Autumn programme — Sept & Oct 2026
Readings, clinics and one very loud children's hour. Tickets at the till or by phone — we hold half the seats back for walk-ins.
01 — Featured
An hour of reading and questions, then signing until the wine runs out. Ada worked the harbour books at Oban for nine years; the novel shows it.
Poetry at the counter
Six readers, ten minutes each, no encores
Open mic with a hard stop at 20:30. Put your name on the clipboard by the till from 18:00. The espresso machine goes off while people read.
Sourdough starter clinic
Bring a jar, leave with a culture
Ninety minutes with Nadia, who bakes for us on Tuesdays. Covers feeding, fridge storage and what to do when it smells like acetone. Jar and first feed included.
Secondhand valuation morning
Two books per person, honest answers
Bring anything you think might be worth something. We will buy, decline, or point you at someone better. Most books are worth less than people hope.
Children's hour: animal stories
Ages 3–7, one adult per child
Forty minutes of reading on the rug, then drawing. Buggies fit in the hall. The £3 covers juice and a bun for the child.
Book group: Dalloway, again
Read the first fifty pages, that is plenty
A relaxed group, average age thirty-eight, no one has finished the whole book. £4 includes a glass of something and the loan copy.
Translators in conversation
Two translators, one Italian novel
Rosa Vance and Colm Byrne compare their drafts of the same chapter, line by line, and disagree politely. Copies of both editions on sale after.
Want to run something here? Email [email protected] — we read everything, we say yes to about a third.