While TED talks are a chance to hear from some of the world’s most influential figures and learn about a wealth of different topics, there’s something special about ditching the screen and booking a ticket to hear those who inspire you speak in person. Each month, the Culture Whisper team round up the most exciting talks happening in London to book now.
Michelle Obama recently charmed an audience of enraptured listeners at
the Southbank Centre, where she spoke about her new memoir Becoming,
in conversation with novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Not only did
tickets to the event at the 2,700 capacity venue sell out, no less than
60,000 people attempted to buy them. If you weren't among the lucky few
who got to hear from Michelle Obama first hand, we have some exciting
news: the former First Lady is headlining the O2 Arena on 14 April 2019,
providing a second chance to hear her discuss her book Becoming.
PRICE: TBD
Read more ...
At 27, Sally Rooney was one of the youngest authors to make the Man Booker longlist earlier this year with her second book Normal People. If you, like most of us, found yourself enraptured by Rooney’s tale that followed Connell and Marianne – two teens from different backgrounds but from the same small town in Ireland, whose lives continue to intertwine when the pair go on to study at the prestigious Trinity College Dublin – then now’s your chance: the author is speaking at Waterstones Piccadilly on 18 December.
PRICE: £6 / £17 with a copy of Normal People
To celebrate his 80th birthday in a somewhat unconventional way, multi-award winning actor Sir Ian McKellen is touring around the country performing 80 one-night solo shows in 80 different theatres. The performances themselves promise an eclectic mix of material – from revived snippets of some of Sir Ian’s best-loved roles, to anecdotes from his 60-year career and recitals of gay poetry. Sir Ian begins his tour with 16 performances in London; follow the link below to find out where he’s performing.
PRICE: £15 - £45 (All profits will be given to charities sponsored by each individual theatre)
French author Leïla Slimani had us squirming right through to the last page of Lullaby, her thrilling debut novel about a murderous nanny. And her new book Adèle is set to be just as darkly provocative, as it shows a successful woman with an increasingly destructive and dangerous sex addiction. Ahead of the UK publication, Slimani gives an exclusive talk at the Southbank Centre on the relationship between her compelling narratives and the reality of life in contemporary France.
PRICE: £15
A chance to hear award-winning journalist, author and podcaster Dolly Alderton discuss her 2018 best-seller Everything I know about Love.
February 2019 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the influential writer, thinker, artist and social reformer John Ruskin (1819 -1900). The Royal Academy is hosting an event to celebrate the occasion, All Great Art is Praise, with readings by Michael Palin and Dan Draper, and music performed by tenor Richard Edgar-Wilson, accompanied by the Coull Quartet.
PRICE: £9 - £15
Multi-award-winning author and illustrator Lauren Child, best known for her hugely popular children’s book characters Clarice Bean, Ruby Redfort, and Charlie and Lola, is speaking at the Southbank Centre as part of the Imagine Children’s Festival. Child is in conversation with Alexandra Derbyshire, executive producer on the Paddington films, discussing her current role as Waterstones Children's Laureate, plus the inspiration behind the adventures of her much-loved characters.
PRICE: £10/£7.50 children
Man Booker winner Marlon James introduces a bold new trilogy exploring African history and mythology. After the success of A Brief History of Seven Killings, James has become a vital voice on issues of race and identity in fiction. He comes to the Southbank to share insights about the first book in the series, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, and to reflect more broadly on the inspiration behind his fiction.
PRICE: £15 - 25
Max Porter's debut novel Grief is a Thing with Feathers may be a slim, slip of a book, but it certainly packs a punch. The story a widowed father negotiating parenthood in the midst of mourning is at once potent, poetic and utterly human. As the stage version of Grief is a Thing with Feathers starring Cillian Murphy comes to the Barbican Centre, Porter is looking ahead to his hotly-anticipated second novel. Lanny tells the story of an English village where myth and reality merge through past and present. At this world exclusive reading, a cast of actors will voice the different villagers and bring Lanny to life.
PRICE: £15
The Tate Modern is presenting the first major Dorothea Tanning exhibition in 25 years. Tanning, who lived from 1910 – 2012, was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, writer, and poet, whose early work was influenced by Surrealism. Tanning’s niece Mimi Johnson is joined by exhibition co-curator Alyce Mahon for a conversation about Tanning's life and work – which spanned seven decades. This talk shares personal stories, memories and insight into the the artist’s creative expression.
PRICE: £12/£8 concessions
Sir Ranulph Fiennes is a man who has spent his life in pursuit of extreme adventure. His record-breaking achievements include being the first man to reach both poles, the first to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Oceans, and the first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis. Deservedly, he also holds the Guinness World Records title for being ‘the world’s greatest living explorer’.
At this very special event at the Southbank Centre, Fiennes is being interviewed by adventurer, writer and TV presenter Bear Grylls as the pair celebrate Fiennes’ 75th birthday and discuss the new edition of his bestselling autobiography, Mad, Bad, And Dangerous to Know.
PRICE: £15 - £45
Journalist, activist and author Naomi Klein has interrogated capitalism, democracy, climate change and shock politics in the Trump era between her in best-selling books No Logo, The Shock Doctrine, This Changes Everything and No Is Not Enough. On 9 March, Klein is discussing the present political landscape with Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre and Women of the World (WOW) founder Jude Kelly. In this conversation, Klein examines politics and media at this critical time for women, human rights, economic justice and climate change.
PRICE: £18 - £38
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