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PODCAST

explore words discover worlds

Bradford Literature Festival

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.

society & culture documentary

All Episodes

66:49

Freedom of Expression: Who Gets to Speak?

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/12/10

What does freedom of expression mean in 2025? From hate speech and identity politics to digital censorship and protest bans, the boundaries of free speech are more contested than ever. This timely event explores the forces shaping public debate today: the line between speech and harm, the influence of tech platforms, and how power and privilege shape who gets heard.  Join our panel as they ask: Are our freedoms under threat? Who decides what can be said – and what must be silenced? And how do we

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68:17

The World Today 2025

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/12/03

Professor Paul Rogers returns to lead a panel of expert commentators in our annual current affairs event, offering a 360-degree view of the most urgent issues shaping the world in 2025. From ongoing conflict and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, to escalating tensions in the Red Sea and South China Sea, and the global impact of Trump’s return to office, this year’s conversation couldn’t be more timely. With instability rising and elections reshaping political landscapes worldwide, our panel brings

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69:27

Islamophobia Now: Power, Prejudice and Resistance

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/11/26

Islamophobia isn’t just a slur or a spike in hate crime — it’s a system. From counterterrorism policy and surveillance to media narratives and foreign wars, Muslims are routinely positioned as threats. This panel examines how Islamophobia is being mobilised today in the UK and across the globe. Who gains from it, and how is it being challenged? What does it take to confront it at its roots — not just in rhetoric, but in power structures?  In an age of rising nationalism and global instability, is

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56:14

Qur'anic Themes and Parables

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/11/19

Shaykh Dr Ahmed Saad Al-Azhari joins us to launch Parables from the Qur’an, the much-anticipated follow-up to Contemplating the Qur’an. This talk offers a unique opportunity to delve into the thematic depth and metaphorical beauty of the Qur’an, drawing on classical scholarship and contemporary insight. While Contemplating the Qur’an provides a concise, accessible commentary across the thirty parts (juz’) of the Qur’an, Parables from the Qur’an explores its rich use of metaphor and allegory,

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42:47

The Future of Europe: Power, Politics and the New...

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/11/12

The war in Ukraine has reshaped Europe — and the ripple effects are still unfolding. With Russia on the offensive, the far right gaining ground, and Trump’s return to the global stage, Europe faces urgent questions about its identity, unity, and future. Will the continent stand firm as a force for democracy and stability, or splinter under pressure? What role can Europe play in a world increasingly shaped by nationalism and conflict? This timely event explores the power struggles, political

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53:31

Haunted Histories: Magic, Memory and the Supernatural...

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/11/05

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 vampiric plot unravelling in revolutionary England, both writers use the supernatural to confront buried stories, collective memory, and untold grief. Join them for a rich conversation on

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54:15

Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of...

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/10/29

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 Indian Empire and reshaped modern Asia. Through personal narratives and political analysis, he reveals how these divisions led to enduring conflicts, mass migrations, and the

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66:52

The Rise of the Far Right: What is at stake for the West

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/10/22

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 explore the deeper forces at play — from economic anxiety and online radicalisation to political polarisation and cultural backlash.  In this discussion we consider what this could mean

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58:43

Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of Modern...

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/10/15

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 narratives, he reveals how faith, force, and imperial ambition intertwined to influence culture, politics, and society.

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49:45

From Civilisation to Civil War: A History of Syria

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/10/08

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, culture, and commerce where civilisations met and ideas flourished. As we trace its path through colonialism and independence to the early years of the Assad regime, we uncover the

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54:42

The Roma: A Travelling History

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/10/01

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 mainstream narratives. From artists and boxers to survivors of persecution and injustice, The Roma uncovers extraordinary lives, and challenges the stereotypes and prejudices that continue to

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50:30

Crimea: Conflict, Conquest and Consequence

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/09/24

Long before it became a flashpoint in today’s geopolitics, Crimea was the site of one of the 19th century’s most consequential wars. This event revisits the Crimean War — a clash of empires, religion, and ambition that saw Britain and the Ottoman Empire allied against an expansionist Russia. While Florence Nightingale and the Charge of the Light Brigade remain in public memory, the war’s deeper geopolitical legacy is often forgotten. What does this earlier conflict reveal about imperial rivalry,

