explore words discover worlds
Expand your horizons with 'explore words discover worlds', the podcast that brings the world of Bradford Literature Festival to your ears. From the classics to the cutting edge, we'll introduce you to the most exciting and thought-provoking authors, poets, and thinkers.
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What happens when myth and magic collide with history? In this spellbinding event, authors Shubnum Khan (The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years) and Genevieve Cogman (Damned) explore the power of fantasy to reshape the past and reimagine the present. From an ancient djinn stirring in a ruined South African mansion to a vampir
Join historian and filmmaker Sam Dalrymple and Samia Rahman for an illuminating discussion on his debut book, Shattered Lands. Drawing from extensive archival research and multilingual oral histories, Dalrymple examines five pivotal partitions, including those of India, Burma, and Palestine, that dismantled the British
Across the West, far right movements are gaining ground — not just at the margins, but in the mainstream. From fiery rhetoric to policy influence, they’re reshaping the way we talk about identity, belonging, and power. What’s fuelling this rise, and why now? Join us for a timely and urgent discussion as our experts ex
Join historian and author, Manu S. Pillai and Saeed Khan, for an illuminating talk on his latest book, Gods, Guns and Missionaries. Drawing on rich historical research, Pillai explores the complex interplay of religion, colonial power, and armed conflict in shaping the Indian subcontinent’s past. Through compelling nar
For millennia, Syria has stood at the heart of global history — from the Bronze Age cities of Ebla and Ugarit to Roman Antioch and Umayyad Damascus. A land of prophets, poets, and empires, it was shaped by Persian, Greek, Roman, Islamic, and Ottoman rule. This talk explores Syria’s extraordinary past: a centre of faith
Join writer and researcher Madeline Potter for a deeply personal and timely conversation about her acclaimed book The Roma, a powerful portrait of Europe’s Romani communities, past and present. Blending memoir, reportage, and historical investigation, Potter sheds new light on a people too often excluded from mainstrea