Talks & lectures

Taking over the West End of Glasgow each year, the festival treats the ears to a great musical line-up, tantalises all the senses with a carnival and delves into the creative depths of local studios and exhibitions with the Hidden Lane Festival.

Music since recording is a new art form, which bears only as much resemblance to traditional, performed music as cinema does to theatre. What are the special characteristics of this new art? How did it evolve? Where might it be going? Brian Eno shares his thoughts.

It's a night of multitasking as crime writer Denise Mina gives a talk celebrating the launch of the Heritage Society, speaks a bit about her latest novel Gods and Beasts, and reveals more about how her criminology background has influenced her writing.

A student-run festival that brings together all the different cultures and peoples it can pack into one non-stop 24-hour session. The programme includes music, film, dance, poetry and other cultural events, including a performance by the Edinburgh Gospel Choir, a slam led by Inky Fingers and, last but not least, a onesie…

Record-breaking endurance cyclist, rower and adventurer Mark Beaumont discusses his incredible experiences.

All sincere seekers are invited to an introductory talk and video presentation on the Mysteries of the Divine Spirit.

Dr Andrew Ross, the curator of the Amazing Amber exhibition, reveals the nitty gritty about the substance, looking to science, stories and even ways to spot a fake.

Peter Abrahams, Professor of Clinical Anatomy at Warwick University, explores the value of Leonardo’s anatomical drawings as a tool for understanding the human body, and how closely the artist anticipated the range of imagery used by the medical profession today.

A weekend of cultural activities, focussing on the 1960s and including talks and lectures, music, films and more.

SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER Weekend events from 10am The Pill. Rebellion. Experimentation. Protest. Civil Rights. This weekend we look at the Vietnam protests, pop art, social change, the anti-nuclear movement, civil rights, the Profumo affair, Skiffle, the Beatles and maverick composers including Frank Zappa, Stockhausen…

SATURDAY 26 – SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER Weekend events from 10am The Pill. Rebellion. Experimentation. Protest. Civil Rights. This weekend we look at the Vietnam protests, pop art, social change, the anti-nuclear movement, civil rights, the Profumo affair, Skiffle, the Beatles and maverick composers including Frank…

We launch the London Literature Festival with a glorious night of readings from some of the nominees for the Man Booker International Prize 2013. The Man Booker International Prize highlights one writer's continued creativity, development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. Of the ten authors in…

Rebecca Goldstein ponders the conflict between literature and moral philosophy and whether or not literature is more adept at engendering moral advances than dear old Plato might have imagined.

The mountainous Abruzzo region has less than half the vineyard land of Tuscany, and yet it produces nearly twice as much wine, thanks to the dry Adriatic breezes that blow in from the East. The most famous wine of the region is Montepulciano, but here's a chance to try some others.

One of Britain's leading intellectuals, AC Grayling makes his case against Religion and for Humanism. He gives a talk which asks, what is the alternative to religion as a view of the world and a foundation for morality? Is there a world-view and a code of life for thoughtful people who wish to live with intellectual…

Learn more about the library's collections with this special tour and talk.

Professor of politics Christina Boswell talks about her research into the motivations behind the formulation of public policies.

Writer, perfume expert and jogger Alex Musgrave talks about his life in poetry and scent (he's Business Manager of Penhaligon's), with a chance to smell the perfumes he mentions. Ages 16+. Booking is essential.

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the death of poet, artist and naturalist Alexander Wilson.

The amiable bushcraft expert shares stories from his three decades roughing it in the bush.