Once festive frivolousness is over and the new year has arrived, it can take us a few months to get going. It’s often a lonelier time amid the shorter, colder days with no Christmas distraction and increased socialising, but one simple antidote to this is keeping busy. There’s no better time of year to try out a brand new literary event, and The Conversation provides just that, with a unique concept provided over a 15-week period.
Kicking off on January 14, the new event has a lineup of a speaker every Tuesday, with a motto of ‘coming together to talk about the world’. Each time, the world’s topics will be discussed, from conflict to climate change with thinkers, philosophers, scientists, and writers taking to the stage to lead the talk.
The Conversation
In a unique format for this style of event, the first hour of each event for The Conversation will feature a talk with each guest, before the second half where the speaker joins the tables of guests to keep the same conversation and delve deeper into the subject with the audience.
Each night will be hosted by Peter Florence alongside Claire Armitstead, the former Associate Editor of The Guardian, journalist and campaigner Caitlin McNamara, and Georgina Godwin of Monocle Radio.
Across the 15 events, audiences will get to hear from a wide range of guest speakers, including bestselling writers including Paul Lynch, author of 2023 Booker prize winner Prophet Song, and Ahdaf Soueif, who will speak about language and action. The roster also features historians Tom Holland and Marion Turner; theatre director Nicholas Hytner; war correspondents Lindsey Hilsum and Åsne Seierstad; as well as Scientists and philosophers including David Spiegelhalter, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, and more.
Anyone hoping to catch a speaker can purchase a ticket online, with cheaper tickets on sale for access to the online live stream to each event if you can’t make it in person but want to tune in.
Speaking on the announcement, Peter Florence, Director of The Conversation, said: “Each of these writers sets you off on adventures of imagination and action. Themes and experiences resonate through the season – of wonder as well as of deep crisis. And I love the idea of extending the familiar interview format into a wider conversation. It’s wonderful to see what happens when the audience takes up the thoughts and storylines. Trust the room.”
The full lineup
January 14 – Linsey Hilsum
January 21 – David Spiegelhalter
January 28 – Robert Macfarlane
February 4 – Maggie Aderin-Pocock
February 11 – Hanif Kureishi
February 18 – Ahdaf Soueif
February 25 – Roman Krznaric
March 4 – Marion Turner
March 11 – Paul Lynch
March 18 – Nicholas Hytner & Helen Castor
March 25 – Bettany Hughes
April 1 – Åsne Seierstad
April 8 – Tom Holland (historian)
April 15 – Fergal Keane
April 22 – Gaia Vince and Monica Feria-Tinta
‘The Conversation’ commences on January 14 and runs weekly for 15 weeks, ending on April 22. You can find the full roster of events and book your spot for your selected nights here. Tickets to each event cost £15, and events run between 6:30pm – 8:30pm. There are also £10 tickets available for access to the online livestream.