see the city differently\, revealing the extraordinary wildlife thriving alongside us in streets\, canals\, car parks and pavement edges. From wild bees on canal banks and black redstarts nesting on Oxford Street\, to rare plants pushing through concrete and new life returning to urban rivers\, her writing uncovers a living\, breathing natural world hiding in plain sight. \nTravelling from the City of London to its suburbs – and onward to Liverpool\, Edinburgh\, Belfast\, Cardiff\, Sheffield\, Aberdeen and beyond – explore how current thinking in ecology and conservation is reshaping our understanding of urban environments and learn how the wild world around us can transform not only our relationship with nature\, but the way we experience our cities themselves. \nWith more than 85% of the UK population living in towns and cities\, Wild Pavements feels both urgent and hopeful\, offering practical suggestions for new urban naturalists alongside a powerful reminder that our streets and communities are deeply entwined with nature’s stories. \nAMANDA TUKE is a London-based urban naturalist\, nature writer and consultant botanist\, and an associate lecturer on the MA in Nature & Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. She leads urban plant and bird walks\, teaches botany\, and writes widely on urban wildlife for publications including Bird Watching Magazine\, RSPB Magazine\, BBC Countryfile Magazine and Resurgence. Formerly nature-writer-in-residence for the London Wildlife Trust’s Great North Wood project\, her work is rooted in close observation\, accessibility and a deep belief in the importance of everyday nature. \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop. \n***\nThursday 30 April  | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £23.00 including a SIGNED hardback copy of Wild Pavements (RRP £18.99)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/amanda-tuke-wild-pavements-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-2-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260423T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260423T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251212T150029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T154510Z
UID:10001520-1776972600-1776978000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Mary Beard: Talking Classics
DESCRIPTION:What’s exciting about a 4\,000-year-old loaf of bread or a few pots of paint abandoned in Pompeii? Far more than you might think. In her captivating new book Talking Classics: The Shock of the Old\, Mary Beard shows how the distant past continues to surprise\, provoke\, and reshape the way we see the world today. \nThis is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the “rock star scholar of Ancient Rome” as she brings her newest book to life. Whether you’re a long-time classics lover or simply curious about the world’s oldest stories\, this promises to be an illuminating and entertaining evening. Book your ticket now for an event that will change the way you see the ancient world\, and perhaps the modern one too. \nTalking Classics:\nTalking Classics asks a deceptively simple question: why should we care about ancient Greece and Rome? Mary Beard reveals that the life\, art\, and literature of antiquity are not the exclusive domain of wealthy white men\, but a rich\, messy\, and diverse inheritance that belongs to all of us. From angry landlords to giggling senators\, she explores the humanity of those who lived long ago — and how their stories still echo in our own. \nWith trademark wit and clarity\, Beard uncovers the unexpected ways the ancient world has inspired modern revolutionaries and dictators\, artists and pop icons – from Bob Dylan to Beyoncé. Drawing on fifty years of teaching and research\, she fills the book with lively stories\, curious facts\, and even a little well-placed gossip\, arguing that while no one has to be excited by antiquity\, it’s a shame not to be.\n\nMary Beard is the most acclaimed classicist of our time. Professor Emerita of Classics at Cambridge\, Classics editor of the TLS\, and co-host of the Instant Classics podcast\, she is the bestselling author of SPQR\, Pompeii\, Women & Power and Emperor of Rome. Her work has been translated into over 35 languages\, and she is celebrated for bringing the ancient world to a global audience with wit\, scholarship\, and accessibility.\n\nThursday 23 April | 7.30 pm\nStanwell School Auditorium\, Archer Road\, Penarth\, CF64 2XL\nTickets: £25.00 including a signed hardback copy of Talking Classics (RRP £16.99)* / £15.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n**There are a limited number of Event Only\, Student and Inclusive tickets available. 
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/mary-beard-talking-classics/
LOCATION:Stanwell School Penarth\, Stanwell School Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260401T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260401T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260309T100020Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T154324Z
UID:10001559-1775068200-1775077200@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Matthew Myerscough: In Search of Sea Dragons
DESCRIPTION:Step into the wild landscapes of Wales’s ancient past with Cardiff-based fossil hunter Matthew Myerscough\, as he talks about his remarkable debut book\, In Search of Sea Dragons: A Fossil Hunter’s Odyssey. \nFollowing a life-changing avalanche on the slopes of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)\, Matthew turned to fossil hunting as a way to slow down\, reconnect with the natural world\, and rebuild. What began as a hobby soon became a passion\, leading him to the windswept cliffs of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast\, the muddy banks of the River Severn\, and lesser-known fossil sites across South Wales and Dorset. \nMatthew will be talking about the book\, sharing stories from the field\, answering questions\, and offering insight for aspiring fossil hunters of all ages. We’ll be starting at a little earlier than usual at 6.30pm\, making this a family-friendly evening for anyone fascinated by fossils\, the natural world\, and the quiet thrill of discovery. \nAn inspiring\, thoughtful event for adults and young explorers alike.\n\nIn Search of Sea Dragons\nPart adventure narrative\, part practical guide\, Matthew charts his journey from novice to expert fossil hunter. Along the way\, he reflects on mindfulness\, wellbeing\, and personal growth\, while offering clear\, accessible advice for anyone curious about starting their own fossil-hunting adventures. Central to the book is his months-long search for a dream discovery: a complete ichthyosaur – and the question of whether it is the find itself\, or the journey towards it\, that matters most. \nMatthew Myerscough is a civil engineer and fossil hunter based in Cardiff\, now well known within the fossil-hunting community for his extraordinary marine reptile discoveries. His finds include a beautifully preserved ichthyosaur skull\, a rare plesiosaur flipper\, and the lower jaw of a 16-foot-long pliosaurus — the first of its kind found in Wales — which he generously donated to National Museum Cardiff. \n***\nWednesday 1 April | 6.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £18.00 including a SIGNED copy of In Search of Sea Dragons : A Fossil Hunter’s Odyssey (RRP £12.99)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student or Child Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/matthew-myerscough-in-search-of-sea-dragons/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-1-3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260326T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260326T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251212T120025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T154040Z
UID:10001519-1774553400-1774553400@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Jane Fraser: Weights and Measures (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:Step into a world of richly drawn characters\, quiet suspense\, and beautifully observed human drama as author Jane Fraser joins us to discuss her new novel Weights and Measures — an unhurried\, evocative story set in a working-class suburb of Swansea during the early days of the Second World War. \nWeights and Measures follows an outwardly ordinary family whose inner lives brim with fear\, passion\, and hope. Caught in the strange stillness of the ‘phoney war’\, the Froom family move through their days in a state of suspended animation\, clinging to secrets and private longings. But when the true devastation of war finally arrives\, nothing remains untouched. Lives are shattered\, futures are reshaped\, and yet — amid the wreckage — a fragile glimmer of hope begins to emerge. \nJane Fraser is a writer rooted deeply in the landscapes and histories that shape her fiction. Drawing inspiration from the rich cultural tapestry of Swansea and the lives of ordinary people enduring extraordinary times\, she brings a keen observational eye and an intimate emotional depth to her storytelling. Her work explores family\, identity\, and resilience\, capturing the quiet details that illuminate even the darkest chapters of history. \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop. \n***\nThursday 26 March | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9-9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £18.00 including a SIGNED copy of Weights and Measures (RRP: £12.99)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There is a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/jane-fraser-weights-and-measures-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Jane-Fraser.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260319T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260319T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260119T120028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260116T132457Z
