Podcasts by Free Word
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be kind to your shadow from 2020-10-27T14:00:16
"I was thinking a lot about mindfulness. How it can help with noticing when we are being cruel to ourselves which then leads us to gently adjust ourselves back to kind thoughts. I think mindfulness...
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Hold Me Through These Dreams from 2020-10-27T14:00:16
"We laugh bent double, tears in our eyes, though the laughing don’t laugh out the sadness. We laugh until our shoulders pulse to breathless sobs. Taste the salt from our eyes and sweet from our nos...
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The Neurology Of Power from 2020-08-13T13:00:13
Enjoy this podcast with Creative Strategist Suzanne Alleyne and CEO & Artistic Director of Eclipse Theatre, Amanda Huxtable, exploring how preconceptions of how ‘success’ and ‘power’ affect our min...
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With Love (And Rage), Generation Rent from 2020-01-22T10:32:34
The UK is facing a housing crisis unlike anything seen in recent history. Priced out of their homes and unable to secure permanent housing, Generation Rent are unable to put down roots in their com...
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Somalinimo (till I dhimo) from 2020-01-16T11:55:23
Immerse yourself in this digital sound installation as poet Amina Jama takes you through a 1990s migrant Somali living room paying homage to the rich Somali culture, Black Britishness, migration, a...
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A Warning (To The House That Holds Me) from 2020-01-14T14:46:36
Listen back to the launch of Somali-British writer Amina Jama’s debut poetry collection, exploring the legacy of poetry and art, and the ways we are influenced by the voices that have come before u...
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My Father's House from 2020-01-10T11:42:03
How do explorations of our personal histories inform our understanding of home?
Rathbones Folio Prize and Ted Hughes Award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus, multi-award-winning poet and memoi...
The Future Of Social Housing from 2020-01-09T12:47:20
Our country is in the middle of a housing emergency. Failure to provide enough social homes is the root cause of the housing emergency. Yet the number of social homes being built is at its lowest f...
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The Way Through The Woods from 2020-01-08T15:58:42
"I know it’s all a matter of rebuilding one’s life. In many ways it’s a matter of surviving and living under another sun, but how was I to do that?"
Listen back to this conversation with w...
The End of Diaspora from 2020-01-07T15:22:49
Diaspora is Whitechapel, Bradford, Southall, Wilmslow Road and Alum Rock; diaspora is the memes we share, the turns of phrases we use, the languages we speak and don’t speak.
Listen back t...
Exile: The Cost of Reporting the Truth from 2019-12-19T17:35:10
With press freedom under greater threat around the world now than ever before, an increasing number of journalists are finding themselves exiled from their home countries, forced to flee for their ...
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Writing Our Way Home from 2019-12-17T17:04:59
What power does literature have in hostile environments? Can it do more than describe homes and spaces of belonging –– can it create them? In a society overwhelmed with questions of who has the rig...
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Self Care versus Career Development from 2019-10-22T11:00:32
How do you self care and develop your career at the same time?
Are you constantly feeling like your self-care has to take second place to your career? As individuals how do we self care w...
Bald Black Girl(s) from 2019-06-28T10:29:25
Bald Black Girl(s) is a multi-disciplinary project created by poet, producer and visual artist Ruth Sutoyé, which centres the narratives of black women who choose to shave their heads, and explores...
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And So The Choir Gathers, Before It Is Too Late from 2019-06-24T15:26:48
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This Is Private: Secret Life Of Novels from 2019-06-18T10:14:52
Novels arrive on bookshelves as if they were always whole and perfect. But what is kept hidden from view? And what is the effect of keeping that process – the scenes from the cutting room floor, th...
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All The Ways We Could Grow: Juz Amma, The Qur'an in Public from 2019-06-04T10:51:47
The sound of the Qur’an read aloud is a cultural signifier used across media and the arts to indicate the presence of Muslims and of Islamic religious expression. But how often do you hear the Qur’...
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This Is Private: Cryptoparty LDN - Privacy 2028 from 2019-05-24T10:55:58
After a free CryptoParty London workshop, a panel of experts explore the intricacies of digital security.
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This Is Private: Britain's Private Shame from 2019-05-14T11:32:59
In a post-Brexit world, how should we treat the legacy of the British Empire?
We partnered with race equality organisation Runnymede Trust for the final event in our first season, curating...
