What’s On

Oh no, these books are full of holes! It must be the burrowing bookworms! Can you find all the pesky page-eating creatures hiding in shop windows across Ilkley and answer…more

Undisputed maestro of literary adaptation Andrew Davies has finally turned his razor-sharp pen on the most challenging subject of all: himself. His memoir, An Unsuitable Boy, recounts the life and…more

Join us for a book group discussion led by Michelle Hodgson, Iain Banks’ publicist and friend. Read the book, talk about it with your friends or regular book group, then…more

Step inside the Hotel Lutetia. A ‘grand’ Parisian hotel on the bohemian Left Bank which once counted Joyce, Picasso and Matisse among its regular guests. During the 1930s and 40s,…more

We all know what it means to be ‘stoical’: to have a stiff upper lip, to hide or suppress one’s emotions, to be indifferent to the outside world. Many people…more

Join printmaker and author Michelle Hughes for an illustrated talk exploring her creative journey from commercial designer to full-time linocut artist, and the making of her first book: Printing Birds…more

Forget neck ruffs and palace intrigues, the real action of the Tudor and Stuart age took place not on a domestic stage but a global one. Acclaimed writer and historian…more

She has been called a champagne socialist, a national treasure, a loony leftie, a radical reformer, a traitor, and yes – a battleaxe. Dame Margaret Hodge has never much minded….more

Antoni Gaudí’s architecture is among the world’s most instantly recognisable sights. Yet 100 years after his death, much about this unworldly genius remains a mystery. In a new biography, Peter…more

Beyond the picture postcards, Britain’s coastal communities are suffering. Crowds flood the beaches during summer heatwaves, but they quickly vanish again, leaving behind drifts of rubbish and unstable seasonal jobs….more

Antoni Gaudí’s architecture is among the world’s most instantly recognisable sights. Yet 100 years after his death, much about this unworldly genius remains a mystery. In a new biography, Peter…more

Due to popular demand, Ilkley Cinema is showing a second screening of A Private Function. Book Directly with the Ilkley Cinema from Wednesday 26th August at 5pm.  A chance to…more

The elimination of the peasantry is a myth. Today, peasants make up roughly a quarter of humanity. They underpin the global economy, stabilise food systems and protect fragile ecosystems. Peasants…more

The post-WWII world order has flipped on its head: Russia’s land-grab in Ukraine is endorsed by Trump’s America while European leaders are painted as the enemy and the Middle East…more

Penniless virgins. Reckless dukes. Flappers. Airmen. Suffragettes. Barbara Cartland made them fall in love. She wrote 723 books without touching a typewriter: instead, she reclined on her sofa with a…more

Navigating modern dating and intimacy is a challenge. Dating apps are a minefield, norms and labels are changing, and technology is encroaching everywhere. Is there an upside to how we…more

Penniless virgins. Reckless dukes. Flappers. Airmen. Suffragettes. Barbara Cartland made them fall in love. She wrote 723 books without touching a typewriter: instead, she reclined on her sofa with a…more

An evening dedicated to literature in Pahari-Pothwari, the invisible mother tongue of around 60% of British Pakistanis, with its rich and ancient tradition of sung verse and oral storytelling. Bringing…more

Get ready for an evening of comedy and laughter, as the hilarious and much-loved poet Brian Bilston takes us through the hows, whys and whats of reading, writing and enjoying…more

VENUE CHANGE: DIFFERENT FROM BROCHURE – EVENT NOW TAKING PLACE AT ILKLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL  Growing up in Afghanistan, Zahra Joya had to disguise herself as a boy to go to school. When…more