Literary events, various venues, throughout May

3:41pm Tuesday 15th April 2008

From literary giant Gore Vidal to multi-award-winning film director Mike Leigh, a dazzling array of talent is set to descend on the city as part of the Festival.

Brought together under the popular Books and Debate section of the programme, a political theme links many of the guests.

Expect refreshing and thought-provoking discussion as human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, known for representing prisoners on America's Death Row and in Guantanamo Bay rubs shoulders with Sir David King, the Government's former Chief Scientific Adviser and freed hostage, BBC correspondent Alan Johnston.

The field of music is also well represented, with Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker giving a specially commissioned talk on the function of lyrics in pop songs, The Fall's Mark E Smith talking about the real story behind the post-punk band, Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant in conversation and an appearance from Blur's Alex James, formerly a debauched indie pop star, now a reformed, cheese-making country gent.

In poetry, Wendy Cope - chosen by Radio 4 listeners to succeed Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate in 1998 - will give a reading from new anthology Two Cures For Love. Dalgit Nagra and Sean O'Brien will give their takes on what England means to them and Tom Paulin, author of The Secret Life Of Poems, will look at the making of some of our most celebrated poems.

Books programmer Liam Browne says: "Books and Debate is a broad church and this allows you great scope when it comes to programming. This year, for example, as well as novelists, poets, biographers, scientists, cutural commentators, etc. we're exploring film-making with Mike Leigh, and songwriters Jarvis Cocker, Neil Tennant and Mark E. Smith will be talking about the craft of songwriting and about their literary influences.

"Festival audiences tend to be very politically engaged, knowledgeable and (in the best sense of the word) opinionated and Books and Debate offers them opportunities to have their say, particularly in the debates and in the events that focus on contemporary political and social issues."Live literature has become a very interactive art-form."

RETURNS ONLY: Gore Vidal, John Gray, The Brighton Moment, Clive Stafford Smith, Sir David King, Celebrating Linda Smith (6pm performance), Tom Paulin, Susan Greenfield, Andrew O'Hagen and Matt Frei, Mark E Smith, Jarvis Cocker, Alan Johnston, The Debate; Matter Of Trust, Augusten Burroughs.

Best Of The Rest; events still selling.

• City Books Brunch, The Old Market Sat, May 3. Starts: 11am. Tickets: £17.50
• Creative Brighton Debate, Pavilion Theatre, Weds May 7. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: £7.50
• BBC Radio 4's The Music Group, Pavilion Theatre, Fri May 9. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: Free
• Celebrating Linda Smith, Sallis Benney Theatre, Fri May 9. Starts: 10pm, Tickets: £12.50
• Dalgit Nagra and Sean O'Brien, Pavilion Theatre, Sun May 11. Starts: 4.30pm; Tickets: £7.50
• Keith Allen In Conversation, Theatre Royal Brighton, Mon May 12. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: £10
• James Meek and Hisham Matar, Pavilion Theatre, Weds May 14. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Val McDermid, Dome Corn Exchange, Sat May 17. Starts: 2pm, Tickets: £7.50. Sponsored by Hotel Du Vin and Bistro.
• The Parenting Debate; Growing Pains, Dome Corn Exchange, Sat May 17. Starts 4.30pm. Tickets: £7.50
• Neil Tennant, Dome Corn Exchange, Sat May 17. Starts: 7pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Hanif Kureishi, Dome Corn Exchange, Tues May 20. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Rahil Gupta and Kate Clanchy, Old Court House, Weds May 21. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Alex James, Dome Corn Exchange, Weds May 21. Starts: 7.30pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Wendy Cope, Dome Corn Exchange, Sat May 24. Starts: 3pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Tim Winton and Julie Myerson, The Old Court House, Sat May 24. Starts: 5pm, Tickets: £7.50
• Isabel Fonseca and Sadie Jones, Pavilion Theatre, Sun May 25. Starts: 3pm, Tickets: £7.50

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