This is Private: Taboos, Desire and Disgust from 2018-12-13T17:23:57
An intimate look at youth and womanhood, exploring desire, sex, friendship and alienation with writers Margarita Gracia Robayo, Sharlene Teo and Sarvat Hasin.
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This is Private: Our Bodies Will Not Be Policed (Part 2) from 2018-11-16T10:56:33
Part 2 of 'Our Bodies Will Not Be Policed'
Throughout history, cultures and continents, women’s bodies have been policed. In this digital age of social media and online profiles, to be in ...
This is Private: Our Bodies Will Not Be Policed (Part 1) from 2018-11-16T10:33:29
Part 1 of 'Our Bodies Will Not Be Policed'
Throughout history, cultures and continents, women’s bodies have been policed. In this digital age of social media and online profiles, to be in ...
This Is Private: Our Stories Will Not Stay Secret from 2018-10-30T07:37:42
In a society dominated by the politics of fear and shame – how are black, brown, Muslim and working class groups forced into silence? What language must be created between ourselves – outside of o...
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This is Private: UK Drill And Grime - What's The Problem? from 2018-10-05T11:55:16
How is music that reflects the lives of marginalised youths on inner-city estates treated in the UK?
“This is how it’s been from the beginning, it’s just that everyone is hearing about it ...
Wrap Up and Thank Yous from 2017-10-06T16:20:30
The closing speech from Roma Backhouse, Director of Free Word.
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Translators at The British Library from 2017-10-06T09:55:22
Hear from curators and our translator-in-residence about what the British Library can do for you.
This session will introduce some of the extensive resources available to translators and e...
Translator Or Activist - A Session by English PEN from 2017-10-06T09:55:15
TRANSLATOR OR ACTIVIST? Join PEN staff for an informal session on the crossover between translation and activism.
For more than 50 years, PEN has been campaigning on behalf of writers at r...
Translating Arabic from 2017-10-06T09:55:08
The panel assesses the cultural impact made by the literature of the vast, Arab-speaking region with its multiple countries and histories, on a global English-language readership that has become in...
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Welcomes and Introduction from 2017-10-06T09:55
Welcomes And Introduction to International Translation Day 2017.
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Translation Lecture with Helen Stevenson from 2017-10-06T09:54:44
Aimed at early career translators.
A lecture with Helen Stevenson who was longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize with Alain Mabanckou for Black Moses. She will share her experie...
Progress In Translation - New Initiatives for and by Literary Translators from 2017-10-06T09:54:14
This session will look at how the career of the literary translator as we know it has been changing over the last year through new opportunities, working models and self-initiated sidelines.
Co...
Translating Human Rights from 2017-10-06T09:54:06
Join translator and academic Amanda Hopkinson who will present three South American authors she has worked with who never intended to address human rights in their work, but found
it impossible...
Translating Poetry from 2017-10-06T09:53:53
What are the specific challenges of translating poetry? Who is best equipped to do it - the solo translator, co-translators or even collaborative groups - and why? How do you best engage with a
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Opening Plenary from 2017-10-05T09:59:05
This plenary panel will examine the UK’s changing demographics, and what they might tell us about who translators are and where we might find them. How has the make-up of our cities changed?
Wi...
I Stared At The City Of The Night from 2017-03-24T12:49:54
On 13 March 2017, author Bakhtiyar Ali introduced his book I Stared at the Night of the City, a lyrical interpretation of contemporary Kurdistan with a kaleidoscope of unreliable narrators.
They're Your Rights - Fight For Them from 2017-03-21T14:21:28
On 16 February 2017, 89up launched They're Your Rights: Fight For Them rally was the official launch of a report on human rights post-Brexit, authored by Sashy Nathan following a successful crowdfu...
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Kingdom Of Twilight from 2017-03-09T17:44:32
On 13 February 2017, German writer Steven Uhly discussed his new book, a thrilling epic novel of resettlement, with the translator of the English version, Jamie Bulloch.
Featuring: Jamie B...
Through a Child's Eyes: Swallowing Mercury from 2017-01-30T15:09:15
On 16 January 2017, Polish writer Wioletta Greg introduced her book Swallowing Mercury, the tale of a girl growing up in communist Poland and trying to make sense of it in her own way.
Fea...
Realistic Utopias: Writing for Change from 2017-01-30T13:13:25
Listen to stories, poems and discussion looking at our rapidly changing world and what action we can take to help our environment and each others.
Readings of new work by: Justina Hart, Em...
