Sharon Olds

Andrew O'Hagan: Heydays in the Haçienda (2020 Event) The fine grain of working-class teenagers’s lives; the blether, the binge-drinking and nights on the pull: Mayflies sees Andrew O’Hagan in scintillating, heartbreakingly good form. He talks with fellow Scottish writer, columnist and doyen of the literary… Kate Summerscale Kate Summerscale created a bestseller about the true tale of the murder of a Victorian child. Her novel, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher dazzlingly combines hard-dug research with the best of the crime writer?s craft and in this event she tells all about it… Ian McEwan Unedited audio recording of the 2007 event in which Ian McEwan chats with chair Ian Rankin about his early work, influences and most recent publication, On Chesil Beach. Great fun!… Ruth Jones (2018 Event) Acclaimed comedy actress and writer Ruth Jones has turned her talents to novel writing. Never Greener ponders the age-old question of whether the grass is a different shade on the other side. Kate had a fling in her early 20s with a married man and when… Joseph Stiglitz (2010 event) A 2010 Book Festival event that will be talked about for some time to come. Nobel Prize-winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, delivered a thought-provoking event with the words of a real insider. As chair Ruth Wishart said, "Joseph Stiglitz has analysed… Nicola Barry Join leading journalist Nicola Barry for this poignant event from 2007 about her family's struggle and her ultimate triumph over alcoholism… Outriders: Jennifer Haigh & Malachy Tallack (2017 Event) As part of our Outriders project to explore the Americas, Boston novelist Jennifer Haigh travelled with Scottish writer Malachy Tallack on a journey that took in the Midwestern heartlands of Donald Trump’s USA. Starting in Fargo, they visited the… Polly Toynbee and David Walker (2010 Event) So what exactly did twelve years of undiluted New Labour achieve? Polly Toynbee and David Walker, co-authors of two previous books on the subject, returned to the Book Festival in 2010 with the definitive assessment… The A-Z of Poetry with Michael Rosen, Carol Ann Duffy, Tom Pow & John Sampson The electrifying and infectious Children's Laureate is joined by top poets, musicians and writers for children (Carol Ann Duffy, Tom Pow and John Sampson) in this unique 2008 event which plays with words and makes them dance. For children of 5 and upwards… Abdel Bari Atwan Good natured chat from newspaper editor Abdel Bari Atwan as he recounts his journey from Palestinian refugee camps to the front page. One of the world's leading authorities on the Middle East, Atwan shares some of his extraordinary encounters…