UID:10001539-1773948600-1773948600@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Saara El-Arifi: Cleopatra
DESCRIPTION:Described by R.F. Kuang as ‘enchanting\, smart\, and subversive’\, Cleopatra is the must-read new novel from Saara El-Arifi\, the award-winning author of Faebound. \nHailed as one of the most remarkable and acclaimed storytellers of her generation\, Saara is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author and British Book Award Winner\, known for her fantasy and historical fiction. We’re delighted to welcome her to Penarth to talk about her debut literary novel\, an epic and ground-breaking story which shows us Cleopatra on her own terms… \nCleopatra:\nYOU KNOW MY NAME. BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW ME.\n\nYour historians call me seductress\, but I was ever in love’s thrall.\n\nYour playwrights speak of witchcraft\, but my talents came from the gods themselves.\n\nYour poets sing of my bloodlust\, but I was always protecting my children.\n\nHow wilfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful\, strategic\, divinely\nblessed to rule.\n\nDeath will silence me no longer.\n\nThis is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.\n\n***\nSaara El-Arifi is a No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy and historical fiction. El-Arifi knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie. Over the years\, she has perfected her tall tales into epic ones. After a decade of working in marketing and communications\, she returned to academia to complete a master’s degree in African studies specialising in Cleopatra’s myth and her impact on Black women. She lives in London.\n\nThursday 19 March | 7.30 pm\nPenarth Pier Pavilion\, The Esplanade\, CF64 3AU\nTickets:  £25.00 including a signed hardback copy of Cleopatra (RRP £18.99)* / £12.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n*There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/saara-el-arifi-cleopatra/
LOCATION:Penarth Pier Pavilion\, Penarth Pier Pavilion
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-1-2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260318T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260318T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260307T120028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T153711Z
UID:10001558-1773862200-1773867600@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Folding Rock: 1st Birthday Celebration
DESCRIPTION:Wales’s flagship literary magazine\, Folding Rock\, marks its first birthday this March with the launch of Issue 4: Telling Tales. This special anniversary edition features outstanding short fiction\, creative non-fiction and literary criticism from Wales and beyond. \nDescribed as Wales’s answer to Granta and The Stinging Fly\, Folding Rock brings together established writers and exciting new voices\, presented in a beautifully designed print-first publication. \nJoin us at Penarth Pier Pavilion for an evening of stunning literature from some of Wales’s most talented writers and thinkers\, as we celebrate the first anniversary of Folding Rock. With author readings from across the first four issues and a word from the founding editors\, everyone is welcome to come and raise a glass to this exciting new chapter for writers and readers in Wales. \nFull line-up to be announced. \nThis event is FREE for Members and Patrons of Folding Rock. To find out how to become a Member or Patron\, click here. \n\n***\nWednesday 18 March | 7.30 pm\nPenarth Pier Pavilion\, The Esplanade\, CF64 3AU\nTickets:  £20.00 including a copy of Folding Rock: Issue 4 – Telling Tales (RRP £13.00)* / £10.00 Event Only / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket / FREE for Members and Patrons of Folding Rock (use discount code) \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/folding-rock-1st-birthday-celebration/
LOCATION:Penarth Pier Pavilion\, Penarth Pier Pavilion
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-3-1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260313T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260313T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260306T163023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T153157Z
UID:10001557-1773430200-1773435600@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Lea Ypi: Indignity (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:Join Lea Ypi – political theorist\, memoirist and one of Europe’s most compelling contemporary thinkers – as she discusses her powerful new book\, Indignity. \nA sweeping story that spans the twilight of the Ottoman Empire to the rise of communism in the Balkans\, Indignity has been longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and named a Book of the Year by the Financial Times\, Sunday Times\, Prospect\, TLS\, Washington Post and NPR. An imaginative and searching exploration of historical injustice\, dignity and truth\, it is a family story at heart: when Ypi discovers a photograph of her grandmother\, Leman\, honeymooning in the Alps in 1941\, despite being told that all records of her early life were destroyed\, she begins a quest that unsettles everything she thought she knew.\n\nIndignity:\nWho was the real Leman Ypi? What compelled her to leave one world behind and marry into another at a time of war\, political upheaval and ideological extremity? And what does it mean to judge the choices of those who lived through such eras?\n\nMoving between archive and imagination\, court records and secret police files\, memory and speculation\, Indignity reconstructs a vanished world while asking urgent questions about truth\, survival and moral responsibility. By turns intimate and sweeping\, it examines how private lives are shaped and sometimes distorted by the forces of history. \nLea Ypi is the Ralph Miliband Professor of Politics and Philosophy at the LSE and a Fellow of the British Academy. Born in Albania\, she studied in Rome and Oxford\, and is the recipient of numerous awards for her scholarship. Her previous book\, Free\, won the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize and the RSL Ondaatje Prize\, and was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize\, the Costa Biography Award and the Gordon Burn Prize. \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop. \n***\nFriday 13 March | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £26.00 including a SIGNED hardback copy of Indignity (RRP £22.00)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/lea-ypi-indignity-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260305T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260305T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251212T100055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T153626Z
UID:10001518-1772739000-1772739000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Peter Finch: The Literary Business (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:Step behind the scenes of Wales’s literary world with one of its most iconic figures. Peter Finch – poet\, writer\, performer\, and literary entrepreneur – will be talking to fellow author John Osmond about his new book\, The Literary Business. \nWhether you are a writer seeking guidance\, a literature enthusiast hungry for insider stories\, or simply someone who loves a brilliant literary raconteur\, an evening with Peter Finch promises to entertain\, enlighten\, and inspire. \nFor over fifty years\, Finch has shaped and chronicled the literary life of Cardiff and beyond. From pioneering the UK’s small press revolution in the 60s and 70s with Second Aeon\, to championing performance poetry in Wales during the 1980s\, to running Cardiff’s Oriel Bookshop\, and later leading Literature Wales\, Finch has been at the forefront of literary innovation. He has edited periodicals\, organised events\, worked as a literary agent and publisher\, and published acclaimed books on Cardiff\, the Valleys\, and the roots of rock music. \nIn his new book\, The Literary Business\, Finch draws on his unparalleled experience to offer a no-holds-barred personal history of the literary world. This book is for writers\, academics\, critics\, and anyone fascinated by the cut and thrust of publishing and poetry. From navigating the “Poetry Wars” of the 70s to understanding the challenges of supporting writers and writing today\, Finch delivers insights\, anecdotes\, and reflections with his trademark verve and iconoclasm. \nFew others in Wales know the business and how we got here like Finch does. And few others will have been capable of reporting back in such an entertaining fashion. Peter will be talking about the book\, answering questions\, offering advice and performing a poem or two. An evening not to be missed. \nPeter Finch is first and foremost a poet. His Collected Poems\, published in two 500-page volumes in 2022\, showcase decades of experimentation\, discovery\, and performance. Critics have hailed him as “probably the greatest living performer in poetry that we’ve got” (Chris McCabe\, National Poetry Librarian\, Southbank) and “one of the most influential literary figures in Wales of the last sixty years” (Gary Raymond). \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop. \n***\nThursday 5 March | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £25.00 including a SIGNED hardback copy of The Literary Business (RRP £20.00)* / £8.