This weekend, Talks & lectures

An age-free arts festival with music, literature and spoken word, visual art and crafts, film and theatre as well as a programme of talks and debates. 2013 promises intimate venues, rising stars, unique collaborations, participation and mental stimulation.

A programme of events celebrating the rich archaeology of the area, including excavations, guided walks and presentations.

Saxophonist and composer Julian Arguelles gives a talk on the art of arranging music for large jazz ensembles.

Yoga, health, wellbeing, detox and anti-aging advice for women with workshops, talks and dinners throughout the week.

Got an idea to compete with Ikea? Create your own flat-packed product to take home in this two-day workshop with artist/designer Fraser Ross. Ages 15+.

Kate Rawles talks about her 4500 mile cycle along the spine of the Rocky Mountains to explore North American responses to climate change.

A whirlwind trip through the story of jazz, blues and swing from Richard Michael on piano, Colin Steele on trumpet and Gordon Mcneil on sax performing live exerts to bring the history alive. To be broadcast on BBC's Radio Scotland's The Jazz House.

Course designed for those with some experience of drawing and painting, combining practical work with study of artists and art movements directly related to your work. Taught by Peter Wilson. Prices includes all materials. Ages 18+.

A presentation, using storytelling, song, dance, film and documents, of stories from the lives of hundreds of Orcadians who, during the 18th and 19th centuries, became servants of the Hudson Bay Company. Devised and directed by Fran Flett Hollinrake.

A one day conference aiming to campaign for better road provisions for pedestrians.

New poems to make you question your relationship with the capital - whether you're a lifelong Londoner or one who's just here for the day. Wordsworth's famous sonnet, 'Composed upon Westminster Bridge', contemplates London's mighty heart asleep in the silence of a 19th-century dawn. This summer at Southbank Centre…

Terence Pepper, curator of the Man Ray Portraits exhibition, talks to gallery director Christopher Baker about the ideas behind it. Booking is essential.

Work with a group of population health scientists to learn more about the ways you can improve the health of everyone in your city. Ages 7–11.

A two-day conference organised by Glasgow Natural History Society, featuring a series of talks, workshops, and excursions about the influence of ecology on wildlife conservation in Scotland. In celebration of the British Ecological Society's 100th anniversary.

Davie Scott, frontman of the Pearlfishers and course leader of the MA in Songwriting and Performance at the University of West of Scotland, discusses how great pop songs are written with examples.

This annual week-long festival of arts and cultural events and activities celebrates the contribution of refugees to our communities and promotes better understanding of why people seek sanctuary.

A central hub for Refugee Week Scotland events, where there's a place to take a load off and read up on related issues or meet one of the week's participating artists.

A weekend of Regency life. Reflecting the display of TV and film costumes, there will be a Regency gardener re-telling of the landscaping of Belsay and maybe passing hints and tips too.

The whole family can help to celebrate two decades of St Mungo's museum, with music, dance, crafts and talks to fill up the entire day.

A panel event that touches on the theme of the future, in conjunction with the current Jerwood/Film exhibition Tomorrow Never Knows, featuring work by Ed Atkins and Naheed Raza.