Dragonworld: Four Short Stories from China from 2016-12-14T11:40:50
On 12 December 2016, Read Paper Republic hosted an evening of speed-book clubbing at Free Word Centre on contemporary fantasy fiction from China. We asked people to read the short stories before th...
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Arguing with Reality from 2016-12-08T13:33:22
How have political ideologies and crises impacted families throughout history? With new austerity measures under discussion, a refugee problem continuing, the aftermath of the Brexit vote and more ...
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A Nordic Noir – Thomas Rydahl’s The Hermit from 2016-12-08T12:31:58
On 10 October 2016, Danish writer Thomas Rydahl brought his extraordinary debut crime novel The Hermit - translated by K. E. Semmel - to Free Word Centre and discussed the themes of the book with D...
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Northern Lights - Voices from the Arctic from 2016-11-29T15:38:25
Poetry, performance and film to begin Highlight Arctic, a year-long multi-arts festival from and about the circumpolar North.
Featuring Niillas Holmberg, a Sámi poet, musician, actor and a...
Body Politic 2016: Freedom of Movement from 2016-11-16T11:38:08
How does a climate of censorship affect art? There are different ways of not being allowed to speak. Artists discuss how issues of censorship are reflected in their art. How does censorship affect ...
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Personal Politics with Brit Bildøen from 2016-11-15T13:32:24
On 14 November 2016, award-winning Norwegian author Brit Bildøen joined us at Free Word Centre to read from her novel Seven Days in August - translated by Becky Crook - and share her thoughts on lo...
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The Whole Story from 2016-11-08T16:37:16
Acclaimed representative of the Polish school of reportage, Witold Szab?owski, and the Guardian‘s favourite reportage illustrator, George Butler, share the lessons they’ve learned about how to tell...
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Banned Books Week: Who Is Afraid of Comics? from 2016-11-08T15:40:34
Paul Gravett, co-curator of the British Library’s landmark 2014 exhibition, Comics Unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK, explores this history, examines how comic creators and readers have fought ba...
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Banned Books Week: Censorship and the Author from 2016-11-08T13:29:10
An evening of discussions on the current threat of censorship to literary works and the issues surrounding free speech, presented by the British Library in partnership with Free Word and Islington ...
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At Home in Language? from 2016-11-04T17:12:40
Multilingual writers Vanni Bianconi, Xiaolu Guo and Bohdan Piasecki discuss linguistic mixing and matching, identifying (or not)with a language and self-translation.
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Opening Plenary: From Author to Reader from 2016-10-13T13:57:29
The opening plenary of International Translation Day 2016 brought together a translator/writer, an agent/scout, an editor/publisher, a publicist, a distributor, a bookseller and a member of the med...
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What Multilingual Creativity Means for Translators from 2016-10-13T13:01:48
There are now over 1 million pupils in UK schools who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Languages no longer live neatly side-by-side, but rather mix and mingle. This has thrown up new ...
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Alternative Routes To Publication from 2016-10-13T13:01:35
Is self-publishing feasible for translators? When writers choose to self-publish, their voice becomes their brand but as translators speak in many voices they need a different approach. We explored...
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Translation Masterclass from 2016-10-13T13:01:28
A focused session with one of the shortlisted translators for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize sharing their experience, practice and advice with reference to projects past and present.
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Closing Plenary: Translation Through the Looking Glass from 2016-10-13T12:50:48
What does sign language literature look like? What qualities does sign language poetry have? And what challenges might lie in trying to translate a visual, gestural, dynamic, three-dimensional lite...
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Publisher's Armchair from 2016-10-13T12:02:38
What happens after you successfully place a book with a publisher? This session aimed to give publishers the chance to explain the editorial stage and other practicalities from their point of view,...
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Current State of Translation In Higher Education from 2016-10-13T11:36:23
Historically, literary translation featured in Higher Education mainly as an undergraduate language-learning method. More recently, many universities have developed master's degrees in translation ...
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Splithead and other thoughts on Europe with Julya Rabinowich from 2016-09-13T14:39:23
On 12 September 2016, Austrian author Julya Rabinowich joined us at Free Word Centre to read from her novel 'Splithead' - translated by Tess Lewis - and share her thoughts on Europe.
Split...
Wordsmiths: Yeonmi Park from 2016-07-29T09:57:13
Yeonmi Park, a human rights activist originally from North Korea, talked to us about her favourite word: 'love'.