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n**There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/peter-finch-the-literary-business-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260226T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260226T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251211T160016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T153245Z
UID:10001517-1772134200-1772134200@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Rhian Siôn: Gyda'n Gilydd (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:We’re delighted to be hosting the launch event for local author Rhian Siôn’s debut novel\, Gyda’n Gilydd. Rhian will be in conversation with BBC Radio Cymru 2 presenter and singer\, Lisa Angharad. Join us for the perfect bookish evening. This is a Welsh-language event. \nGyda’n Gilydd\nMae Alys a Saffi yn ffrindiau gore oes ond ers i Alys gael babi\, does ganddyn nhw ddim llawer yn gyffredin. Ond pan ddaw Elina\, mam newydd arall i’w bywydau’n annisgwyl\, mae’r tair yn sylweddoli bod heriau bywyd yn haws wrth iddyn nhw eu wynebu gyda’i gilydd. Stori dwymgalon am chwaeroliaeth a’r angen am gymuned i fagu babi. \nAlys and Saffi have been lifelong friends\, but since Alys had a baby\, they don’t have much in common. But when Elina\, another new mother\, unexpectedly enters their lives\, the three realise that life’s challenges are easier to face together. A heartfelt story about sisterhood and the need for a community to raise a baby. \nRhian Sion\nMae Rhian Siôn yn awdur ac athrawes sy’n angerddol am adrodd streon. Gyda gradd yn y Gymraeg mae Rhian wedi ysbrydoli meddyliau ifanc drwy ysgrifennu i blant\, ei gwaith fel ymarferydd creadigol\, ac fel athrawes. Bellach\, mae’n dod a’i llais unigryw i ffuglen i oedolion gyda’i nofel gyntaf\, gan gyfuno ei diddordeb mewn llenyddiaeth gyfoes a’i phrofiad fel mam. Pan nad yw’n ysgrifennu\, mae’n mwynhau bywyd ym Mhenarth gyda’i gŵr a’i dau fab ifanc\, gan dynnu ysbrydoliaeth o’r byd bywiog o’i chwmpas. \nRhian Siôn is a writer and teacher with a passion for storytelling. With a degree in Welsh\, she has inspired young minds through her children’s writing\, her work as a creative practitioner\, and her experience as a teacher. She now brings her unique voice to adult fiction with her debut novel\, blending her interest in contemporary literature with her experiences of motherhood. When she’s not writing\, she enjoys life in Penarth with her husband and two young sons\, drawing inspiration from the vibrant world around her. \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop. \n***\nThursday 26 February | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9-9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £15.00 including a SIGNED copy of Gyda’n Gilydd (RRP: £9.99)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \nAll tickets include a glass of bubbly (or non-alcoholic alternative) on arrival. \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There is a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/rhian-sion-gydan-gilydd-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260223T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260223T220000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20260117T160042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260116T134811Z
UID:10001536-1771875000-1771884000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:VIP Preview Party - Clare Mackintosh: 'It's Not What You Think'
DESCRIPTION:Are you ready for something a little bit different? We’re beyond excited to be hosting an exclusive VIP Preview Party for Clare Mackintosh’s hotly anticipated new book\, It’s Not What You Think. Join us in the shop for an intimate gathering in the company of one of the UK’s favourite crime writers as she introduces her twisty new thriller. \nWhat to expect \n– a drink and nibbles on arrival\n– themed merchandise and goodies\n– fun games to get the party going\n– plenty of time to mingle and chat with Clare \nAll VIP guests will also receive a SIGNED and dedicated copy of It’s Not What You Think when it’s published on Thursday 26 March. \nClare says: “My schedule around publication is always so busy that I’m often dashing off from events as soon as the signing queue has finished\, so I’m looking forward to having time to chat to readers properly at these special parties. Given my love of plot twists\, I am of course planning a few surprises for our VIP guests…”  \nThis is just one of two pre-order parties Clare will be hosting ahead of the book’s release\, and the only one taking place in Wales! Make sure you grab your ticket early\, as spaces are strictly limited. \nIt’s Not What You Think: \nYOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE\nNadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs. She’s been here before. \nYOU THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN TRUST\nWhen Jamie claims to be at work late\, she knows he’s lying. He’s with another woman\, and she’s determined to catch him in the act. \nYOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS\nBut when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him\, Jamie can’t explain himself. The house has become a crime scene… Jamie is dead. \nIT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK… \nCLARE MACKINTOSH is a former police officer and a bestselling crime author. Her books have sold more than three million copies\, been optioned for television and translated into 40 languages. She appears regularly at literary festivals and bookshop events across the UK\nand beyond. \n*** \nPraise for It’s Not What You Think: \n‘I always see the twists coming – but not this time’ – LEE CHILD \n‘A nail-biter of a thriller’ – SHARI LAPENA \n‘An extraordinarily clever plot\, this was one of my favourite books of the year’ – ANDREA MARA \n‘Clare Mackintosh has done it again with another unguessable twist’ – ERIN KELLY \n‘The book everyone will be talking about … more twists and turns than an episode of Line of Duty’ – C.L. TAYLOR \n***\nMonday 23 February  | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9-9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £25.00 – Tickets include a SIGNED and personally dedicated copy of It’s Not What You Think (RRP £16.99 hardback)*\, a drink and nibbles on arrival\, plus themed merchandise. \n*Copies of It’s Not What You Think will be available to collect from publication day on 26 March. If you’re not able to collect your copy from the shop we can post it to your home address for no extra charge. Please add the Postage option when booking and provide your address when prompted. \nIMPORTANT ACCESS INFORMATION: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/vip-preview-party-clare-mackintosh-its-not-what-you-think/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260211T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260211T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251211T140028Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T152707Z
