The UIL Dinner Club: Great Conversation for a Good Cause
Date and time:
Thursday 29 October, 2026
19:00 - 22:00
Location:
Trogolo
296 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill
London
W11 2PS
Join us on Thursday 29 October 2026 for an exclusive evening with our guest of honour, Charlotte Higgins, chief culture writer of the Guardian and author of Ukrainian Lessons: Art in a Time of War, drawing on her reporting from Ukraine since 2022.
Enjoy an evening of meaningful conversation in an intimate setting, with delicious food and wine — all while supporting the vital work of the UIL. This event is part of the UIL Dinner Club series, a programme of fundraising dinners that bring together supporters of Ukrainian culture and scholarship.
You'll have the unique opportunity to speak with Charlotte Higgins about her new book, her lifelong fascination with the classical world, from Greek myths to Roman Britain, mazes and labyrinths, and life as the Guardian's chief culture writer.
What to expect:
No prior knowledge of Ukrainian literature or politics is required — just a genuine curiosity about Ukraine and a desire to engage in thoughtful discussion. You don't need to know any of the other guests; simply come ready to share the evening with like-minded people and perhaps make new friends.
Spaces are very limited, so we strongly recommend early booking to avoid disappointment.
Guest of Honour
Charlotte Higgins
Charlotte Higgins is the chief culture writer of the Guardian, contributing work across the paper on the arts and culture. Her book Ukrainian Lessons: Art in a Time of War (Jonathan Cape), drawing on her reporting from Ukraine since 2022, was published in August 2026, with a Ukrainian translation expected next year. Philippe Sands called it ‘a book for our times, bringing to life remarkable people and places, and the beating heart of humanity and war, all brilliantly wrought by a uniquely present and special writer’.
With Mary Beard, she is co-host of the podcast Instant Classics, and most of her books draw on her interest in classical history, literature and culture. Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson (now Baillie Gifford) prize, among other awards, and has been adapted into a play by David Greig. Red Thread: On Mazes and Labyrinths won the Arnold Bennett prize and was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. Greek Myths: A New Retelling, with illustrations by Chris Ofili, was shortlisted for the Waterstones book of the year 2021.
A further book, This New Noise: The Extraordinary Birth and Troubled Life of the BBC, was adapted from a series of essays for the Guardian.
In naming her one of 10 extraordinary women writers working today, novelist Elif Shafak wrote: ‘Charlotte Higgins is an author with magic in her pen. From ancient subjects she conjures living text: vast conversations about who we are today and why the stories we tell really matter.’
Born in the Potteries in the Midlands of England, Charlotte lives in London.