Friday 15 August 15:15 - 16:15
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In this event, Kureishi will appear remotely, talking to Chitra Ramaswamy as he shares his insights into recovery, self-discovery, and the enduring nature of creativity…
Friday 15 August 15:15 - 16:15
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Master chronicler of the heart’s hidden desires, Tessa Hadley (author of Late in the Day and After the Funeral) discusses her first novella…
Friday 15 August 16:00 - 17:00
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Two kingdoms on the brink of battle. One prophesied empress to unite them…
Friday 15 August 16:00 - 17:00
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Words matter. But how far can language take us – or lead us away from – where we want to be?…
Friday 15 August 16:45 - 17:45
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Many of us know that time in nature supports our wellbeing – but why does it? How does nature change the way we think?…
Friday 15 August 17:00 - 18:00
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Lindsey Hilsum has been a war correspondent for four decades. She’s been a poetry lover for even longer…
Friday 15 August 17:45 - 18:45
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Ivo Graham is a whirlwind of a man. A hugely popular comedian, club night DJ, podcast host, TaskMaster flop, and a father: he simply can’t do things by halves…
Friday 15 August 18:15 - 19:15
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Three vibrant voices shaking up assumptions on class, race, and culture join us for a perspective-shifting discussion…
Friday 15 August 18:30 - 19:30
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Fierce Salvage: A Queer Words Anthology is an inspiring snapshot of current LGBTI+ Scottish writing, from memoir to poetry, edited by Michelle Lee Richardson and Ryan Vance…
Friday 15 August 18:45 - 19:45
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In Intimacy, O’Brien uses her experiences on shows including Normal People and Sex Education to reflect on how we navigate sex and intimacy within ourselves, and with others…
Friday 15 August 18:45 - 19:45
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After a long career at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), including as director of national security, Laurie Bristow was British ambassador to Afghanistan in 2021 and one of the last civilians to leave when Kabul fell to the Taliban…
Friday 15 August 19:30 - 20:30
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Winner of the Booker Prize, Ben Okri doubles the festival spirit on offer with Madame Sosostris & the Festival for the Broken-Hearted…
Friday 15 August 20:00 - 21:00
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Our relationships with our bodies can be both intimate and alien at once. How can we feel at home in them? Together, genre-defying writer Maggie Nelson (Pathemata) and poet and choreographer Oluwaseun Olayiwola (Strange Beach) explore how our bodies can…
Friday 15 August 20:30 - 21:30
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Join these talented authors as they reveal to Alwyn Hamilton how they create their remarkable fantasy worlds…
Friday 15 August 21:00 - 22:00
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Comedian, writer, actor, and Taskmaster task consultant Tim Key is a sell-out. But the good kind…
Suitable for age 3 - 5
Saturday 16 August 10:00 - 11:00
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What do you want to be when you grow up? Explore all the things you can be with amazing author and illustrator Rob Biddulph in his newest book, When I Grow Up I’d Like to Be……
Saturday 16 August 10:15 - 11:15
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Tuppence Middleton’s new memoir, Scorpions, is a bleakly funny account of what it’s like to live with OCD. Join her for a candid conversation about vulnerability, courage and hope…
Suitable for age 6 - 9
Saturday 16 August 11:45 - 12:45
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Have you ever had to train a troublesome puppy? If so, Pia needs your help!…
Saturday 16 August 11:45 - 12:45
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In 1943, 50 women and girls were drafted into an orchestra within the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp by the same Nazi officers who were killing their families and friends…
Saturday 16 August 12:00 - 13:00
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One of the left’s most prominent commentators, Ash Sarkar wades right into the middle of the culture wars in Minority Rule in hyper-intelligent, acid fashion…
Full 2025 Book Festival programme is announced with key theme of Repair 