UID:10001516-1770838200-1770838200@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Brigid Lowe: The Bloody Branch (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:Immerse yourself in a richly imagined world of myth\, magic\, and feminist storytelling with author Brigid Lowe\, as she discusses her new book The Bloody Branch\, a dark\, eco-gothic retelling of the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogion. \nThe Bloody Branch reimagines the stories of Blodeuwedd\, Arianrhod\, and Goewin through a fierce feminist and ecological lens\, bringing Wales’s national myths to life in a narrative charged with magic\, danger\, and ancient power. \nAs darkness spreads across the kingdom under the cruel ambition of the magician Gwydion\, three women must unite and unleash their most uncanny strengths to defend the land that binds them. Vital\, visceral and richly atmospheric\, Lowe’s novel is a story of desire\, revenge\, nature and female resilience\, casting an ancient light on themes that feel urgent and resonant today.\n\nBrigid Lowe grew up in a remote Welsh-speaking community on Ynys Môn with her Irish immigrant parents and younger sister. She now lives with her children in Yr Hen Ogledd — The Old North — once part of a shared Cumbric nation with Wales. She studied literature at Bangor\, completed her doctorate at Oxford\, and later taught at Sheffield and Cambridge Universities\, publishing widely on the art of fiction. Brigid descends from travellers\, circus performers\, mill workers and gallowglass warriors. She photographs flowers\, forages\, climbs pinnacles\, and swims in ice-cold waters\, caves and bottomless pools — a life steeped in the landscape that informs her fiction. \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop. \n***\nWednesday 11 February  | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £20.00 including a SIGNED hardback copy of The Bloody Branch (RRP £16.99)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/brigid-lowe-the-bloody-branch-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Brigid-Lowe1.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260205T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260205T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250821T150318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250922T121113Z
UID:10000671-1770319800-1770319800@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Val McDermid: Silent Bones
DESCRIPTION:One of the UK’s most accomplished and respected novelists\, number one bestseller Val McDermid is coming to Penarth for a special evening to celebrate the release of her new Karen Pirie thriller\, Silent Bones. With more than 19 million books sold worldwide and translations in over 40 languages\, Val’s gripping and intelligent crime fiction has earned her a devoted global readership. \nSILENT BONES:\nWhen torrential rain causes a landslide on a motorway in Scotland\, it reveals a crime scene: someone hid a body in the tarmac eleven years before. Journalist Sam Nimmo had been the prime suspect in the murder of his fiancée when he disappeared\, and now DCI Karen Pirie and her Historic Cases Unit must find out who buried him\, and why. Meanwhile\, in Edinburgh\, new evidence reopens a closed case\, and the accidental death of a hotel manager starts to look like murder. \nBut what did Tom Jamieson’s book club have to do with his demise – and what will they do to keep their secrets? Karen and her team begin to untangle a web of lies\, one which connects their murder cases with Scotland’s rich and powerful. They will be tested to their limits – and possibly beyond… \nVal McDermid has written five series of crime novels including eight featuring cold case detective Karen Pirie\, with Karen now starring in a major ITV series\, and eleven books with clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan which were adapted for television as Wire in the Blood\, starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris. Val has also published several award-winning standalone novels\, books of non-fiction\, short story collections and a children’s picture book\, My Granny is a Pirate. Her new Karen Pirie novel\, Silent Bones\, publishes in October 2025. \nVal has won multiple international awards\, including the CWA Gold Dagger\, the LA Times Book of the Year Award and the Grand Prix des Romans D’Aventure. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Edinburgh and has been a judge for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize\, as well as chairing the Wellcome Book Prize in 2017. She is the recipient of seven honorary doctorates\, is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda’s College\, Oxford and a Professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Val is also lead singer of the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers\, a rock band who have performed at Glastonbury.  She lives in Edinburgh and the East Neuk of Fife. \n***\n5th February 2026 | 7.30 pm\nThe Paget Rooms\, Penarth \nTickets: £28.00 includes a SIGNED hardback copy of Silent Bones (RRP: £22.00)* / £12.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held at Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n** There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/val-mcdermid-silent-bones/
LOCATION:Paget Rooms Penarth\, Paget Rooms Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260127T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260127T140000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251211T120011Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T152154Z
UID:10001515-1769522400-1769522400@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Tea and Cake with Jennifer Niven
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the perfect winter pick-me-up: tea\, homemade cake\, and a captivating afternoon with bestselling author Jennifer Niven as she shares the story behind her richly layered new novel\, Meet the Newmans. What’s not to love?! \nFunny\, big-hearted\, and deeply moving\, Meet the Newmans is a vibrant family story about the dual realities we all live – even when our lives aren’t broadcast to millions. Because everyone has a behind-the-scenes.\n\nMeet the Newmans\nFor twenty years\, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons\, Guy and Shep\, have ruled American television as “America’s Favourite Family.” Every week\, millions tune in to watch flawless\, black-and-white versions of the Newmans play out a perfectly curated domestic dream. But it’s 1964\, and the world is changing — fast. The family’s polished image is starting to look painfully outdated. Ratings are collapsing. And behind the scenes\, the Newmans themselves are beginning to unravel. \nDel is hiding an explosive secret from his wife. Dinah is slowly — and quite literally — going numb. Dependable Guy is concealing the truth about his love life\, while rock’n’roll favourite Shep may finally have pushed things too far. When Del\, the creative force behind the show\, is involved in a mysterious car accident\, Dinah decides to take control. She hires Juliet Dunne\, an outspoken young reporter\, to help her craft the family’s final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different ideas about what it means to be a woman in 1964. As tensions rise\, one question looms: can the Newmans hold it together long enough to change television history\, or will they be cancelled before they even get the chance?\n\nJennifer Niven is a number one New York Times and internationally bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction\, including the global breakout All the Bright Places\, which she adapted for the Netflix film starring Elle Fanning and Justice Smith. Her books have been translated into more than seventy-five languages and have earned awards around the world. \n***\nTuesday 27 January | 2.00 pm for tea and cake (events starts at 2.30 pm) \nAll Saints Church\, Victoria Square\, Penarth\nTickets: £25.00 including tea and cake\, plus a SIGNED hardback copy of Meet the Newmans (RRP: £18.99)* / £15.00 Event only\, including tea and cake \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n*There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available for this event.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/tea-and-cake-with-jennifer-niven/
LOCATION:All Saints Church Penarth\, All Saints Church Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/ptcmedia/uploads/Facebook-Templates-2.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260126T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260126T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251211T100018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T151710Z
UID:10001514-1769455800-1769455800@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Oliver Bullough: Everybody Loves Our Dollars (GRIFFIN BOOKS AFTER HOURS)
