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Freedom of Expression: The Long View

Saturday 9 August 14:15 - 15:15

Changed Freedom of Expression: The Long View Find out more
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The debate around freedom of expression feels more contested than ever. But the concept of freedom of expression in the arts is relatively recent, and it was only in 1968 that censorship of plays was abolished in Britain…
 

Krystal Evans: From the Ashes

Saturday 9 August 14:45 - 15:45

Krystal Evans: From the Ashes Find out more
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Evans' memoir shares how she went from the ashes of disaster to centre stage in a true story that's dark, heartbreaking, inspiring, and hilarious (often all at once)…
 

Storytelling Yoga with Radhika Sanghani

All ages

Saturday 9 August 14:45 - 15:45

Storytelling Yoga with Radhika Sanghani Find out more
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Take a moment for some calm with author Radhika Sanghani in a playful storytelling movement session that will get you stretching, breathing, and using your imagination!…
 

The Monsters Inside Our Head with Josh Silver & Andy Darcy Theo

Saturday 9 August 15:00 - 16:00

The Monsters Inside Our Head with Josh Silver & Andy Darcy Theo Find out more
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Hear BookTok star, Andy Darcy Theo (author of the bestselling series The Light That Blinds Us) and YA Book Prize-shortlisted Josh Silver (mental health nurse and author of Trauma/and) discuss how fantasy writing can help us better understand our mental…
 

Close Read with Open Book: Poetry and Repair

Saturday 9 August 15:00 - 16:30

Close Read with Open Book: Poetry and Repair Find out more
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Join Marjorie Lotfi and Claire Urquhart from Open Book, a charity organising shared reading and creative writing groups, as they lead a warm, lively discussion on a selection of poems that chime with our 2025 Festival theme of Repair…
 

Robert Macfarlane: Is A River Alive?

Saturday 9 August 15:15 - 16:15

Robert Macfarlane: Is A River Alive? Find out more
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Robert Macfarlane's radiant writing on nature, people, and place is in a class unto itself, and the Guardian has slated Is a River Alive? as the biggest publishing event of 2025…
 

Emma Forrest & Emma Jane Unsworth: The Messy Glory of Youth

Saturday 9 August 15:15 - 16:15

Emma Forrest & Emma Jane Unsworth: The Messy Glory of Youth Find out more
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Join the authors of these gutsy, vivacious novels for a lively discussion with Nyla Ahmad on the fearless nature of obsession and the bruising reality of teenage infatuation…
 

Loud Poets Grand Slam Final 2025

Saturday 9 August 16:00 - 18:00

Loud Poets Grand Slam Final 2025 Find out more
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Returning for a third year, the highly anticipated Loud Poets Grand Slam Final promises to be a Festival highlight, combining music with fist-thumping, side-tickling poetry. Having qualified through a series of nationwide Slams, 12 poets compete for a £3……
 

Linder & Marina Warner: Gimme Danger

Saturday 9 August 16:30 - 17:30

Linder & Marina Warner: Gimme Danger Find out more
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Linder is one of Britain's great pop­culture provocateurs: a post-punk musician and widely exhibited photocollage artist. Here she'll collide in discussion with the great, Booker Prize-shortlisted feminist writer Marina Warner on subjects including…
 

Think, See, and Draw with Candice Purwin

Saturday 9 August 16:30 - 17:30

Think, See, and Draw with Candice Purwin Find out more
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Your brain is full of wild, strange, and brilliant things, and we’re going to draw them out. Get ready to rip up the rule book and learn to fold, write, and draw a short comic book all your own in this comics workshop with graphic novelist Candice Purwin…