Wimbledon BookFest has launched a Spring Weekend Festival in partnership with King’s College School, Wimbledon, which will take place 15-17 March at the school’s new concert hall and at nearby Southside House.

Offering an inspiring and informative mix of talks, interviews and debates, the festival features writers and commentators from the worlds of literature, politics, global affairs, education, philosophy, history and more.

The festival opens and closes with two unmissable events at the new concert hall. On the Friday evening former King’s College pupil and CBBC’s Operation Ouch! presenter Dr Chris van Tulleken presents his amazing family friendly science show.

On Sunday evening there is an exclusive chance to hear from the 2018 Costa Book of the Year winner Bart van Es, whose moving true story The Cut Out Girl tells the story of Lien, a Jewish girl who escaped persecution in Nazi-occupied Netherlands and was hidden and fostered by van Es’s grandparents.

The festival also welcomes two hugely respected historians, Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, who will talk about the extraordinary life of Queen Victoria and Peter Frankopan who will discuss his global bestseller The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World.

Speakers include Gina Miller, poet Roger McGough, philosopher Julian Baggini and Michael Fuller – the first and to date, only, black police chief constable in the UK – will talk about race, identity and belonging, the subject of his recently published memoir. Kings College alumni, BBC presenter and one of Britain’s best authorities on defence and diplomacy, Mark Urban will help us delve deeper into the explosive spy war with Russia, the subject of his book The Skripal Files.

Andrew Halls, headmaster of King’s College School will debate the value or otherwise of the private education system with social historians Francis Green and David Kynaston, the authors of Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem.

Historic, beautiful Southside House will host intimate events with bestselling novelists Sadie Jones, Andrew Miller and Fatima Bhutto, an award winning novelist and granddaughter of Pakistan’s former president and prime minister. Columbian writer Juan Tafur leads a creative writing workshop in the magical setting that inspires him, sharing key techniques to allow your creativity to flow.

For ticket information please visit www.wimbledonbookfest.org
Wimbledon BookFest’s October Festival dates are 3-13 October.

Dr Chris Van Tulleken: Not for the Squeamish Science Show

Friday 15 March 2019, 6.30-7.30pm
King’s College School, Wimbledon (New Concert Hall)

An amazing family friendly science show with CBBC’s Operation Ouch! presenter Dr Chris. Come and hear from one half of TV’s favourite doctor duo – the Van Tulleken Twins. Dr Chris’s fun science demo will reveal that you have much more control over your body than you think. Did you know we have the power to control our anger, fear, and disgust? Dr Chris will show you how. The former King’s College pupil will even share his embarrassingly bad school reports, giving hope to all young students.
Suitable for all the family (aged 7 plus)

Bart Van Es: The Cut Out Girl

Costa Book of the Year
Chaired by Hannah Beckerman
Sunday 17 March 2019, 8-9pm
King’s College School, Wimbledon (New Concert Hall)

A chance to hear from the prize winning author of this important war time story Bart van Es’s Costa winning book tells the story of Lien, a Jewish girl who escaped persecution in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Lien spent time in the household of Van Es’s grandparents before being “cut out” of yet another temporary family. van Es’s work is both the resolution of a family mystery and an account of harrowing trauma.