The Spring Thing is a short festival hosted by Birmingham Book Festival, on 9 & 10 April with workshops, performances and readings going on throughout both days.

There is crime (and cake!) with Sophie Hannah, performance poetry with Nine Arches Press, the Birmingham Poet Laureate and guests, John Hegley, workshops, pigeons, personae, city gardening with the BBC’s Alys Fowler, the launch of David Lodge’s new novel A Man of Parts, new voices in fiction with Tindal Street Press and intriguing audio installation Bodies In The Library.

They’ll also have a Festival Bookshop in the conservatoire from 11am – 3.30pm.

If you fancy some freebies, they seem to be having a bit of a giveaway on their Twitter at the moment, plus they currently have 10% off booking for festival events.