Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Notes on Writing
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun, reflects on writing and storytelling in conversation with Yomi Adegoke.
In her return to the Royal Festival Hall, Adichie also discusses her most recent book, Notes on Grief, written following the death of her father.
This event opens a weekend celebrating 100 years since English PEN was founded. In 2018, Adichie was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize, named after Harold Pinter and given to a writer from a Commonwealth country or the Republic of Ireland whose work aims ‘to define the real truth of our lives’.
Yomi Adegoke is a journalist for British Vogue, The Guardian and The i Paper. In 2018, she co-authored the bestselling book Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible with Elizabeth Uviebinené, for which she was named a Marie Claire Future Shaper and was awarded the Groucho Maverick Award. She is also a trustee of Arts Emergency, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 honouree.
Produced in partnership with English PEN.
Need to know
For ages 16+
This event is BSL translated.
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Dates & times
Price
- Standard entry£15*
- Concessions25%**
* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.
** Limited availability. Read about concessions.
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Venue
Royal Festival Hall
As we welcome you back, our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff, so we’ve introduced a number of measures to help everyone stay safe.
The Royal Festival Hall is open to all for access to the Level 2 foyers and toilets, Level 1 and Changing Places toilets, the National Poetry Library, Skylon, Riverside Terrace Cafe and Southbank Centre Shop at the following times:
Mondays & Tuesdays 10am – 6pm**
Wednesdays – Sundays 10am – 11pm
**On event days, the Royal Festival Hall building remains open until the end of the event.
Members Area
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Toilets
Toilets, including accessible toilets, are open on Level 2 of the Royal Festival Hall.
Cloakroom
The cloakroom is closed in order to reduce face-to-face contact. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the Royal Festival Hall, so please leave large bags at home.
Entering the hall
There may be short queues to enter the building and the auditorium. If you are not able to queue or need further assistance, our Visitor Assistants are here to help you.
For level access to the Royal Festival Hall, please use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square, Belvedere Road, to Level 2, and enter via Riverside Terrace. All floors are accessible from the main foyer.
We welcome wheelchair users and guide companion dogs.
More about Access & facilities
Parking
Blue Badge holders and those with access requirements can be dropped off on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery).
There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available for visitors located on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and are free to use. You must display your Blue Badge as you enter the site. Vehicles that do not display a Blue Badge are refused entry.
Blue Badge parking at National Theatre
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can be found at the National Theatre car park (330 metres). If you are visiting the Hayward Gallery, just take your badge and car park ticket to the Ticket Desk in the gallery foyer for validation before you leave.
Please note: on Sunday when the National Theatre building is closed there is no step-free access from the car park.
Alternative parking is available nearby at the APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park (490 metres), subject to charges.
Blue Badge parking at APCOA Cornwall Road
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can also be found at the South Bank Car Park – APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park. Just take your badge and car park ticket to the parking attendant office at the entrance to the car park for validation before you leave.
A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks.
Our Access Scheme
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A selection of the restaurants and cafes on our site and the Southbank Centre Street Food market are now open.