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Stories of Each Other: Do We Care? from 2016-07-28T11:04:03
On 22 June 2016, Free Word, in association with Counterpoints Arts and Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants, presented a read-a-thon and panel discussion with writers, poets and newly arrived...
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Illiberal Democracy: The Future of Freedom from 2016-07-25T16:06:18
On 15 June 2016, Free Word, in partnership with Index on Censorship, presented a panel discussion on the future of freedom in Europe with cultural figures from Hungary, Poland and Turkey.
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An Ode to Storytelling: Translating The Book of Pearl from 2016-07-25T13:40:08
On 13 June 2016, Walker Books presented the imaginative adventure story 'The Book of Pearl' at Free Word Centre.
We welcomed its internationally acclaimed author, Timothée de Fombelle, who...
Translating Scent from 2016-07-19T16:30:38
How can we translate scent into words and vice versa? Our Translator in Residence, Marta Dziurosz, hosted this fragrant evening all about the most elusive sense.
Participants also had the ...
Do You Miss Your Country? from 2016-07-19T14:52:54
On 19 May 2016, Free Word welcomed Polish visual artist Monika Szyd?owska to talk about her new comic collection 'Do You Miss Your Country?' that evokes a whole spectrum of the immigrant experience...
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Weatherfronts 2016 - Day 2 from 2016-07-12T14:59:53
Across 14 - 15 May 2016, TippingPoint and Free Word brought together writers and climate change experts to explore one of the most politically relevant and urgent issues of our time.
This ...
Weatherfronts 2016 - Day 1 from 2016-07-12T12:07:27
Across 14 - 15 May 2016, TippingPoint and Free Word brought together writers and climate change experts to explore one of the most politically relevant and urgent issues of our time.
This ...
Adventure Stories for a Wild World from 2016-06-28T14:34:35
On 8 June 2016, we welcomed award-winning Jamaican writer Diana McCaulay to talk about her new book 'Gone to Drift', a powerful story of one boy’s discoveries about the planet we call home.
Wordsmiths: Fariba Hachtroudi from 2016-06-27T15:18:02
Fariba Hachtroudi, a writer, former journalist, and civil rights activist, talked to us about her favourite word: 'conviction'.
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Love and Revolution: Fariba Hachtroudi in conversation with Alex Preston from 2016-06-27T14:31:16
On 9 May 2016, we welcomed French-Iranian journalist and civil rights activist, Fariba Hachtroudi, to Free Word Centre to discuss her novel 'The Man Who Snapped His Fingers'.
Fariba was jo...
Winning the War on Words from 2016-06-24T10:46:21
On 4 May 2016, Quilliam Foundation, in collaboration with Free Word, presented an evening of rhyming, rapping and rhythm about radicalisation, race, Islamic State, integration, stereotypes and the ...
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Wordsmiths: Alisa Ganieva from 2016-05-04T16:34:48
Alisa Ganieva, a Russian writer and journalist, talked to us about some of her favourite English words.
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Alisa Ganieva: Challenging the Russian Narrative from 2016-04-20T12:45:10
On 14 April 2016, Russian writer and journalist, Alisa Ganieva, spoke at Free Word Centre on Russian ethnic tensions, gender roles and the current state of Russia.
Ganieva was in conversat...
Wordsmiths: Malu Halasa from 2016-04-14T16:02:01
Malu Halasa, a writer and editor, talked to us about her favourite word: 'engaged'.
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Wordsmiths: Paola Buonadonna from 2016-04-14T16:01:55
Paola Buonadonna, Campaigns Director at The Wake Up Foundation, talked to us about two of her favourite words: 'azzurro' and 'citizen'.
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Wordsmiths: Deborah Smith from 2016-04-14T16:01:51
Deborah Smith, a translator who translates from Korean, talked to us about her favourite words, 'yeosu' (Korean) and 'soporific'.
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Wordsmiths: Roger Cockrell from 2016-04-14T16:01:47
Roger Cockrell, a literary translator and former Head of Russian at Exeter University, talked to us about his favourite word, 'resonance'.
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Wordsmiths: Selina Nwulu from 2016-04-14T16:01:43
Young Poet Laureate for London 2015-16, Selina Nwulu, talks to us about her favourite word, 'querulous'.
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Wordsmiths: Jon Lindsay Miles from 2016-04-14T16:01:22
Translator Jon Lindsay Miles talks to us about his favourite word, "usted".
