Changing Your Mind
About our events
Why is everything so divisive right now? Don’t we actually have more in common than what divides us? Are we capable of changing our minds, and if we do, is that growth; or a ‘U-turn’? At a time of peak polarisation, could being flexible in our thinking, and being able to understand a different perspective, be the thing that might just save us?
Our hero theme dives into why we’ve got to such a state of fixed positions on everything, what the consequences are of increasing social and political divides, and how we might change other people’s minds – or at least agree to disagree, agreeably. We also explore how our understanding of the mind is changing, from cutting-edge thinking on consciousness, to first-hand accounts of incredible journeys in neurorehabilitation. Finally, we celebrate reading: the ultimate route to changing your mind. Treasured writers share stories of the books that have shaped them, and we look at the mounting evidence of the power of art to transform our minds, and our lives. So… are you open to changing your mind? Step away from the noise and delve into the theme’s three strands:
Can You Change Your Mind?
Reaction and the algorithm influence public debate like never before. But true democracy depends on the freedom to listen, reflect, and (re)consider. Join online experts Sarah Wynn-Williams, Jimmy Wales, and Cory Doctorow as they examine the development (and decline) of the internet over the last 30 years.
A raft of notable names explore the current political landscape and what changes are needed for nations to thrive, including Gordon Brown, John Curtice, Jeremy Hunt, and former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Liam Byrne, Sarah Stein Lubrano, and Marius Ostrowski ask if changing your mind is even possible in today’s polarised climate, while Gabriel Gatehouse and Simukai Chigudu reveal how opinions are shaped online and through our inherited stories. Daniel Trilling exposes the rise of Europe’s far-right, while Andrew Hussey and Richard Collett look more broadly at what unites and divides us after conversations with strangers across France and the UK. And getting practical, hands on workshops offer tools for rebuilding true dialogue in divided times.
Consciousness Now
Discoveries in neuroscience and psychology are transforming thinking about memory, recovery, attention, and consciousness. Meanwhile, AI’s rise forces us to ask: if machines can imitate thought, what remains uniquely human? World-leading thinkers Michael Pollan and Anil Seth tackle this complex puzzle. Gwen Adshead and Orlando Swayne reveal the human brain’s adaptive ability in trauma and transformation, Nick Barber and Helen Pilcher examine the sometimes uneasy power balance between mind and medicine, and Fergus Murray, Julie Farrell, and Lucy Rose joyfully expand our definition of neurodiversity.
Stories That Change Us
What’s the role of art in all this? Can stories change minds? Daisy Fancourt and Wayne McGregor unpack the science of how the arts improve wellbeing and cognition, while luminaries Kiran Desai and Claudia Rankine share the books that changed their lives, and writers including Katalina Watt, Rebecca Tamás, and Zakia Sewell ask why we’re still learning from the world’s oldest stories. Plus, our vibrant Opening Night Gala (featuring Anne Enright, Jackie Kay, and Aidan O’Rourke) and Communities Cabaret events centre international and local voices responding to our theme via poetry, music, and storytelling.
List of Events
Close Read with Open Book: Poems to Change Your Mind
Join Marjorie Lotfi and Jess Orr from Open Book, a charity organising shared reading and creative writing groups, as they introduce you to…
Gavin Francis: The Unfragile Mind
Between 30-50% of GP consultations now concern mental health. As a GP for over 20 years, Gavin Francis has had a front row seat to…
Orlando Swayne: How to Use a Fork
A consultant neurologist with a particular interest in neurorehabilitation, Orlando Swayne’s work has taught him that a brain that’s been…
Opening Night Gala
Celebrate the opening of this year’s Festival in this captivating evening of new, specially commissioned writing, hosted by Festival…
Rachel Aviv: Strangers to Ourselves
Join long-time New Yorker journalist Rachel Aviv, renowned for her in-depth reporting on topics ranging from police shootings in…
Brenda Hale: With the Law on Our Side
Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond was the first woman to serve as President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. With decades of…Steve Crossan & Alan Finkel: Inside the Machine
An unmissable conversation with two fascinating figures at the forefront of global scientific innovation: Alan Finkel, former Chief…
Jimmy Wales: The Seven Rules of Trust
As trust in billionaire-owned social media platforms continues to plummet, it’s astonishing to see how crowd-sourced knowledge bank,…
Elizabeth Finkel & Caitjan Gainty: Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Journalism to the law, academia to government – the institutions that underpin society rely on an evidence-based, expert-informed approach.…
Masud Husain: Our Brains, Our Selves
The brain’s workings are essential to our identity, says Oxford neurology professor Masud Husain, winner of 2025’s Royal Society Science…
Nick Barber & Helen Pilcher: The Mind-Body Connection
An eye-opening conversation on the psychology of medicine. Pharmaceutical expert Nick Barber offers a guide for how to make the most of…
Deep Listening: A Workshop with Emily Kasriel
In a society where empathetic dialogue feels increasingly rare, BBC journalist, executive coach, and mediator Emily Kasriel has…
Julie Farrell, Fergus Murray & Lucy Rose: Someone Like Me
Society often puts us into boxes, watering down a diversity of experiences into one singular story. Someone Like Me says: no more. This…John Curtice: Is Two-Party Politics Over?
Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, has become known as one of our most incisive, animated, and…
How to Talk Across Divides: A Workshop with Sarah Stein Lubrano
Researcher and author of Don't Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds, Sarah Stein Lubrano knows why most conversations…
A C Grayling: For the People
The great British philosopher and academic A C Grayling’s appearances are always an intellectual highlight of the Book Festival, as he…
Liam Byrne, Sarah Stein Lubrano & Marius Ostrowski: Can You Change Your Mind?
How did we get so entrenched in our political and ideological positions? Can we change other people’s minds about anything? And what does…
The Book That Changed My Mind
Books can soothe, expand, and stimulate our minds – but can they change them completely? In this thought-provoking panel event - chaired by…
The Secret Life of Books – Live
In this riotous and revelatory live recording of their hit Secret Life of Books podcast, Sophie Gee and Jonty Claypole welcome Women’s…
Junk Journaling: A Workshop with Rachel Hazell
Explore the Festival’s overarching Changing Your Mind theme through the art of junk journaling: transforming discarded ephemera into…