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87:51

Al-Qaswa - the beloved she-camel of the Prophet Muhammad

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/09/17

Professor Abdullah Alkadi shares the remarkable story of Al-Qaswāʾ, the beloved she-camel of the Prophet Muhammad. ﷺ Faithfully accompanying the Prophet across the Hijaz, the western region of the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Qaswāʾ is mentioned numerous times in hadith literature, from the Hijrah to the Farewell Hajj. Joining Professor Alkadi for an engaging discussion is Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, President of Zaytuna College, California. Together, they will explore the Islamic emphasis on compassion, care, and

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51:54

Poetry for the Many: Jeremy Corbyn & Len McCluskey

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/09/10

Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey share a passionate belief in a fairer, more equal Britain, encapsulated in Labour’s 2017 election slogan ‘For the many, not the few’. This slogan, inspired by Shelley’s famous poem The Masque of Anarchy, points to something else the two men have in common: a lifelong enthusiasm for poetry. Their selected poems travel over centuries and continents, with poets ranging from William Blake to Emily Dickinson, and Stevie Smith to Linton Kwesi Johnson. Featuring guest

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45:48

50 Years After Saigon

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/09/03

Join us for a thought-provoking talk with Professor Saeed Khan as we mark 50 years since the fall of Saigon, the event that ended the Vietnam War on April 30th,1975. Known in Vietnam as Reunification Day, it reshaped the political and cultural landscape of Southeast Asia. Professor Khan will explore the global impact of the war’s conclusion, the legacy of U.S. involvement, and how its memory continues to influence contemporary geopolitics. A concise, insightful session that offers historical

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56:38

40 Years On: The Lasting Legacy of the Miner’s Strike

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2025/08/27

Join us for a powerful conversation reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, one of the most pivotal events in Britain’s industrial and political history. Featuring Emily P. Webber, author of Mining Men: Britain’s Last Kings of the Coalface, and Craig Oldham, author of In Loving Memory of Work, the event explores the strike’s lasting impact on working-class identity, community, and resistance.

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52:54

WritersMosaic Presents: Global Crime Queens

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/08/20

Join WritersMosaic and The Royal Literary Fund’s John Siddique for a gripping exploration into the dark hearts of storytelling with three of today’s leading voices in global crime fiction. Sunday Times bestseller, Saima Mir, City University’s Crime Writing Award winner, Nadine Matheson, and critically acclaimed author, Kia Abdullah – whose work has been hailed as ‘thriller of the year’ by The Guardian and The Telegraph – come together to discuss the creative drive, personal journeys, and cultural

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53:21

Rumi and Iqbal: Divine Love

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/08/13

Join Ustadh Feraidoon Mojadedi, one of the best-known and most respected community leaders and academics in the Bay Area, California, as he guides us on a journey of spiritual enlightenment through the profound contributions of two remarkable poets, Rumi and Iqbal.At the age of five, Mojadedi began to memorise poems by Rumi and other great poets. His love of poetry continued to grow and eventually developed into a passion and calling that would allow him to teach regular classes on Rumi throughout

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42:41

Free Word Lecture

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/08/06

Join us for our annual Free Word Lecture, which aims to uphold the ethos of free speech with a focus on the power and politics of words. Continuing the legacy of the Free Word Centre, an international centre for literature, literacy and free expression, this annual event creates a platform for writers to spark stimulating conversations and challenge our assumptions about the world. Following in the footsteps of previous speakers Ben Okri and Rana Ayyub, this year’s lecture promises to be another

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53:27

Anne Brontë and Agnes Grey: Parallels of Resilience...

explore words discover worlds ·

2025/07/30

On the 175th anniversary of the death of Anne Brontë, we are joined by authors and Brontë experts, Adelle Hay and Nick Holland, to explore her life, legacy, and her debut novel, Agnes Grey. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century England, this poignant novel follows the experiences of Agnes, a governess, as she navigates the complexities of love, morality, and social class, which is argued to mirror Anne’s own life. Whether you’re a lifelong fan of the Brontës or new to their literary legacy,

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140 results

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