Through this year’s books and debate programme, we examine music, the landscapes that surround us and our connections to each other and the past. Read on to see our highlights or click here to explore the programme...
Guest Director, musician, DJ and broadcaster Nabihah Iqbal’s Glory to Sound series encourages us to ‘Gather Round’ - the theme of this year’s Festival – as she explores the ways in which music connects us to each other. Across two evenings, in conversation with her special guests, award-winning broadcaster Anita Rani and one of the greatest modern poets, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Nabihah takes them on a journey through their lives as they tell us about their important musical moments. Nabihah will also host an evening with BAFTA-winning broadcaster and film-maker David Olusoga, exploring the history of Brighton and East Sussex and what it means to be British today. The event will simultaneously be livestreamed and available to watch online.
Brighton Festival welcomes internationally renowned activist, model, writer and broadcaster Munroe Bergdorf to the stage to talk about her uplifting, genuine, and deeply personal book Transitional. Munroe’s book explores how we all grow and change as individuals, and how we should focus on what connects us, rather than what separates us. She'll also share inspiring stories of healing, fostering community spirit, and transcending feelings of shame to embrace self-love and acceptance.
Writer-in-residence at Seven Sisters Country Park, Alinah Azadeh and guests host an immersive evening of readings, discussion, song and video from the We See You Now project, inspired by the iconic and shifting landscapes of the Sussex coast. Global majority writersblend stories of personal migration, climate and cultural justice, joy, rest, and renewal with art inspiredby the local Sussex landscape.
Catch poet Amy Key in discussion with writer and performer Vanessa Kisuule about her newly released and critically acclaimed memoir, Arrangements in Blue. Key’s touching and candid book explores her relationship with Joni Mitchell’s album Blue, how it planted expectations in her of a life of romantic love and how, when that didn’t happen for her, she learned to embrace the unexpected life she has created for herself.
Click to explore this year's books and debate programme and to buy tickets.