The Dead Sea is a contradiction: famed for its healing properties, yet deadly to many lifeforms. Civilizations have built ancient cities and fortresses around its shores for centuries. Nir Arielli,…more

Prize-winning Bradford-born writer Rachel Bower and bestselling British-Australian writer Emilia Hart discuss how they crafted compelling stories of women’s lives in their folklore-inspired fiction.  Bower’s It Comes from the River…more

In 1872, Charles Darwin published The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, transforming the full range of human emotional expressions, from perky smiles to sulky pouts, into evidence…more

When we think about women’s writing in the north, we often think of the Brontës. Yet, beyond the Brontës, there have been so many northern women who wrote compellingly about…more

Was Tony Blair a visionary, impatiently looking ahead, or a leader trapped by his past? How long was the shadow cast by the Iraq war? And how enduring is his…more

Born in 1895 in Bradford, Malachi Whitaker was a celebrated author, lauded by the likes of Vita Sackville-West and Stevie Smith. She published prolifically, and the BBC aired over 50…more

Anyone alive today is among a tiny fraction of the once living: over 90% of species that ever existed are now extinct. But extinction is a surprisingly modern concept.  Sadiah…more

Can love really conquer all? Even time? Even death? Jess Kitching and Hannah Thomas Uose’s new novels meld romance and speculative fiction to meditate on the nature of life, love…more

When prize-winning writer and journalist John Harris’s son James was diagnosed with autism, it was music – The Beatles, Kraftwerk, Funkadelic, The Velvet Underground and more – that became a…more

Politeness rules our day-to-day lives, whether it’s speaking to colleagues about issues at work, dealing with difficult family members or wondering if you should eat the last piece of pie. …more

Queen Victoria’s friendship with her servant turned companion John Brown has been immortalised in the public imagination. But is there more to their story than we know? What has history…more

MPs called for it to be banned. The Daily Mail labelled it a ‘torrent of filth’. What was it about Tony Harrison’s poem ‘V.’ that stirred up so much controversy?…more

From homemade kombucha and kefir, to sourdough, miso and coffee, bestselling author and Professor of Epidemiology Tim Spector OBE is on a mission to bring fermenting into your life and…more

In an event exclusively for Friends of the Festival, Graham Robb takes us on a time-travelling adventure around the ‘spindly, sea-wracked islands’ we call home as he discusses his latest…more

In an event exclusively for Friends of the Festival, Graham Robb takes us on a time-travelling adventure around the ‘spindly, sea-wracked islands’ we call home as he discusses his latest…more

Edward Stourton is one of the best-known names in British broadcasting. Born to expat parents in colonial Nigeria, he attended Cambridge alongside a network of future ministers, judges and newspaper…more

Meet three of the next big names in fiction and get an exclusive first look at their novels before they’re published!  The Last Witch on the Knock is Aimée MacDonald’s…more

Is your notebook filled with ideas for short stories, but you’re not sure where to go next? Let writer, editor and The Grove Bookshop bookseller Emily Devane show you the…more

Know what year Roddy Doyle won the Booker Prize? Can tell the words of one Swift (Jonathan, Graham or even Taylor) from another? Then get ready as Quiz Master Mel…more

Please note: the Friends priority seats have now sold out. We will be releasing more seats when general sale commences on Tuesday 26 August at 10am. This event is also…more