DESCRIPTION:Spend an evening in the company of one of Britain’s leading investigative journalists Oliver Bullough as he discusses his latest book\, Everybody Loves Our Dollars: How Money Laundering Won – a wildly entertaining exposé of the dark financial secrets at the heart of the global economy. \nThis event is part of our new Griffin Books After Hours series of talks\, interviews and discussions\, which will take place in our newly expanded shop.\n\nEverybody Loves Our Dollars: How Money Laundering Won: \nWithout the existence of money laundering\, few crimes of acquisition would be worth the trouble. South America’s drug cartels would be stranded without it\, as would Nigerian kleptocrats\, Afghan terrorists\, American tax evaders\, and a whole bestiary of human (and animal) traffickers the world over. And yet\, estimates of the dirty portion of world GDP have held steady at 2–5% for decades. All efforts at legislation\, diplomacy\, prosecution\, and compliance have been a complete flop. It’s not a lack of will to stamp it out -it’s a lack of insight. \nIn Everybody Loves Our Dollars\, Bullough takes readers on a perspective-altering adventure through the flipside of the global economy\, revealing why the system works so well for those who exploit it and why it’s time for that to change. \nOliver Bullough is the author of the Sunday Times bestsellers Butler to the World and Moneyland\, as well as two acclaimed books about the former Soviet Union: The Last Man in Russia and Let Our Fame Be Great. His journalism appears regularly in The Guardian\, The New York Times\, and GQ. \n***\nMonday 26 January | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9–9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £30.00 including a SIGNED copy of Everybody Loves Our Dollars (Hardback RRP £25.00)** / £8.00 Event Only*** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us at info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held at Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n***There are a limited number of Event\, Inclusive and Student tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/oliver-bullough-everybody-loves-our-dollars-griffin-books-after-hours/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, Griffin Books
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260119T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260119T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251210T180054Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251210T151407Z
UID:10001513-1768851000-1768851000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Lisa Jewell: Don't Let Him In
DESCRIPTION:What happens when the man who seems perfect in every way slowly begins to unravel your life from the inside?\n\nLisa Jewell\, the queen of the psychological thriller\, returns with Don’t Let Him In\, an addictive\, chilling tale of love\, manipulation\, and the danger of welcoming the wrong person into your home – and your heart. We are beyond thrilled to welcome Lisa to Penarth this January to celebrate the paperback release of her latest pulse-pounding bestseller. \nHe appears attentive. Devoted. Almost too good to be true. Before long\, he’s living in your house\, sharing your bed\, and entwining himself into every corner of your world. And then he starts disappearing for days at a time. No explanations. No answers. No remorse. Only later do you realise what you would have told yourself from the very beginning: \nJewell delivers a masterclass in suspense\, weaving a story that is both deeply unsettling and impossible to put down. With her trademark precision\, she exposes the dark charm of a man who knows exactly how to make himself indispensable\, and how to destroy you when you no longer are. \nWe’re expecting this to be super popular\, book tickets early to avoid disappointment. \nLisa Jewell is one of the world’s best-selling and most beloved thriller writers. Since her breakout debut Ralph’s Party in 1999\, she has published twenty-two novels including Then She Was Gone\, The Family Upstairs\, and None of This Is True. Her books have sold over twelve million copies and been translated into more than thirty languages. Lisa lives in north London with her family\, a Romanian rescue dog named Daisy\, and a decidedly chaotic orange cat called Ivy. \n***\nMonday 19 January | 7.30 pm\nAll Saints Church\, Victoria Square\, Penarth\nTickets: £18.00 including a signed paperback copy of Don’t Let Him In (RRP: £9.99)* / £12.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket / £5.00 Student Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n** There are a limited number of Event Only\, Inclusive and Student Tickets available for this event.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/lisa-jewell-dont-let-him-in/
LOCATION:All Saints Church Penarth\, All Saints Church Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251210T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251210T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251118T170026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T140724Z
UID:10000714-1765395000-1765400400@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Christmas Crime with Simon McCleave
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate the festive season with a chilling new case for DI Ruth Hunter. Bestselling crime writer Simon McCleave will join us for our annual Christmas Crime event\, where he’ll discuss his latest heart-pounding thriller\, The Bala Lake Killings – a story of murder\, betrayal and a deadly pursuit across North Wales. Tickets include a glass of bubbly and a mince pie to get us all feeling suitably festive. \nTHE BALA LAKE KILLINGS:\nA local MP is brutally murdered by a far-right extremist gang in Snowdonia. When DI Ruth Hunter and DS Nick Evans arrest one of the killers\, Raymond Clarke\, he agrees to give evidence – on the condition that he and his family are placed in protective custody. Ruth believes they’ll be safe in the remote wilds near Bala Lake. \nBut when the location of the safe house is leaked and Clarke’s family is kidnapped\, Ruth and her team are thrust into a desperate chase across North Wales. As the gang closes in\, they must uncover the source of the betrayal before it’s too late. \nSimon McCleave is a multimillion-selling crime novelist and screenwriter. Originally from London\, he now lives in North Wales with his wife and two children. Before turning to novels\, Simon worked in London and LA on hit films and series including The Full Monty\, Silent Witness\, The Bill and Murder in Suburbia. His hugely popular DI Ruth Hunter series has sold millions worldwide and is set to become a major television drama\, with filming of Snowdonia beginning in autumn 2025. His new Marshal of Snowdonia series\, launched earlier this year\, has already become a bestseller. \n***\nWednesday 10 December | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9-9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £12.00 Event Only (to include a glass of bubbly on arrival and a mince pie) / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \nBOOK NOW: GriffinBooksEvents.co.uk
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/christmas-crime-with-simon-mccleave/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251208T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251208T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251119T120038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T142714Z
UID:10000716-1765222200-1765227600@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Griffin Books | R. F. Kuang: Katabasis
DESCRIPTION:Join us in Penarth for an evening with R. F. Kuang\, the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Babel and global phenomenon Yellowface\, as she discusses her dazzling new novel Katabasis before taking audience questions. \nKatabasis (“descent to the underworld”) follows graduate student Alice Law\, who must journey to Hell with her rival Peter Murdoch to retrieve her dead mentor. But Hell is stranger and more perilous than imagined—and its greatest threat may be each other. A darkly funny and fiercely original story of ambition\, obsession\, and unexpected love\, Katabasis is one of 2025’s most anticipated novels. \n📅 Monday 8 December | 7.30 pm\n📍 The Paget Rooms\, Penarth \n🎟️ £30 (includes SIGNED hardback\, tote bag + pin badge) | £15 Event Only | £5 Inclusive\nBooks are pre-signed; no dedications.\nSuitable for ages 14+. \n👉 Book now: GriffinBooksEvents.co.uk
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/griffin-books-r-f-kuang-katabasis/
LOCATION:Paget Rooms Penarth\, Paget Rooms Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251203T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251203T210000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20251118T150027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T135833Z
UID:10000713-1764790200-1764795600@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Cosy Christmas: Writing Romance with Beth Reekles\, Chloe Ford and Jack Strange
DESCRIPTION:If you’re looking for the ultimate festive book event\, then we’ve got the perfect winter warmer for you! We are thrilled to be hosting our first Christmas Romance event at the Griffin Book shop – an evening of cosy stories\, sizzling romance\, and seasonal cheer with the delightful trio of Beth Reekles\, Chloe Ford and Jack Strange. \nIt Won’t Be Christmas Without You by Beth Reekles. From the bestselling author of The Kissing Booth comes her debut adult fiction: the story of twin sisters with very different lives – one a Christmas obsessive\, the other a workaholic – who must face chaos to rediscover what the holiday really means. \nHouse Party by Chloe Ford. A sizzling\, slow-burn romance set over New Year’s Eve. When Hattie finds herself stuck in a snowed-in cabin with her best friend’s older brother – the one she’s secretly loved for fifteen years – sparks fly. \nLook Up\, Handsome by Jack Strange. A charming\, queer romcom set in Hay-on-Wye\, where Quinn is fighting to save his beloved bookshop just as brooding novelist Noah Sage blows into town. With snow\, forced proximity\, small-town gossip and a dash of holiday magic\, this is the cosy Christmas romance you’ve been waiting for. \nWednesday 3 December | 7.30 pm Griffin Books\, Penarth Tickets: From £5.00 BOOK NOW: GriffinBooksEvents.co.uk