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Wordsmiths: Mona Eltahawy from 2016-04-14T16:01:10
Award-winning journalist Mona Eltahawy, author of the ground-breaking book 'Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution' talks to Programme Producer Sophie about the word ...
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Wordsmiths: Bern Roche Farrelly from 2016-04-14T16:01:01
Wordsmiths: Bern Roche Farrelly by Free Word
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Is there an alternative to the growth imperative? from 2016-03-22T10:57:33
Our climate is changing, caused by what many believe to be the relentless economic exploitation of the planet's resources. What are the social, human and political consequences of these changes and...
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Few Women in the History: Tackling imbalances in international literature from 2016-03-21T15:05:04
On 10 March 2016, as part of our celebrations around International Women's Day, Free Word's Translator in Residence, Marta Dziurosz, chaired an event on women in translation.
The event fea...
That Damned Thing She Said: Four Short Stories from China from 2016-03-18T11:14:04
On 14 March 2016, Read Paper Republic hosted an evening of speed-book clubbing at Free Word Centre on contemporary fiction from China all about women. We asked people to read the short stories befo...
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Jihad: A British Story by Deeyah Khan from 2016-02-15T16:55:39
On 10 February 2016, Free Word, in collaboration with Fritt Ord and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, hosted a screening of Deeyah Khan's powerful film, 'Jihad: A British Story'.
The screening ...
Zakaria Tamer in conversation with Malu Halasa and special guest Alice Guthrie from 2016-02-09T15:16:47
On 8 February 2016, Syrian author Zakaria Tamer launched his collection of very, very short stories - "Breaking Knees" - at Free Word Centre.
He was joined in conversation with Malu Halasa...
Translator contracts explained from 2016-02-02T10:52:12
On 28 January 2016, our Translator in Residence, Marta Dziurosz, held an event for translators at Free Word Centre.
The evening gave translators the opportunity to ask questions about tran...
Marta Dziurosz: "A Farewell to my Dead Class" by Irit Amiel from 2016-01-27T10:14:48
Free Word's Translator in Residence, Marta Dziurosz, reads a short story by Irit Amiel to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2016.
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Susie Orbach in conversation with Han Kang from 2016-01-14T11:16:47
Already internationally acclaimed, Han Kang is considered one of the most important writers from Korea. For her new novel, 'Human Acts', Han points her penetrating literary talents to South Korea's...
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Translating Bulgakov: New Perspectives on a Russian Master from 2015-12-23T15:33:31
Mikhail Bulgakov’s 'The Master and Margarita' is an essential work of twentieth-century Russian literature, and the writer's persecution, along with his personal and artistic struggles with the Sov...
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Talking Shop: Selling Translated Literature from 2015-12-08T10:20:03
Booksellers play a vital role in getting translated books into the hands of readers. But how do they encourage readers to take a chance on a foreign author? With so few international authors availa...
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Futures: Poetry of the Greek Crisis from 2015-12-07T17:15:10
From Grexit to Troika, the ongoing crisis in Greece has spawned a whole new vocabulary and dominated newspaper headlines for over five years. Now, a powerful and timely anthology offers a poetic re...
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The Secure & the Dispossessed: How the Military and Corporations are Shaping a Climate-Changed World from 2015-12-07T15:14:19
What if government and corporate elites have given up on stopping climate change and prefer to try to manage its consequences instead? In the weeks running up to the major UN Climate Change Confere...
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From Page to Stage from 2015-12-04T16:04:38
Plays go through many transformations on the way from a writer’s pen to the final performance, and for translated plays the journey of the text is often even more complex. Experienced theatre trans...
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Electric Words: What is Multimedia Translation? from 2015-12-04T09:55:28
Subtitling has often been seen as a niche pursuit in the field of translation. But in our increasingly digitised world of video, sound and games, AV or multimedia translation is offering new profes...
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‘Translator-Speak’: Literary Difference or Bad English? from 2015-12-03T09:46:21
‘Translator-speak’: a translation that sounds awkward. But does ‘translator-speak’ really indicate literary and cultural differences that should be respected by editors? Or do editors have the righ...
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Opening Panel: The Rise of the Reader from 2015-11-24T09:49:09
The digital age has empowered readers like never before. No longer passive recipients of a finished end product, many readers are now playing an active role in the selection, commissioning - even
Gabriela Babnik: Big World, Small Languages from 2015-11-20T15:48:24
Gabriela Babnik’s novel, 'Dry Season' (translated by Rawley Grau), breaks the mould of what we usually expect from a writer from a small, Central European nation. Winner of the European Union Prize...
