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FROM SEASCAPES TO WATERSIDE LITERARY TALKS, LYDIA ANDERSON LOOKS AT WHAT TO DO, SEE AND WATCH THIS MONTH...

DOCUMENTARY TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM

‘My world did not shrink because I was a black female writer. It just got bigger,’ said Toni Morrison to the

New York Times in 1987. The Pieces I Am is a contemplative and masterful documentary film that charts her life: from growing up in Lorain, Ohio, to championing black voices in the distinctly white world of publishing as an editor at Random House, going on to win the Nobel Prize in 1993, and beyond. Toni Morrison remains America’s first lady of literature. This must not be missed. In cinemas from 6th March

FESTIVAL WORDS BY THE WATER

The Lake District has inspired some of the UK’S most-loved romantic poets and authors, such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Beatrix Potter, so what better place to hold 10 days of literary celebration? The Words by the Water festival invites the bookish and inquisitive to enjoy workshops, interviews and comedy performances from local talent and famous faces alike. Speakers include crime novelist Val Mcdermid, writer AL Kennedy, comedian Jenny Eclair and many, many more.

6th to 15th March, wayswithwords.co.uk

SALON EAST SIDE VOICES

This monthly series of talks at The Standard Hotel in London, hosted by writer and Harper’s Bazaar features director Helena Lee, aims to change the cultural narrative by celebrating talent of East and Southeast Asian origin. At the March salon, guests will hear from the Fashion Awardwinning designer Rejina Pyo, who will be giving Lee an insight into her incredible career. To find out more, email hello@ eastsidevoices.co.uk

ART LÉON SPILLIAERT

This year, the Royal Academy introduces UK audiences to the work of Belgian symbolist painter and graphic artist Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946). On show are some 80 pieces of artwork on paper, from atmospheric landscapes, seascapes and interiors to ruminative portraits. Spilliaert’s use of watercolour, pastel, charcoal and gouache offers a softened yet eerie aesthetic. Lose yourself in the distinctly melancholic and carefully considered silence of his work. Until 25th May, royalacademy.org.uk