– Headline authors include Nick Clegg, Robert Hardman, Ben Macintyre, Kate Mosse, Mary Portas, Jacqueline Wilson and many more
– Community Festival forms new partnership with BookBrunch, the digital hub for publishing and books
Tickets have gone on sale for the 18th Chiswick Book Festival, which runs from 9-14 September 2026.
This year’s speakers include Samira Ahmed, Nick Clegg, Charles Cumming, Alf Dubs, Robert Hardman, Fergal Keane, Ben Macintyre, Blake Morrison, Kate Mosse, Adele Parks, Tony Palmer, Tony Parsons, Mary Portas, Anthony Seldon and Jacqueline Wilson. See the full programme lineup online.
And in the Festival brochure.
New programme group
The impressive line-up was curated by a new Festival programme group, set up to replace the outgoing programme director Jo James, who stepped down last autumn. Torin Douglas, director of the Festival, has worked with a team of seasoned book professionals who live in or around Chiswick, to select the authors and refresh the way the Festival is run.
Jacks Thomas, who co-founded the Festival in 2009, returns as the Festival’s chair. Thomas is Guest Director of BolognaBookPlus, and her previous high-profile roles across the book industry include Director of The London Book Fair and CEO of Midas PR. She is chair of Singing Grass Communications and is a Visiting Professor of Practice at UCL.
Patsy Irwin, who lives in Chiswick, retired as publicity director of Transworld last November after 35 years with the publisher. Lisa O’Kelly-Reed, who lives in Barnes, was associate editor (books) of The Observer and now contributes to The Nerve and volunteers with literary charities. Orna O’Brien, who has worked with Jacks Thomas for many years as Programme Manager, is now Chiswick’s author programme co-ordinator.
Torin Douglas, director of the Chiswick Book Festival, said: “The Festival has grown substantially since it started 18 years ago and we’ve taken the opportunity to refresh the way it’s run, while keeping popular elements such as our Local Authors Showcase and the events at Chiswick House and Hogarth’s House. We moved most of our children’s events to a special Children’s Books Day in March, and for the main Festival in September we have reduced the number of weekend sessions, to tighten up the programme and help it flow more smoothly.”
Jacks Thomas, chair, adds: “When Torin, Malcolm Edwards and I programmed the first Chiswick Book Festival 18 years ago we knew that Chiswick was a hub for literary lovers but the success of the festival has surpassed even what we thought possible. My huge congratulations to the new programming team this year – Orna, Patsy and Lisa have done a wonderful job alongside Torin and the wider Festival committee. Long live the book festival – this one and all of them!”
New partnership with BookBrunch
The Chiswick Book Festival is run by St Michael & All Angels Church, Bedford Park, as part of its arts and community outreach and donates all its profits to reading and community charities. Since 2009 it has raised more than £150,000 for charities, including its current beneficiaries, Read for Good, Read Easy Ealing and Koestler Arts, as well as St Michael & All Angels Church, which runs the Festival and is itself a charity. See more on the Festival charities page.
The Festival has commercial partnerships with many local businesses and community partnerships with more than twenty local organisations and residents’ associations. It has now formed a new partnership with BookBrunch, the digital hub for publishing and books, which provides a daily news service, in-depth reports and interviews for publishing professionals and those passionate about the business of books.
BookBrunch will sponsor the Festival’s green room in the historic Victorian church of St Michael & All Angels, Bedford Park, and BookBrunch’s editor in chief Natasha Poliszuk will conduct interviews for the Festival, including Friday’s event with Kate Mosse, and work with the programme team to add value to the event in September.
About the 18th Chiswick Book Festival, September 9th to 14th 2026
www.chiswickbookfestival.net
X /Twitter: @W4bookfest
Instagram:@chiswickbookfest
Facebook: @chiswickbookfest
The Chiswick Book Festival brings together many of the country’s top authors and their readers in aid of charities. The 18th Festival will open on Wednesday September 9th with the Local Authors Showcase at the George IV pub, followed by the Chiswick House evening and a wide range of speakers at other venues.
The Festival is a non-profit-making community event and all profits will be donated to four charities: St Michael & All Angels Church, which runs and hosts the festival, and three reading charities: Read for Good, Koestler Arts and Read Easy Ealing.
Contact
Torin Douglas,
Director, Chiswick Book Festival: 07860 422992
admin@chiswickbookfestival.net