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Championing Haroldo Conti: Southeaster and the Translator as Self-publisher from 2015-11-17T16:13:56
Jon Lindsay Miles is the translator and re-discoverer of Haroldo Conti’s classic Argentinian novel Southeaster. To celebrate this first publication of Conti’s work in the UK, Jon joined us at Free ...
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Paul Mason: The Magna Carta is a declaration of economic rights from 2015-09-07T09:45:06
Paul Mason's keynote speech at the Alternative Magna Carta festival, from 13 June 2015 at Free Word Centre in London.
Wordsmiths: Archana Thapa from 2015-08-21T11:47:46
Publisher Archana Thapa, who runs Akshar Creations talks to Free Word's programme producer Sophie about publishing women's personal stories in Kathmandu and dealing with negative reactions.
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Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution from 2015-06-10T16:37:08
Listen to a recording of award-winning journalist Mona Eltahawy in conversation with prize-winning writer, activist and unabashed commentator on global and Turkish affairs, Elif Shafak at Free Word...
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Agenda with Martyn Lewis from 2015-05-12T11:48:48
The Wireless From Age UK. Martyn Lewis interviews Sarah Hesketh about Where the Heart Is, an exhibition
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Rhyme And Reason: The Poetry of Climate Change from 2015-05-11T13:35:04
A recording of 'Rhyme and Reason: The Poetry of Climate Change', an event held at Free Word Centre on 6th May, 2015. The event explored how poets and spoken word artists can help to create change t...
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Palestinian Voices And Stories from 2015-04-22T16:13:57
Listen to a recording of a discussion held at Free Word to launch two special Palestinian editions of Biography and Wasafiri.
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Climate Change: The Stories We Tell from 2015-03-27T16:03:43
How do writers look at climate change and write successfully about it?
Jay Griffiths explores this question with panel members Mirko Bonné, Weather Stations Writer in Residence at internat...
Wordsmiths: Stevie Ronnie from 2015-03-20T18:59:15
This month we talk to writer and artist Stevie Ronnie about the word "protest".
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The Content And Context Of Charlie Hebdo from 2015-02-26T13:32:47
The attack on Charlie Hebdo dramatically increased the pressure on freedom of speech in all of Europe. How do we respond to audiences who do not recognize satire as a legitimate form of free expres...
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Wordsmiths: Aisling Fahey from 2015-02-25T12:44:14
London's Young Poet Laureate, Aisling Fahey, talks to us about her favourite word, Discombobulate.
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Zena Edwards reads 'When Earth Speaks Through Flesh' from 2015-02-16T13:19:27
Poet Zena Edwards introduces and performs her poem 'When Earth Speaks Through Flesh', drawing on the image of a woman kneeling before armed police as inspiration to address climate change.
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Writing Climate Change from 2015-02-13T15:28:01
Rose Fenton chairs a discussion between writers Sai Murray, Selina Nwulu, Zena Edwards, Stevie Ronnie, Oisin McGann, Sarah Butler, Nick Hunt and Dan Simpson about the challenges they faced when wri...
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Wordsmiths - Oisin McGann from 2015-01-30T13:53:36
The Irish writer, cartoonist and illustrator talks to us about his favourite word, 'picture', and his involvement in the Weather Stations project.
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In Praise Of Translation from 2015-01-30T12:24:15
Asymptote Journal celebrate their fourth anniversary with a lively discussion around translated literature.
Granta Best Young British Novelist Adam Thirlwell, acclaimed translators Daniel...
Wordsmiths - Steven J Fowler from 2014-11-28T15:46:54
For this months' Wordsmith podcast, poet and avant-garde performance artist Steven J Fowler talks to us about martial arts, and one of his favourite onomatopoeias, 'osu'.
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Trust and the Vote from 2014-11-24T13:20:57
Can 16-year-olds be trusted with the right to vote? We invite a panel of experts to debate the tricky question of lowering the voting age to 16.
Featuring panelists:
Mita Desai, Chair of th...
You Can't Say That! from 2014-11-11T18:03:17
A panel of writers and activists debate offensive language and whether free speech has limits. Featuring panellists:
Duleep Allirajah, Sports columnist at Spiked;
Jo Glanville, Director of...
Who Needs Europe from 2014-11-03T16:31:13
At a time when Britain's continued membership of both the European Union and the European Convention of Human Rights is the subject of active discussion, Free Word and English PEN have invited five...
