Swishing down the runways from today through Friday in London, the annual Alternative Fashion Week returns to showcase over sixty hopeful young designers vying for a bit of limelight, glory and riches.

To be clear, it’s not all high fashion and glamour here. Some of it may be, but regardless it is quite an event and it is free. Some of the launching labels, moreover, are actually pretty nifty, too, and will no doubt be heard from again quite soon. Alternative Fashion Week a good time all around and it’s also one of few avenues for the recently-graduated-from-art-school to show off their imaginations without having to pay for it — the event is fully sponsored by Alternative Arts and fully free for both designers and audience.

Also, check out the parallel Fashion Market happening around the runways at Spitalfields Traders Market. Catwalks at 13:15 every day and wallet frenzies daily at the Market from noon to 15:00.

These readings are both on Wednesday, so choose wisely or travel quickly.

Wednesday, April 23, 6:30pm
The New School, Wollman Hall, The Eugene Lang Building (65 W, 11th Street, 5th fl., enter at 66 W. 12th St.)
Cave Canem Presents: Cornelius Eady

This is a reading and book signing to celebrate the release of Hardheaded Weather, the latest collection of poems by Cornelius Eady, co-founder of Cave Canem and author of many collections including Brutal Imagination, a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award in Poetry. This is a free event but seating is first come first serve. You can learn more about Eady and hear him read “I’m A Fool to Love You” here.

Wednesday, April 23, 7:30pm
Word Books (126 Franklin St., in Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
Broken Land: Poems of Brooklyn

Broken Land is the first collection of poetry to focus exclusively on verse that celebrates Brooklyn. From the contemporary to the classic, the collection chronicles nearly two centuries of life in the borough, celebrating it’s places, people and culture. Contributors will read Wednesday at Word Books in Greenpoint, including Patricia Spears Jones, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Michael Morse and co-editor Michael Tyrell.