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Michael Cashman in Conversation, presented by Ian McKellen

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This event took place on Friday 28th February 2020 in partnership with Gay's the Word. The event was livestreamed from the British Library to public libraries across the UK.

Michael Cashman has lived many lives, all of them remarkable: as an actor; as a campaigner for gay rights; as an MEP; and as a life peer. To mark the publication of his biography, One of Them, he joined Ian McKellen in conversation about his extraordinary life. Ian McKellen is an actor and activist, who says his proudest achievement is to have been, with Michael Cashman, a founding member of Stonewall.

Due to the nature of the conversation this event is recommended for adult viewing only.

Speakers

Michael Cashman

Actor and Activist

Ian McKellen

Actor and Activist

Chris Riddell's Alice in Wonderland

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This event took place on Saturday 10th October 2020

'What is the use of a book,' thought Alice, 'without pictures or conversations?'
This event has both: live illustration from the multi-award winning writer and illustrator Chris Riddell, conversation and performances of iconic scenes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, like the tea party, by an amazing selection of actors.

Passionate Wonderland fan Chris Riddell launches this new edition, a richly illustrated reimagining of the classic children’s story. Watch Chris illustrate characters live and hear him talk about why this book still captivates him today. This event will be filmed on location in the British Library, which holds the original manuscript of Lewis Carroll’s world famous story.

Macmillan Children’s Books is presenting this brand new edition in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir John Tenniel, the original illustrator of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

This event is available to the audiences and users of public libraries through the Living Knowledge Network.

Dr Beverly Tatum: Let's have a Transatlantic Talk about Race

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This event took place on Monday 22nd November 2021 (19:00 - 20:30)

Join Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum an award-winning educational leader, a noted expert on the psychology of racism and best-selling author of Why Are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? for a transatlantic conversation about race.

Dr. Tatum will be joined on stage by leading UCL Academics and others to discuss and debate the issue of race and racism, why it persists, how we address it through education and how we can talk about it.

The event will be streamed live from the Bloomsbury Theatre at UCL and will include a keynote from Dr. Tatum and an armchair discussion followed by an audience Q&A.

Jane Eyre: Gothic Rebel

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This event was livestreamed from the British Library on Thursday 14 January 2020 to public libraries across the UK.

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is a classic example of defied convention. It presented a new voice, fully convinced of her defiance and standing up against adult tyranny. Acclaimed author Sara Collins, producer of the 2011 film adaptation Alison Owen, Victorian Literature expert Professor Sally Shuttleworth and critic Alex Clark discuss the spirit of rebellion found in its pages and what it is to be a child.

This event contains discussion of sexual harassment within the novel so parental discretion is advised.

Rethinking the Amazon

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This event took place on Tuesday 28 September 2021

As home to multiple indigenous populations as well as more than 40,000 plant species, 2.5 million insect species and 2,000 mammals, the Amazon comprises the larges rainforest in the world. Increasingly under threat from encroaching development and human activity, its destruction threatens to unbalance the global eco system and decimate the rainforest’s indigenous communities.

Join anthropologist Dr Eduardo Kohn, writer Pola Oloixarac and curator Dr Elisabeth Heyne as they draw from their research to reflect on the potential for engaging with, learning from and protecting the Amazon world.

Part of the British Library's environment event series, The Natural Word, which celebrates the underrepresented voices harnessing the power of imagination to change the world.

Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel

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This event took place on Tuesday 27th October 2020

Sylvia Pankhurst was born into one of Britain's most famous families but she always carved her own way. As well as a militant campaigner for women's suffrage, she was a gifted artist and orator, a designer, newspaper editor and radical visionary.

Her activism landed her in Holloway prison where she was tortured, and her notes from this episode are featured in our upcoming Unfinished Business exhibition. Pankhurst's life of campaigning led her to America, Soviet Russia, Scandinavia, Europe and East Africa.
Biographer Rachel Holmes shares her adventures from inside the British Library’s Unfinished Business exhibition space, in conversation with Shami Chakrabarti.

This event celebrates Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights, a UK-wide exhibition by the British Library and public libraries.

Michael Cashman

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