EVENTS

Cheltenham: festival continues. Highlights include: the Poetry Premier League with Lavinia Greenlaw, Don Paterson, Hugo Williams and Christopher Reid, plus jazz (Sun 8.30pm, pounds 6/pounds 5); William Scammell on Plath & Hughes (Mon, 3.30pm, pounds 5/pounds 4); Booker nominee Arundhati Roy (Mon, 9pm, pounds 4/pounds 3); Jenny Uglow on Hogarth (Tue, 11am, pounds 4/pounds 3); Nicola Horlick (below) talks to Valerie Grove (Wed, 1pm, pounds 5/pounds 4); Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (new version) with music, at the Playhouse (Wed, 5pm, pounds 4/pounds 3); Martin Amis (Thur, 6pm, pounds 6/pounds 5), David Starkey on Henry VIII (Thur 9pm, pounds 6/pounds 5). All in the Town Hall except where stated. Box office: 01242 227979

CHESTER: Festival continues. Today: a walking tour of literary Chester, taking in Dickens and Defoe; begins at the Tourist Info Centre, Town Hall Sq, 2pm (pounds 3). Norman Davies talks about his epic book, The History of Europe, in the Cathedral Refectory; Mon 13, 7.30pm, pounds 5/pounds 4. Box office: 01244 341200

DAVENTRY: poet Matthew Sweeney reads at the Library, North St; Tue 14, 8pm, pounds 3/pounds 2. 01327 703130

MANCHESTER: poet Murray Lachlan Young performs at Waterstone's, 91 Deansgate; Tue 14, 7pm, pounds 3. 0161 832 1992

OXFORD: Roy Hattersley talks about his book Fifty Years On at the Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont St; Wed 15, 5.45pm, pounds 3.50. 01865 798600

LONDON: novelists Courttia Newland (black London streetlife) and Eamonn Sweeney (Irish "filthy realism") read at the Voice Box, Royal Festival Hall, SE1; Thur 16, 7.30pm, pounds 4/pounds 2.50. 0171 960 4242

TEESSIDE: Writearound festival: Labi Siffre sings and reads his poems at the Cambridge Hotel, Cambridge Rd, Acklam; Fri 17, 8pm, pounds 4/pounds 2. 01642 262424