What's On 28 September

Ellie Smith
September 28, 2025

Dear Reader,

And that’s a wrap. As the curtain fell on C&TH’s inaugural Chelsea Arts Festival, the final evening ended with some serious icons taking to the stage to celebrate 30 years of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Malala, Sheila Hancock, Sir Lenny Henry, our current cover star Sheila Atim, and many more roused the audience with the power of words. The prize’s co-founder – and author – Kate Mosse’s message was clear: books matter, words matter, diversity of voices matters. Literature, she argued, offers a ‘narrative of love rather than hate’, and a way to resist the creeping sense of powerlessness. Given how words are being thrown around recklessly all around us by those in power, there is nothing more urgent than this. I was beyond proud to be part of the festival – the first of many, I hope.

Have a great week.

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