Voices and Minds: Creative Responses to Dementia
In honour of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, join Songhaven and Electric Voice Theatre at Conway Hall for an afternoon’s exploration of science, music, ethics, and activism. With talks from experts including neuroscientist Prof Louise Serpell, discussions and musical moments from Songhaven, and performances and an exhibition from Electric Voice Theatre, this relaxed event will open up […]
The Haunted Landscape: Ghosts, Magic and Lore
Whose claws are scratching at the church door? What’s that ghost tumbling over the moor? Who’s that figure cut into the earth? What can I do to lift this curse? Join us for a legendary trip through the Haunted Landscape at London Fortean Society’s day of expert talks on British ghosts, magic and folklore. All […]
How to Build A Haunted House
What makes a house haunted? Why do some buildings conjure up a reputation for being particularly creepy, while others leave us unmoved? Barring the possibility of a looming afterlife, what are the particular features, contexts and histories that lend a building the dreaded identity of haunted house? Caitlin Blackwell Baines tours some of the world’s […]
Chasing the Dark: Encounters with the Supernatural
The Society for Psychical Research was founded to shine light on the shadowy world of the supernatural. Distinguished members have included prime ministers and Nobel Prize-winning scientists. But the most prolific of all the SPR’s paranormal investigators was a young British naval officer named Tony Cornell. A rationalist and a sceptic he became haunted by […]
The Pleasures and Perils of Fandom
Vanessa Kisuule is a big Michael Jackson fan. This fixation once gave her great joy, but now it keeps her up at night. In this talk, she explores the fall-out from that fandom and how, or if, we can hold people to account whilst loving them at the same time. Why do famous musicians mean […]
Reading Between the Lines of the Regency Novel
Ever since the novel was invented, women have used it as a platform for sharing ideas about sexual consent. Dr Zoë McGee reveals how Jane Austen, Frances Burney and their now-overlooked contemporaries used their stories to try to change society’s mind about rape culture – and to reassure survivors they were not alone. In an […]
The Extraordinary Lives of Ancient & Medieval Women
What was life really like for women in the ancient and medieval periods? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories? Authors Dr Daisy Dunn and Dr Hetta Howes will take us on an immersive journey into the everyday lives of extraordinary […]
Changing Power Imbalances at Home
Huge social changes occurring in real time are leading us to rethink traditional roles in our homes, workplaces and in society. So why do women who outearn their male partners still tend to do more housework and childcare? Why are unemployed men generally happier if their female partners are also unemployed? Why is unpaid labour […]
Lessons from a Real-Life Romcom
For years, the romcom has been defined by its reinforcement of patriarchal notions of love and relationships, and regressive depictions of female identity. At its centre is a belief that our societal order is in jeopardy unless you’re content and in a relationship. But the joy of the romcom, for all its schmaltz, is that […]