My name is William Bird. But sadly, I don’t compose Elizabethan madrigals. I have worked as a bookseller and education administrator and I’m now embarking on a career as an itinerant public speaker for hire. I love libraries, European history, silent cinema and Shakespeare.

For details of the talks I offer see MY TALKS. In 2017 I performed in front of several hundred hardy souls in seven London libraries including Kingston, Walthamstow, High Barnet and Willesden Green, and expanding my partnerships in 2018 with talks in Lewisham, Westminster and Richmond. I am keen to work with even more councils to encourage the public to use and appreciate their local library.

Since 2023 I have been turning some of these talks into full-scale DOCUMENTARIES published on YouTube.

I also have a blog which adds further details to each of the talks as they’re developed and performed, along with ideas for further reading. You can follow and contact me via X and Bluesky too although I rarely have anything particularly profound to say!