Ahead of the Crystal Palace Overground Festival on 26 – 29 June, the organisers have announced a very special pre-festival fundraiser at Kingswood House, Kingswood Estate, Dulwich.

On Thursday, May 29, intrepid bon viveur Howard Marks will bring his spoken word show; Scholar, Smuggler, Prisoner, Scribe to south east London.

With trademark honesty and penetrating humour, Howard will look back at four extraordinary and action packed phases of his life. Covering his time as an academic and his nascent interest in marijuana, through his infamous years as the world’s most notorious drugs trafficker and his incarceration in Terre Haute, one of the United States' toughest penitentiaries, Howard brings the story up to date with his current career as a bestselling author and national treasure. Enthralling and hilarious in equal measure, you may think you know the Howard Marks story but there are many tales still left to tell.

Noreen Meehan, Festival Chair, said: "We are very excited to extend a very warm Crystal Palace welcome to Howard in this very special fundraising show. Howard is truly a phenomenon of our times, a man who has surfed and survived many trials and tribulations, using his trademark humour. We hope that our faithful festival revellers will come and enjoy his many tales followed by DJs and bar afterwards."

Tickets are available from Ticketline. Prices are £12.50 plus £1.50 booking fee.

To find out more, visit the festival website www.crystalpalacefestival.org and to buy tickets, visit www.ticketline.co.uk/howard-marks.