Featuring ‘lessons’ selected and read by CAConrad, Jem Finer, Xiaolu Guo, Andrew O’Hagan, Lola Olufemi and Marina Warner, and ‘carols’ performed by the experimental vocal ensemble, Shards.

This is the second of two shows on consecutive nights with different line-ups; you can book tickets for the first here.

Since its invention in Cornwall on Christmas Eve, 1880, the familiar sequence of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, at King’s College Cambridge and in churches great and small across the land, has been one of the defining rhythms of the festive period. It has become a tribal custom that transcends the usual terms of churchgoing, of bible readings and hymn-singing. But what if, almost 150 years on, these terms really were transcended – or at the very least, remixed? Why cleave so loyally to Christianity when something else is clearly going on: something nostalgic, reflective, ritualistic…

So here, instead, are nine ‘lessons’ selected and read by a miraculous one-night-only line-up of writers and artists: CAConrad, Jem Finer, Xiaolu Guo, Andrew O’Hagan, Lola Olufemi and Marina Warner. Each lesson loosely tracks the arc of the traditional service’s journey through scripture, from the fall of man to the mystery of the incarnation via prophesy, annunciation, shepherds and wise men, etc. – while offering more radical, transgressive, inclusive kinds of wisdom, by drawing on alternative literatures and traditions.

‘Carols’ will be arranged by composer Kieran Brunt and performed by the experimental vocal ensemble, Shards – with a guest appearance from Jem Finer, who co-wrote the greatest of all Christmas songs, the Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’.

The London Review of Books is Europe’s leading journal of culture and ideas, founded 45 years ago in 1979. Published twice a month, it provides the space for many of the world’s best writers to explore a wide variety of subjects in exhilarating detail – from art and politics to science and technology via history and philosophy, fiction and poetry. In the age of the long read, the LRB remains the pre-eminent exponent of the intellectual essay, admired around the world for its fearlessness, its range, and its elegance.

Stone Nest is an arts organisation and performance venue in the heart of London's West End, bringing exceptional and experimental art to a wide audience. A hidden gem nestled amidst the bright lights of theatreland, it offers a platform for bold, visionary artists and a space where audiences can encounter an eclectic programme of contemporary performance.

Stone Nest is an old building and unfortunately cannot currently accommodate electric wheelchairs. We can accommodate manually operated wheelchairs at ground floor level via a temporary ramp; please let us know that you are a wheelchair user when booking.