This month, Fairfield Halls will host a landmark literary event as two of the world’s most celebrated authors — Booker Prize-winner Margaret Atwood and internationally bestselling novelist Elif Shafak — come together for a one-night-only conversation, Words Like Fire, on Friday 14 November 2025 at 5pm.
Delivered by The Trouble Club, this exclusive event marks the first time these two literary powerhouses will share a stage. In a live and unscripted discussion, Atwood and Shafak will explore themes of writing, power, freedom, truth, and the spellbinding force of storytelling that has shaped their extraordinary careers.
Whether you are a devoted reader, a budding writer, or someone who believes in the power of story to inspire change, this event will be an unforgettable celebration of language, creativity, and connection.
About the authors
Margaret Atwood’s prolific career spans decades of genre-defying fiction, with seminal works including The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, Oryx and Crake, and Alias Grace. Her writing has both defined and defied the boundaries of contemporary literature for more than half a century.
Elif Shafak, author of The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, and The Island of Missing Trees, is one of the most widely read writers in the world today. A fearless storyteller and public intellectual, she has faced trial in Turkey for the words of her fictional characters and continues to advocate for freedom of expression, women’s rights, and global solidarity.
Event highlights
The evening will kick off with a Fantastic Women & Fantastic Stories panel, featuring some of the finest female authors in Britain today. Its panellists include Bolu Babalola (Love In Colour, Honey and Spice), Lucy Fley (The Hunting Party, The Guest List, The Paris Apartment) and Emilia Hart (Weyward).
Following the main discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to attend a book signing from 8:30pm. Tickets are available via thetroubleclub.com, with a range of ticket packages on offer, including discounts for members of The Trouble Club. Advanced booking is advised to avoid disappointment.
This event marks one of the first literary highlights in Fairfield Halls’ expanding cultural events and entertainment calendar. Alongside world-class performances and orchestral recordings and rehearsals, the venue also hosts conferences, gala dinners, and community celebrations throughout the year.
Fairfield Halls is also a popular venue for private hire. From business events to family celebrations, the venue’s meeting rooms offer excellent service and beautiful spaces for all kinds of events.
Fairfield Halls is operated by the registered charity and social enterprise BH Live, in partnership with Croydon Council.
On behalf of BH Live, Steve Turner, Director of Venues, shared;
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome two of the world’s most inspiring literary voices, Margaret Atwood and Elif Shafak, to Fairfield Halls and Croydon. This event represents everything we strive for as a venue, bringing together culture, conversation, and creativity that resonate across generations and communities.”
The Trouble Club champions brilliant women on and off the stage, creating spaces where ideas, community, and connection thrive. Through world-class talks, member dinners, news round-ups, and virtual events, The Trouble Club brings people together in London and beyond to inspire, inform, and engage.
On behalf of The Trouble Club, Ellie Newton, CEO & Owner, shared;
“We are incredibly excited to host this unique event at Fairfield Halls. The venue is beautiful, historic and lends itself perfectly for this extraordinary conversation. Margaret Atwood and Elif Shafak will discuss their overlapping work and the concert hall will provide the perfect backdrop. It’s wonderfully located for our London members and we hope this is the first of many collaborations.”
More information about Fairfield Halls, including what’s on, is available at fairfield.co.uk. Contact groupsales@bhlive.org.uk for more information on tickets, booking, and group rates.
More information about The Trouble Club can be found online at thetroubleclub.com.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
For more information about BH Live please contact:
Daisy Saunders, PR & Communications Executive
E: press.office@bhlive.org.uk
About BH Live
Champions of community engagement, health and wellness across Dorset, Hampshire, and London
BH Live, a registered charity and social enterprise, is a leading operator of sports and leisure centres, theatres, and event venues. Our vision is to create sustainable and inspiring opportunities, deliver great experiences for our communities, and improve health and well-being.
With a strong commitment to accessibility and community engagement, BH Live continues to enhance the quality of people’s lives, health and wellbeing in the communities it serves.
BH Live was established in 2010. Local authority partners include BCP Council, Portsmouth City Council, Croydon Council, and Southampton City Council.
We are at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy. Together with our partners we are helping to change lives and make a positive impact in the community.
For more visit bhlive.org.uk.
Get social with us:
LinkedIn – BH Live
Facebook – @SocialEnterpriseBHLive
Instagram @bhliveuk
BH Live is a leisure and cultural trust, established in 2010 as a ‘non profit distributing organisation’ (NPDO) for public benefit to promote participation in leisure and cultural events. BH Live is a Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered Charity. Charity No: 1138311. Company No: 07092112. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. BH Live (Enterprises) Ltd, is a Private Company Limited by Shares and a wholly owned subsidiary of BH Live. Company No: 07175626. VAT Reg No: 108 2248 37. Registered Office: Bournemouth International Centre, Exeter Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5BH. Registered in England and Wales.
About Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Fairfield Halls is managed BH Live, a registered charity and social enterprise, in partnership with Croydon Council.
With a long and distinguished history, Fairfield Halls sits in the heart of Croydon.
Spaces inside the venue include its 809-seat Ashcroft Theatre, the world-class 1,802-seat Concert Hall, and The Recreational a 750-capacity standing live music venue. Additional studio space is available in the adjoining Cube Studio. As well as the main auditoriums, there are additional spaces and rooms that regularly accommodate local business events, conferences, exhibitions, meetings, consumer-led events, and attractions such as family gatherings and celebrations.
Companies in residence at Fairfield Halls include Talawa, and London Mozart Players.
Following a major refurbishment in 2019, the venue’s opening seasons included an eclectic mix of theatre, music, comedy, performance, dance and family entertainment including an annual festive pantomime.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother opened the Fairfield Halls on Friday 2 November 1962. The inaugural concert in the Concert Hall was performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent, with renowned soloist Yehudi Menuhin also performing.
The Ashcroft Theatre was opened on 5 November by Croydon-born Dame Peggy Ashcroft, with the opening ceremony including a monologue by Sir John Betjeman called ‘Local Girl Made Good’. The first play performed was Royal Gambit, starring Dulcie Gray.
The Arnhem Foyer is named after Croydon’s twin-town of Arnhem in the Netherlands.
Buy tickets
- Buy tickets online at fairfield.co.uk
- Buy tickets by phone 0300 500 0595
- In person from box office at Fairfield Halls – see website for opening times.
- For call charges, opening times and more visit fairfield.co.uk
Follow us on:
Facebook – @fairfieldcroydon
Instagram – @croydonfairfield
About The Trouble Club
The Trouble Club is a community for people who love ideas, conversation and connection. We host world-class talks with leading female thinkers, writers and experts on subjects ranging from psychology, history and crime to literature, politics, the environment, media, current affairs, global issues and identity.
Alongside our events, we bring members together for dinners, debates and news round-ups – creating space for intelligent, curious people to engage with the ideas shaping the world today.
Find out more at https://thetroubleclub.com/