Wednesday 4th May 2022 at 7pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

Join University of Plymouth Art History graduate Louis Dyson as he discusses his research into the six custodians of the Cottonian Collection of oils, works on paper, sculpture and books which were collected primarily during the mid-late 18th century. 

The Cottonian Collection was donated to the Plymouth Proprietary Library in the 1850s before being transferred to the then Plymouth City Museum, now known as The Box.

Thursday 16th June 2022 at 7pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

The idea of the public library, as we usually think of it today, was formally created in England with the Public Libraries Act of 1850. However, there was by then already a long and varied tradition of library provision. The 1600s and 1700s saw several big waves of library foundation with collections set up across England's provinces, including in the wealthy and urbanised county of Devon. Several of these Devon collections are still preserved today and between their books' pages can be found valuable traces of the people who used and gifted them.

This talk by Dr Anna-Lujz Gilbert (University of Exeter) will explore what exactly a 'public', 'town', or other community library was in early modern England, the libraries established here in Devon, and what they can tell us about the people who used and gifted books hundreds of years ago. 

Thursday 23rd June 2022 at 7pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

Writer, poet, enemy of all that's difficult and upsetting, Matt's way with words has taken him from Totnes to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships via Saturday Live, the Edinburgh Festival and the Work section of the Guardian. He has hosted Wondermentalist - Radio 4's comedy-infused, musically enhanced interactive poetry cabaret - and is author of Sit!, The Hole in the Sum of my Parts (Poetry Trust), Where Earwigs Dare (Green Books) and Mindless Body Spineless Mind.  

Poetry@thePPL continued monthly until October 2023.

Thursday 14th July 2022 at 7pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

Join us for a special evening as we celebrate the writing career of prize-winning author Babs Horton and welcome her as a Patron of the PPL. Babs will talk about her writing career, read excerpts from her novels and give a Q&A. There will also be the opportunity to purchase signed copies of her works.

Babs Horton's books include Dandelion Soup, Wildcat Moon, Recipes for Cherubs and Holy Mackerel. Her first book A Jarful of Angels (2003) won the Pendleton prize and was shortlisted for the Author's Club first novel award. 

Saturday 13th August 2022 at noon.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

The medieval garden was an essential strand in the fabric of everyday life in the middle ages. From the labourer's humble plot for growing vegetables and herbs to the grand, ornate and romantic gardens of the nobility, the garden was seen as the source of health, nourishment, spiritual refreshment and beauty. 

A talk by Elaine Henderson.

Monday 12th September 2022 at 2pm.

Free for all (Heritage Open Days event).

Join us for a talk by Fr. Gregory Carpenter, the President of the PPL, who has explored former railway routes on bicycle and on foot. This illustrated talk covers Plymouth, Tavistock, Yealmpton and Barnstaple. 

Wednesday 14th September 2022 at 7pm.

Free for all (Heritage Open Days event).

The popular author will be discussing her latest novel: The Highland Hens and there will be a chance to purchase signed copies.

"All of my novels celebrate friendship, the ups and downs of life, relationships, the power of laughter and the belief that everyone should have a second chance at happiness, whatever their age." 

Wednesday 12th October 2022 at 2pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

The award winning author of eight novels and one novella will talk about her writing career and her latest works The River Between Us (available in the library) and The Impossible Shore (out next year). 

Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 2pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

Join longstanding PPL member Kevin Warley for a talk on the history of Oreston, a village that was absorbed by the City of Plymouth in 1967. As with a lot of communities absorbed into larger conurbations, it is more than a suburb ... 

Saturday 19th November at 12.30pm.

Free (donations welcome).

A play by 'Script-in-Hand' theatre.

An imaginative adaptation based on the original Everyman's journey to account for his irresponsible lifestyle. In this version, it is Planet Earth that sends Everybody on a similar journey to account for their abuse of the earth's natural resources.

Saturday 3rd December at 1.30pm (after the Christmas lunch).

A short talk by Elaine Henderson followed by a reading from M.E. Braddon.