Guildford Book Festival 2011 Preview

Today sees the start of the Guildford Book Festival, one of the most popular events in the calendar throughout the town, let alone of the most anticipated local arts events of the year. The Electric Theatre will once again host a lot of the events taking place – all of our picks are going to be hosted there – but other venues such as G Live and the Guildford Institute are taking part and the events themselves are wide-ranging and varied from panels to interviews to workshops. Here's our pick of what's on offer:

15th October: Readers' Day (10am-4pm)

A mini-festival within a festival. Hosted by Guy Pringle, it gives readers an opportunity to ask authors about their work and find out what inspires them. This year the authors that are taking part are Nina Bell, Anne Berry, Suzannah Dunn, Rebecca Frayn, Jason Goodwin, Mark Mills, S.J. Parris, Imogen Robertson, Natasha Solomons and Elizabeth Speller. Tickets are £25 and include lunch and a goody bag.

17th October: Neil Oliver: A History of Ancient Britain (8:30pm)

Neil Oliver, the host of award-winning documentary series Coast and History of Scotland talks about his new book, A History of Ancient Britain, which looks at how the land came to be and is an intriguing history of both time and landscape. Tickets are £8.

18th October: Johnny Ball: Ball of Confusion at the Electric Theatre (8pm)

One of Britain's best-loved mathematicians Johnny Ball will be talking all things puzzles, brainteasers and more. This should be an entertaining evening but also one that might make your brain tick. Tickets are £8.

21st October: Jo Herbert: How to Get Published – What to submit and how (2:30-4:30pm)

Need tips on how to get your own original work published? Jo Herbert is on hand to help! She's worked in publishing since 1996 and she will provide an overview of the industry and give you insider tips on how to make your work stand out from the crowd. Tickets are £15.

22nd October: A Day of Crime (all day)

A real treat for those who love crime fiction – three events in one day. At 9:45am Nev Fountain (Geek Tragedy) and Sam Leith ( The Coincidence Machine) explore the humorous side of murder stories. At 11:15am Aly Munroe (Icelight) and Laura Wilson (A Capital Crime) talk about their stories, both of which are set in the aftermath of World War II. At 12:45am Belinda Bauer (Dark Side), N.J. Cooper (Face of the Devil) and S.J. Bolton (Now You See Me) all discuss their new books. Tickets are £6 per event and £27 for all three.

Those are our picks but what about you? Are there any other highlights that we may have missed out? Let us know by leaving a comment with your recommendations.