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/cosy-christmas-writing-romance-with-beth-reekles-chloe-ford-and-jack-strange/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251120T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251120T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250924T130004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T161934Z
UID:10000688-1763667000-1763667000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Menna Elfyn: Parch
DESCRIPTION:Don’t miss this special evening with the brilliant Menna Elfyn – one of Wales’s foremost poets – to celebrate the publication of Parch\, her powerful and deeply moving new collection exploring respect\, compassion\, and the triumph of kindness in a fractured world. \nParch is a landmark publication for Menna and the first to include poems written directly in English\, as well as in her own translation. \nParch:\nIn Welsh\, parch (with a guttural ‘ch’) simply means respect. This stunning collection of poems gives voice to those whose liberty or dignity has been undermined\, calling for religious\, linguistic and cultural tolerance while confronting the effects of (in)humanity on our environment\, our histories\, and our lives.\n\nAmong these are powerful poems responding to sexual harassment\, exploitation and violence against women\, and to the plight of people caught up in armed conflicts past and present. Mercy is a recurring theme\, with poems exploring the tension between justice and forgiveness.\nMenna Elfyn shares Nobel laureate Herta Müller’s belief that ‘holding one’s own language up to the eyes of another leads to a solid relationship\, a relaxed kind of love’. This distils the essence of ‘Parch‘: respect as refuge\, and compassion as a force for transformation.\n\nMenna Elfyn is a major figure in contemporary Welsh poetry – she is the best-known\, most travelled and most translated of all Welsh-language poets. Her work has been translated into more than eighteen languages\, and her voice is by turns challenging and compassionate\, unafraid of joy and full of the energies of community. She has published five previous dual-language books of poetry with Bloodaxe\, including the Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation Murmur. Parch is her sixth poetry collection from Bloodaxe\, and her first to include poems written directly in English as well as in her own translation. \n***\nThursday 20 November\n7.30 pm (doors open 7.00 pm)\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth \nTickets: £18.00 including a SIGNED copy of Parch (Hardback RRP: £12.99)* / £10.00 Event Only / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/menna-elfyn-parch/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251106T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251106T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250924T100027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T081552Z
UID:10000687-1762457400-1762457400@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Gosia Buzzanca: There She Goes\, My Beautiful World
DESCRIPTION:Spend an evening exploring the meaning of ‘home’ with local author Gosia Buzzanca. Gosia will be in conversation with fellow author and communications professional Jade E. Bradford\, about her stunning new memoir\, There She Goes\, My Beautiful World. \n***\nWhat does ‘home’ mean? Is it where you come from\, or something you must build for yourself\, brick by brick\, from the ruins and treasures of everything that came before? \nIn this compelling memoir\, Gosia Buzzanca tells the story of leaving Poland at nineteen in search of a bigger life\, hoping to leave the traumas of her teenage years behind. After studying in England\, she finds a rich new tapestry of experience awaiting her in Wales – love\, literature\, motherhood\, and the challenge of making peace with the past so that this new life by the sea can finally feel like home. \nWritten with the fearless honesty of a poet\, this is a story for anyone who has ever felt lost or incomplete\, and who yearns to find the place where they truly belong.\n\nGosia Buzzanca was born in Poznań\, Poland and moved to the UK in 2008. She earned a Creative Writing MA with distinction and was the recipient of the W&A Working-Class Writers’ Prize (2022) before being selected for the Hay Festival Writers at Work programme in 2025. Her writing has been praised as “warm and vibrant”\, “poetic and electrifying”\, and “fearlessly tender”. She lives in Barry\, South Wales\, where she is working on her first novel. \nJade E. Bradford is an author and communications and engagement professional based in South Wales. Her short fiction\, often concerned with place and belonging\, has been published in Wasafiri\, Breadfruit Magazine\, and Rowayat. Her work has been longlisted for the 2025 4th Estate and Guardian 4thWrite Prize\, won the 2024 Breadfruit Magazine Prize\, and was highly commended in the 2023 Faber FAB Prize for Children’s Literature. She has been selected for the Literature Wales Representing Wales cohort (2023/24)\, Black British Book Festival Writers on the Rise (2024)\, and Hay Festival Writers at Work (2025). \n***\nThursday 6 November | 7.30 pm\nGriffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, CF64 1JB*\nTickets: £20.00 including a SIGNED hardback copy of There She Goes\, My Beautiful World (RRP £16.99)* / £8.00 Event Only / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*IMPORTANT: Please be aware that the toilet at Griffin Books can only be accessed via three steps and so is not accessible for wheelchair users or people with mobility issues. Please contact us on info@griffinbooks.co.uk if this would prohibit you from attending. \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/gosia-buzzanca-there-she-goes-my-beautiful-world/
LOCATION:Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth\, Griffin Books\, 9A Windsor Road\, Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251023T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251023T190000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250923T150046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250923T082609Z
UID:10000686-1761246000-1761246000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Ted Kravitz: F1 Insider
DESCRIPTION:Step into the fast lane of Formula 1 with Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz as he takes you beyond the grid and into the heart of the sport’s most unforgettable moments. In his first book\, F1 Insider: Notes from the Pit Lane\, Ted looks back over nearly 30 years in Formula 1\, reliving the weird\, wonderful and extraordinary stories that shaped the modern era of racing. With his trademark ‘Notebook’ style\, he reveals what really happened behind the cameras – from the chaos of the garages to the politics of the podium.\n\nF1 Insider: Notes from the Pit Lane:\n\nExpect stories that range from the hilarious – Murray Walker in an air stewardess uniform\, serving champagne mid-flight – to the defining controversies of the sport\, including Ferrari’s infamous team orders in 2002\, Renault’s ‘Crashgate’ scandal\, and McLaren’s ‘Spygate’ espionage controversy. Ted also reflects on the champions who changed the game: the determination of Michael Schumacher\, the genius of Lewis Hamilton\, the brilliance of Alonso\, Vettel and Verstappen\, and the fresh energy of Leclerc\, Norris\, Sainz and Piastri.\n\nF1 Insider isn’t just about racing. It’s about the people behind the machines\, the human emotions that spill over in moments of triumph and despair\, and the drama that you didn’t see on your screen.Ted Kravitz is one of Formula 1’s most experienced and respected pit lane reporters. Over nearly three decades\, he has worked with ITV\, the BBC\, Channel 4 and Sky Sports\, reporting on four BAFTA award-winning programmes and becoming an institution in the sport through his much-loved ‘Ted’s Notebook’. His ability to explain complex technical details while capturing the high-stakes emotion of the paddock has made him a fan favourite. \nAn event not to be missed! \n***\nThursday 23 October | 7.00 pm\nThe Paget Rooms\, Penarth \nTickets: £30.00 includes a SIGNED hardback copy of F1 INSIDER (RRP: £22.00)* / £15.00 Event Only** / £10.00 Student or Child Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held at Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n** There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available. \n\n\n\nEvent Details\nStarts at 7:00PM
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/ted-kravitz-f1-insider/
LOCATION:Paget Rooms Penarth\, Paget Rooms Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251021T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251021T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250821T145859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T090839Z
UID:10000670-1761075000-1761075000@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Philippa Gregory: Boleyn Traitor
