Evening events, Talks & lectures

Claire Tomalin celebrates the man who had the luck to live through Civil War, Restoration, plague, fire, Dutch wars and the revolution of 1688. Throughout his life he spent time as a student, civil servant, MP and naval administrator. He used his knowledge to make an unparalleled record of England in the 17th century…

Thomas Hardy is unique in being equally famous as a novelist and a poet. A physically frail country boy, he set himself on a long and effortful path to achieve success. It took him to London, which he explored thoroughly and persistently. As a result his life was divided between Dorset, where his family and his…

Listen to a classic jazz album on a top-range sound system in company, and hear insights into its musical context and how it came to be made.

An evening of spirited discussion centred on how creativity and the arts has engineered change in the LGBT community. Booking is essential.

Science and religion are often seen as at odds with each other when it comes to providing explanations of life and the universe. This conference examines how the two can be integrated to be mutually beneficial.

Meredith Monk explores the artist’s relationship with the environment, in conversation with Philip Campbell, editor of Nature magazine.

Ahead of June's G8 summit, this series of events brings together international figures from politics, business, academia and the arts to debate migration, resources and culture. Curated by Zamyn in partnership with Accenture, Africa Progress Panel, Barclays, Penguin Books, SOAS, University of London and Tate.

Coalition 'reforms' are making education a privilege for the few. Join staff and students fighting back as ordinary families cannot afford tuition fees, privatisation threatens universities including Sussex, schools like Worthing High are forced into academies, GCSE grades are undermined. Christine Blower (NUT leader)…

Banknote designer and collector Iain Harrison talks about the designs that have graced Scotland's money, including the £5 note featuring Jack Nicklaus, the most successful of all commemorative banknotes.

How do you set up a poetry website? What are the advantages and disadvantages of online publishing? Join us as we consider the digital alternative to poetry magazines in discussion with website editors Helen Ivory from 'Ink, Sweat & Tears', Caleb Klaces from 'Like Starlings' and Claire Trévien from 'Sabotage…

The first of three shared readings in which the audience join in. At this intimate event all audience members share in the reading aloud of part of WH Auden and Christopher Isherwood's The Dog Beneath the Skin. Join us as we celebrate the range of poetry in the Poetry Library's collection as part of the library's…

The omnipresent guitarist Earl Slick, whose most recent project was David Bowie's The Next Day, discusses his new book.

Composer Tod Machover, conductor Peter Oundjian and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra take us through the creation of a new piece of music celebrating the City of Edinburgh and its Festival and co-created by members of the public.

Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion, proprietors of the Dundee-based art studio Dalziel + Scullion, talk about creativity's role in challenging, reflecting and shaping the future. They focus on the interplay between human activity and nature's complexities and the possibility for a more meaningful kinship with the…

Dr David Hetherington looks at the two feline species native to Scotland: the Scottish wildcat and the Eurasian lynx. The lynx is extinct, but the wildcat hangs on – although only with help from conservationists like Hetherington, who set up the Cairngorms Wildcat Project.

The bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love discusses her first novel for 12 years. The Signature of All Things is a big novel about a big century, soaring across the globe from London, to Peru, to Philadelphia, to Tahiti, to Amsterdam. At its centre is Alma Whittaker, a woman of the Enlightened Age who stands defiantly…

The Ab Fab comedy queen talks about her new memoirs.

An evening with former Scottish Socialist Party MSP Rosie Kane, as she tells the story of her life with wit and wisdom.

Dr Michael Ward's maps of Everest speak to the modern history of exploration of the mighty tall mountain. Curator Paula Williams takes a look at them on the 60th anniversary of the Everest conquest of Hillary and Norgay.

Award-winning traditional African acrobats from Ghana, West Africa. A breathtaking performance, not to be missed. A family friendly event (i.e. suitable for all ages).

details to follow. Suitable for ages 16+.

A talk that illuminates women's often overlooked contribution to the beautiful sport, with Richard McBrearty, Curator of Scottish Football Museum.