Wellcome Book Prize featuring Book Slam: a Literary Club Night

To see in their shortlist announcement for the 2017 awards, the Wellcome Book Prize is teaming up with the UK’s most successful regular literary event, Book Slam, for a one-off event on 13 March.

This ‘literary club night’, as it’s been dubbed, brings together a stellar line-up of poets, musicians and authors, for an evening of high(ish) brow entertainment at Euston's Wellcome Collection.

Featuring on the evening’s lineup as well as this year longlist are authors Jo Merchant and Adam Rutherford, who will be discussing their books Cure and A Brief History of Anyone Who Ever Lived.

Expect some laughs with poetry readings from Martin Figura and Salena Godden. Providing the soundtrack are indie-folk singer/songwriter Lucy Rose, and a DJ set from London based dance producer Bullion. Headlining the evenings proceedings is crime writer extraordinaire and Chair of the 2017 judging panel, Val McDermid.

Comprising seven non-fiction and five fiction titles, the Wellcome Book Prize 2017 selects the best books that engages with some aspect of medicine, health of illness. These themes affect all of our lives – the Wellcome Prize aims to engage and excite public interest and encourage debates around these topics.