DESCRIPTION:Join Philippa Gregory\, as she takes you on a journey through the history you thought you knew. In her new novel\, Boleyn Traitor\, she returns to the Tudor court and a woman famously branded as a traitor\, but whose real story was far more complex – the mysterious Jane Boleyn. Bringing the Boleyn traitor out of the shadows\, this is an explosive story of one woman’s survival in the deadly dance of the Tudor Court. It will be a fascinating evening of entertaining historical insight and unforgettable storytelling. \nBoleyn Traitor:\nSister. Liar. Witness. Spy. Traitor? Her secrets shaped a kingdom. The truth will change history.\n\nJane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court. Where nothing is more powerful than a secret. And power rests on the edge of a tyrant King’s sword.\n\nShe wears many masks – loving wife\, devoted sister\, and obedient spy. It’s what a woman must do to survive. The only weapon she has is her voice.\n\nThey say Jane’s whispers sealed the fate of two queens. They called her a liar and a traitor. But the truth is far more dangerous… \n***\nDr Philippa Gregory: Dr Philippa Gregory is an internationally renowned historian and novelist. She holds a PhD in eighteenth-century literature at the University of Edinburgh and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff\, an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck University of London and she was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to literature and to charity. Her novels have been adapted for stage and screen and in 2023 she published her ground-breaking history book\, ‘Normal Women’ – 900 Years of Making History\, which was also released as a podcast\, a teen edition and a series for young children.\n\nTuesday 21 October | 7.30 pm\nStanwell School Auditorium\, Archer Road\, Penarth\, CF64 2XL\nTickets: £30.00 including a signed hardback copy of ‘Boleyn Traitor’ (RRP £25.00)** / £15.00 Event Only* / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/philippa-gregory-boleyn-traitor/
LOCATION:Stanwell School Penarth\, Stanwell School Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251015T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251015T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250821T145538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T090423Z
UID:10000669-1760556600-1760556600@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:An evening of poetry and music with Sophie Buchaillard and friends
DESCRIPTION:Poetry meets performance in this intimate evening marking the release of Sophie Buchaillard’s debut collection\, Painting Over the Cracks. Blending personal experience with poetic insight\, Sophie’s pamphlet traces a journey through trauma\, motherhood\, and healing\, where community\, friendship\, and creative expression offer ways to mend what lies beneath the surface. \nSophie will be joined by special guests: award-winning poet Mab Jones and folk singer Siobhan McCrudden. Together with these three artists\, we invite you to a night that celebrates resilience and the strength found in sharing stories. \n***\nPainting Over the Cracks is novelist Sophie Buchaillard’s poetry debut. Inspired by her life\, this pamphlet explores the healing power of expression\, friendship\, and community in overcoming trauma. Split into four chronological sections\, the pamphlet travels from the anxieties of a single mother to memories of buried traumas and how unspoken shame has a way to colour every interaction\, fraying family ties\, and making it hard to fully engage with the world. Poetry\, here\, becomes a means of articulating the unspoken\, claiming back a sense of community\, and recognising the strength that comes from friendship without judgment. \nSophie Buchaillard: Sophie is the author of two novels and a dozen essays. Her second novel\, Assimilation\, was described by cultural critic Jon Gower as “thriller meets magic realism”. Her first novel\, This Is Not Who We Are\, was shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Trust Fiction Award and the Wales Book of the Year. \nShe has written extensively about the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda and also contributed essays to three collections: Woman’s Wales? about women and devolution; An Open Door: New Travel Writing for a Precarious Century\, about modern travel writing; and the COVID-themed collection Together and Apart. \nAfter attending the Hay Festival in 2023 as a Writer at Work and benefitting from the mentoring of inspiring poets\, she went home and exclusively read poetry for a year. Not knowing what she was doing\, she simply wrote\, exploring family relationships at first\, letting herself being led by the words. In that sense\, she fell into poetry\, and poetry wouldn’t let go. Painting Over the Cracks is the result\, a debut pamphlet about the healing power of expression\, friendship\, and community in overcoming trauma – its title poem was shortlisted for the International Bridport Poetry Prize in 2024.\n\nMab Jones: Mab is a multi-award-winning writer and performer whose work spans the UK\, US\, France\, Ireland\, and Japan. Her poetry collections include 111 Haiku for Lockdown\, The Land That Grew Me (Selcouth Station Prize winner)\, Yubitsume\, Poor Queen\, and the recent mythological wetlands memoir Bog Witch. She has written for The New York Times\, presented BBC poetry programmes (including two Radio 4 Pick of the Week choices)\, and taught at Cardiff University. Mab has received accolades including the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry\, the Aurora Prize\, and a Creative Wales Award. \nSiobhan McCrudden: Described as “a singer who is gifted with one of the finest voices in contemporary UK folk music”\, Cardiff-based Siobhan crafts songs of intensity and sweetness\, recounting personal stories whilst reflecting a vivid fascination with dark folk tales and superstitions. Raised in London to parents with Scottish and Irish roots\, her vocal leanings reflect early memories of folk musicians at family gatherings and a strong desire to connect with these emotive beginnings. \n***\nWednesday 15 October | 7.30 pm (Doors at 7.00pm)\nPenarth Pier Pavilion\, Penarth\nTickets: £15.00 including a SIGNED copy of Painting over the Cracks (RRP: £10.00\, paperback)* / £10.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n** There are a limited number of Event Tickets available
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/an-evening-of-poetry-and-music-with-sophie-buchaillard-and-friends/
LOCATION:Penarth Pier Pavilion\, Penarth Pier Pavilion
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251002T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251002T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250821T145117Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T085532Z
UID:10000668-1759433400-1759433400@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Oyinkan Braithwaite: Cursed Daughters
DESCRIPTION:It’s our pleasure to welcome Oyinkan Braithwaite to Penarth to celebrate the publication of Cursed Daughters – the hotly anticipated follow-up to her global bestseller My Sister\, the Serial Killer – a powerful new novel of broken hearts\, unbreakable curses\, and the dark pull of family legacy. \nCursed Daughters:\n\nNo man will call your house his home. And if they try\, they will not have peace…\n\nSo goes the family curse\, long handed down from generation to generation\, ruining families and breaking hearts. And now it’s Eniiyi’s turn – who\, due to her uncanny resemblance to her dead aunt\, Monife\, is already used to her family’s strange beliefs\, as well as their insistence that she is a reincarnation. Still\, when she falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning\, she can no longer run from her family’s history.\n\nIs she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak\, or can she escape the family curse and the mysterious fate that befell her aunt?\n\nOyinkan Braithwaite: Oyinkan is a Nigerian-British novelist and writer. Her first novel\, My Sister\, The Serial Killer\, was published in 2018 to wide acclaim. It was a Sunday Times bestseller\, longlisted for The Booker Prize\, shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction\, and won the Crime and Thriller Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2020. \n***\nThursday 2 October | 7.30 pm\nGlamorganshire Golf Club\, Penarth\nTickets: £25.00 including a SIGNED copy of Cursed Daughters (Hardback RRP: £18.99)* / £10.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n**There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/oyinkan-braithwaite-cursed-daughters/
LOCATION:Glamorganshire Golf Club\, Glamorganshire Golf Club
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250922T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250922T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250814T144334Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250903T084330Z
UID:10000666-1758569400-1758569400@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Joanna Page: LUSH!
