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This year?s Hay Festival will play host to some of the most exciting literary talent of the moment, and Janklow & Nesbit authors will be there in full force. Throughout the week Mumsnet's Justine Roberts, Evan Davis, Elly Griffiths, Xiaolu Guo, Robert Penn, and Tim Richardson will all take to the stage to debate and discuss their work in a series of intimate talks and performances. Over at the Hay Fever children?s festival, Gideon Defoe joins the founder of Aardman studios, Peter Lord, to present a tantalising glimpse of their upcoming animated adaptation of his Pirates! books. Jasper Fforde will also be introducing the first book in his brilliant new YA trilogy, The Last Dragonslayer. Not to be missed. Hay Festival 2011 26th May -5th June http://www.hayfestival.com/wales/index.aspx?skinid=2&currencysetting=GBP&localesetting=en-GB&resetfilters=true

In his new book, Tim Radford shows us what science can tell us about individual identity and our place in the universe. The Address Book takes the reader on a voyage that starts in the living room and ends at the very limits of the cosmos. Listen to him discussing The Address Book with Peter Forbes on the Guardian books podcast here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/audio/2011/may/13/art-science-tim-radford-peter-forbes

Avast ye hearties! The secret is out! Aardman's first feature-length stop-motion animation since Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit will be an adaptation of Gideon Defoe's fantastic novel The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. Hugh Grant will play the Pirate Captain, complete with luxurious beard, in the film, which will be released worldwide in Spring 2012. For more information, please click here.

We have moved offices, and are no longer based in Drayson Mews. Our contact details are now: 13a Hillgate Street London W8 7SP Phone: 020 7243 2975 Fax: 020 7243 4339

Elly Griffiths has won the 2011 Mary Higgins Clark Award at the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards for her debut novel THE CROSSING PLACES. This wonderful news follows Elly's recent longlisting for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award in the UK. For more information on the MWA Edgar Awards please click here

The Gene Code, BBC4, Monday 18th and 25th April, 9pm. There is a code at the core of every living thing that ever existed on earth, and it?s called DNA. It is only in the last few years that scientists have really begun to explore it, and in doing so, unravel how evolution connects all living things. In two parts, The Gene Code, presented by Adam Rutherford, takes us first on an epic 3 billion year journey from the simplest cells to us, using DNA as our guide, and then explores how far we have come in the decade since the human genome was sequenced. Have the promises of this epic task been fulfilled, and has reading the genome told us what it means to be human? Click here to watch part one, The Book of Life, or here to listen to Adam talking about the programme on 'Start the Week? for BBC Radio 4. Adam?s first book, Creation, will be published in 2012 by Viking in the UK and Penguin Portfolio in the US. His TV agent is Sophie Laurimore at Factual Management.

Elly Griffiths is on the longlist for the Crime Writer's Association Dagger in the Library Award. The list of 16 also features C.J. Sansom, Peter James and Susan Hill. The CWA Dagger Awards celebrate the very best in crime and thriller writing, and are the longest established literary awards in the UK. These premier awards in crime fiction are recognised internationally as a mark of excellence. The Dagger in the Library is distinct in that it is given for the author's body of work, not an individual title. Authors are nominated for the prize by library users, with the winner chosen by a panel of librarians. Previous winners include Alexander McCall Smith, Jake Arnott and Craig Russell. The shortlist will be announced at Crimefest on May 20th, with this year's winner unveiled during the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, on the evening of July 22nd. For more information please click here.

As the clocks go forward and the sun comes out Robert Penn celebrates the arrival of Spring in this week?s Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/27/spring-wildlife-black-mountains-wales.

Fran Abrams? latest report for Radio 4?s 'File on 4' programme, Egypt's Missing Millions, is a fascinating exploration of corruption in Mubarak's Egypt. Visit the Radio 4 website where you can listen to the broadcast, download the podcast, or read the transcript. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zf202

This week Jasper Fforde's latest installment of the Thursday Next series, One of our Thursdays is Missing, is number one in the Sunday Times Bestseller list. Follow Jasper every step of the way on his current UK/US book tour by reading his brilliant blog: http://www.jasperfforde.com/more/2011tourblog.html

What would happen if we made contact with an alien civilisation? If you had to speak to aliens on behalf of humanity what would you say? Lucy Hawking, as part of the Arizona State University's 'Origins' project, invites you to join in the dicussion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN7PhzqIUJQ Follow this link to post your 'Dear Aliens...' missives: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/message-from-dot-earth-dear-aliens/

All this week the Guardian is offering a free download of the fantastic Hornets' Nest Dr Who audio series, written by Paul Magrs and narrated by the fourth doctor, Tom Baker. For more information visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/competition/2011/feb/15/doctorwho

Download the brilliant new iphone/ipad app for Jasper Fforde's latest children's novel The Last Dragon Slayer for a whole new reading experience. Your week-by-week guide to who's who and what's what and where's where in the wonderful world of The Last Dragon Slayer plus exclusive access to the unabridged audio book. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dragonslayer/id399761035?mt=8

Agent Claire Paterson flew out to India to attend The Jaipur Literature Festival where Alex Bellos joined the likes of Orphan Pamuk and Vikram Seth as a guest speaker. During their stay, Alex and Claire took time out to visit Jantar Mantar Astronomy Park in Jaipur, where a guide (with more than a little help from Alex!) explained the complexities of longitude and latitude.