The Candid Book Club to host inaugural book festival with Waterstones at Foyles Charing Cross Road

The Candid Book Club is hosting its inaugural book festival in partnership with Waterstones, set to take place on 7th September at Foyles Charing Cross Road.

The event is aimed at readers of all genres and will offer panels with authors like Etaf Rum, Wiz Wharton, JJ Bola and Zoulfa Katouh, as well as on-site book club discussions and book signings. Attendees will also get the chance to meet with industry professionals and editors. The festival will last all day, starting from noon and going all the way to eight in the evening.

The Candid Book Club comprises Linda Malek, Jessica Pancholi, Miriam Hanna, Omma Ahmed and Tanya Ahmed who started the project on Instagram and in 2019 began hosting in-person gatherings to "celebrate the joy of reading". The group has since hosted events at Waterstones Piccadilly and Waterstones Tottenham Court Road, with appearances at the Primadonna Festival, The Caine Prize for African Writing and Capital Xtra Radio.

"Our aim has always been to create accessible and dynamic events, and our festival aims to build on our existing success and bring more people together with a shared passion for literature," The Candid Book Club group said.

A spokesperson from Waterstones added: "We’re delighted to be partnering with Foyles to host the first ever Candid Book Club Festival. Their regular book clubs have brought such life into the Piccadilly Waterstones shop. We always look forward to their events that draw in passionate audiences who love to get together to celebrate and discuss bestselling authors."