DESCRIPTION:We’re thrilled to welcome Welsh actress and national treasure Joanna Page to Penarth to celebrate the publication of her memoir\, Lush! – a funny\, candid and endlessly surprising account of her journey from Swansea to stardom. \nWe can’t promise that you’ll find out what happened on *that* fishing trip\, but we can guarantee an unforgettable and totally lush night out! \n***\nFrom a small village on the outskirts of Swansea to the sets of Love Actually and Gavin & Stacey\, Joanna Page’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. In this heartfelt memoir\, Joanna shares her story in full for the first time – from awkward early auditions and chasing her big break\, to falling in love\, motherhood\, and emotional farewells to beloved roles. \nExpect behind-the-scenes stories with stars like Ruth Jones\, James Corden\, Emma Thompson and Johnny Depp\, plus honest reflections on life at RADA\, the madness of fame\, and finding your voice without losing yourself. This is a moving\, laugh-out-loud celebration of the messy\, magical moments that shape us. \nWe’re expecting this to be a very popular event\, so book early to avoid disappointment! \nJoanna Page was born in Swansea and attended her local comprehensive school before graduating from RADA in 1998. She spent a decade performing on stage with the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company\, before landing roles in major films such as From Hell\, Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger\, and Richard Curtis’ Love Actually. Joanna became a household name as Stacey Shipman in the BBC’s much-loved comedy Gavin & Stacey\, appearing in all three series\, the 2019 Christmas special\, and the final ever episode in 2024\, which became the UK’s most-watched scripted show since records began. \nAlongside her acting career\, Joanna regularly appears on TV as a presenter\, most recently fronting Joanna Page’s Wild Life for the BBC. When she’s not working\, she’s at home with her husband\, actor James Thornton\, their four children\, two dogs (Lola and Bess)\, and four guinea pigs.\nLush! is her first memoir. \n***\nMonday 22 September | 7.30 pm (Doors at 7.00pm)\nThe Paget Rooms\, Penarth \nTickets: £30.00 includes a SIGNED hardback copy of Lush! (RRP: £25.00)* / £15.00 Event Only* / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n*Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n**There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available for this event. \nPLEASE NOTE:\n– The balcony in this venue is not accessible to those unable to climb stairs. If you have additional accessibility needs please book a ticket in the ground floor seating area.\n– The minimum age of entry is 12-years-old.
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/joanna-page-lush/
LOCATION:Paget Rooms Penarth\, Paget Rooms Penarth
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250903T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250903T193000
DTSTAMP:20260607T224824
CREATED:20250814T143946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250902T155533Z
UID:10000661-1756927800-1756927800@www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk
SUMMARY:Cecelia Ahern: Paper Heart
DESCRIPTION:And perhaps in that big\, beautiful universe there’s someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart. \nJoin us for an unforgettable evening with Cecelia Ahern – the international bestselling author of PS\, I Love You\, Where Rainbows End\, and Roar. We’re thrilled to welcome Cecelia to Penarth Pier Pavilion to discuss her tender and timely new novel Paper Heart – a luminous exploration of isolation\, resilience\, and the quiet bravery it takes to step back into the world. \nPaper Heart:\nPip’s world is small. But it’s about to become a whole lot bigger. \nFor years she’s tucked away her dreams\, shrinking herself into the space left behind – like the delicate origami she creates alone in her room.\nThen hope comes from an unlikely place: an astronomer from the local observatory. He teaches her to look up at the stars\, and to see a world far bigger and more beautiful than she ever imagined. \nAnd perhaps in that big\, beautiful universe there’s someone waiting for her. If she can find the courage to open her heart. \nPip never stopped dreaming\, but now it’s time for her to live – and maybe even to fall in love. \n*** \nCecelia Ahern is beloved by women across the globe for her utterly original and imaginative storytelling. Her novels cut to the heart of what matters to her readers\, underlining her novels with searing social commentary on the pressures of modern life. With tenderness and insight\, she offers a roadmap for how to overcome hard times. It’s no wonder that she has captured the hearts and minds of millions of readers.\nCecelia’s debut novel PS\, I Love You was an international bestseller and was adapted to film starring Hilary Swank. Her second novel\, Where Rainbows End\, was adapted into Love\, Rosie starring Lily Collins. Her books have been published in over thirty-seven languages\, and have sold over twenty-five million copies. In addition to her novels\, she is also the author of a highly acclaimed collection of stories\, Roar\, which is now an Apple Original series starring Nicole Kidman on Apple TV+.\n\nWednesday 3 September | 7.30 pm\nPenarth Pier Pavilion\, The Esplanade\, CF64 3AU\nTickets:  £25.00 including a signed hardback copy of ‘Paper Heart’ (RRP £20.00)* / £10.00 Event Only** / £5.00 Student Ticket / £5.00 Inclusive Ticket \n**Any book not collected at the event will be held in Griffin Books for three months after the date of the event.\n*There are a limited number of Event Only tickets available. 
URL:https://www.penarthtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/cecelia-ahern-paper-heart/
LOCATION:Penarth Pier Pavilion\, Penarth Pier Pavilion
CATEGORIES:Community Events
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