Ishiguro, Burns and Stoppard celebrate Faber's 90th with members

Faber has unveiled an ambitious schedule of Spring events for its member programme marking its 90th anniversary, with Man Booker Prize-winner Anna Burns and Kazuo Ishiguro headlining, as well as a new logo.

The free-to-join Faber Members' spring schedule features "a rich programme of events which showcases our remarkable authors and their work, past and present” including talks, a film club, free talks on the editing process and a chance to discover Faber’s archives. The news follows the publication of a short stories, poetry and children's series marking the 90th, along with revamped branding. 

In the first event, Burns, who became the first Northern Ireland winner of the Man Booker with Milkman (Faber) in October 2018, will discuss her writing with Faber’s editorial director Louisa Joyner. Faber Members will also launch a film club with “cinephile” Kazuo Ishiguro introducing Jim Jarmusch’s "Night on Earth”, with  Oscar winners Kevin MacDonald and  Rebecca Lenkiewicz presenting future club sessions.

Playwrights Tom Stoppard and Patrick Marber will be in conversation, while John Lanchester will discuss his latest novel The Wall (Faber) with John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace. Additionally author Sarah Hall will talk about the “art of the short story” with Gaby Wood to celebrate the publication of the Faber Stories series.

On the poetry side, there will be a LGBT-themed event as well as an evening of readings from Joe Dunthorne and Rachael Allen, along with a Sylvia Plath event organised events collective with Poet and the City.

There will also be a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the prestigious publisher through a series of free talks from creative director Donna Payne on design and publisher Alex Bowler on the editing process. Meanwhile former-Faber m.d. Toby Faber, whose grandfather founded the indie, will present the company’s history including unseen archive material to tie in with the publication of his upcoming www.thebookseller.com/news/faber-gets-close-edge-muswell-press-766396">book from Muswell Press. Meanwhile historian Matthew Green will also offer a walk discovering Bloomsbury’s fascinating literary history.

Along with the events programme, Faber has presented a new-look logo for the members programme featuring a “bold new design” and introducing a new visual identity for Faber Members designed by Luke Bird. The publisher said the new logo draws on archival material including catalogues and book jackets, reflecting “a rich history of artisanal design” with the ampersand “encapsulating the inclusivity at the core of Faber Members”.

As well as Poet in the City, Faber is also partnering with the National Portrait Gallery, and, later in the year, the City of London Sinfonia.

Rachel Alexander, communications director, said: “We are thrilled to begin our 90th year with a bold new design for Faber Members and a programme that we hope reflects all strands of our publishing and gives readers an opportunity to participate in the celebrations.” She said this was the “first in a series” of announcements regarding special events and partnerships.

Faber Members is a free-to-join programme providing events, offers and previews which launched in 2015.