Interview - Melissa Benn (2014)

The Front List: Matt Haig in conversation with Chitra Ramaswamy Through his memoir and fiction, Matt Haig has changed the way we talk about mental health. Matt presents his new novel, The Life Impossible, in this very special event as part of our key festival strand, How to Live a Meaningful Life. In conversation with… Allan Little's Big Interview with Elif Shafak at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Turkish-British author Elif Shafak is a respected campaigner for women’s rights and free speech. She wrote in the New Yorker that ‘wave after wave of nationalism and tribalism have hit the shores of countries across Europe, and they have reached the… Iain MacRitchie & Rich Thanki: Healing the Digital Divide 2020 has seen a huge surge in online content. From festivals to healthcare, and from galleries to schools, the internet is providing services, resources and networks to connect us to each other, from the safety of our self-isolation bubbles. But with 41%… Futureproofing Education Following two years of disruption in schools, we’re bringing together education pioneers to imagine the creative, bespoke settings needed to support young people. Chaired by Gerald Richards, CEO of Superpower Agency, our panellists include founder of The… Michael Frayn (2015 Event) With Matchbox Theatre, Michael Frayn has produced perhaps his most daringly unusual book to date. Blurring the boundary between the page and stage, the brilliant author and playwright has produced a book of thirty short entertainments that function both… Reverend Jesse Jackson (2015 Event) One of the best-respected and most formidable civil rights activists of the 20th century, the Reverend Jesse Jackson worked for Martin Luther King in the 1960s. During his later political career, he specialised in high-profile international diplomacy… Sabrina Mahfouz: Notes on the British Empire Sabrina Mahfouz has often experienced the sly questioning underneath much of British society’s treatment of her: as someone of Middle Eastern heritage, can she be trusted? Confronting what’s at play here, These Bodies of Water takes us to the Middle… Torrey Peters: Modern Families, Baby Detransition, Baby is the fizzing debut novel from American author Torrey Peters, a modern story about motherhood, sex, relationships and chosen family. Reese is a trans woman in her 30s who desperately yearns for motherhood when Ames, her former lover… Liz Lochhead (2015 Event) A hugely accomplished playwright, as well as Scotland’s current Makar (National Poet), watch as Liz Lochhead discusses her new play, Thon Man Molière, her fascination with the great French comic dramatist and his oeuvre, Greek tragedy… Iain Sinclair at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Among our finest voices on the significance of place, Welsh writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair health checks our relationships with buildings across the world in Living with Buildings and Walking with Ghosts. From Marseille to Mexico, inner London to the…