Not far from where Zadie Smith set her debut novel White Teeth, and possessing a rich literary history, Queen’s Park in North West London provides both inspiration and a home base for a number of high-profile writers and artists. The aim of the Queens Park Book Festival, now in its third year, is to bring together local talent, well-established names, and up-and-coming writers. Held in the park itself on September 18 and 19, the lineup includes Booker long-list writer Sunjeev Sahota; former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman in conversation with the author Linda Grant; Howard Jacobson and John Mullan discussing Dickens; novelist Elif Shafak; as well as the journalist and thriller writer Ben MacIntyre discussing his latest book Agent Sonya. —B.A.