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Wordsmiths - Chen Xiwo from 2014-10-30T17:33:38
The oft-censored Chinese novelist talks to us about the Chinese word for 'red', and its inescapable role in Chinese history and culture.
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Continuing Professional Development For Translators from 2014-10-20T13:45:07
Continuing Professional Development For Translators by Free Word
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Trust and the Environment from 2014-10-07T12:13:42
When it comes to the climate, who can you trust?
Comedian Tiernan Douieb hosts a lively debate at Free Word Centre about how trust affects our understanding of climate change and our willi...
Wordsmiths - Kevin MacNeil from 2014-08-21T14:57:53
We speak to the writer and Zen Buddhist Kevin MacNeil about his favourite word, dharmadhatu.
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Talking About The Weather from 2014-08-01T12:25:24
Isabel Hilton chairs a discussion about the stories we tell about climate change, featuring panellists John Ashton, Xiaolu Guo and Charlie Kronick.
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Granta: Japan Launch from 2014-07-31T10:20:33
Granta celebrate the launch of Granta 127: Japan, with an event at Free Word Centre. Contributors Hiromi Kawakami and Yukiko Motoya come all the way from Japan to discuss their work and introduce y...
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I Am China from 2014-07-29T14:31:16
Free Word's writer in residence Xiaolu Guo introduces her new novel, 'I Am China', in a lively discussion with Chinese translator Nicky Harman and literary agent Rebecca Carter about the possibilit...
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Wordsmiths: Oliver Harris from 2014-07-24T14:37:40
Crime writer Oliver Harris talks to us about his favourite word, 'conspire'
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Weatherfronts: An alternate perspective from John Ashton from 2014-07-24T10:29:40
John Ashton gives a talk to an audience of writers and scientists offering an alternate perspective on climate change.
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Weatherfronts: A climate science update from Chris Rapley from 2014-07-23T16:46:14
Professor Chris Rapley presents a talk giving the current state of climate science, as part of the two-day Weatherfronts event held at Free Word Centre.
Chris is a Professor of Climate Sci...
Weatherfronts: Writer's Panel from 2014-07-16T12:10:37
Ruth Little hosts a panel discussion exploring how writers can tell stories about climate change. Featuring Ruth Padel, Maggie Gee, Gregory Norminton and Jay Griffiths.
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How can literature houses protect free expression? from 2014-06-20T11:22:36
Ursula Owen chairs a panel discussion exploring the role of the literature house in creating a safe space for free expression.
Part of the 2014 European Literature House meeting hosted at ...
How writers interact with their audiences from 2014-06-20T10:16:52
Rosie Goldsmith chairs a panel discussion investigating the different ways writers can interact with their audiences.
Part of the 2014 European Literature House meeting held at Free Word C...
The author as activist from 2014-06-19T16:42:19
Authors A.L. Kennedy, Xiaolu Guo and Adam Thirlwell debate the idea of the author as an activist with chair Ted Hodgkinson.
Part of the 2014 European Literature House Meeting, funded by Fr...
Cory Doctorow on intellectual property in a digital age from 2014-06-13T10:10:07
In a keynote speech for The Literary Conference 2014, author and renowned digital publishing pioneer Cory Doctorow talks about his creative experiments on and offline, and addresses head-on the tho...
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Alice Guthrie's 5 favourite Arabic words from 2014-05-13T15:31:30
Our resident translator Alice Guthrie tells us the story of her 5 favourite Arabic words - including love that goes straight to the liver, salt you can use as a put-down, and why a kiss in a corner...
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Trust And New Technology from 2014-05-08T15:37:29
Gemma Cairney hosts a debate on trust, technology and young people at Free Word Centre, featuring Emma Carr from Big Brother Watch, Hannah Flynn from Childline and social media journalist Claudia A...
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Trust and the media - who do you believe? from 2014-03-27T16:24:35
Can you believe what you hear in the news?
Free Word hosted a debate looking at trust, the media & young people, inviting a panel of experts in front of a lively audience to take a candid...
Wordsmiths: Inua Ellams from 2014-03-12T17:02:43
The poet Inua Ellams talks to us about the importance of names, about dark, shade, and his favourite word, 'mellifluous'.
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Free Expression: The Gray Areas from 2014-02-05T17:24:23
Kamila Shamsie chairs a discussion about the gray areas of free expression to mark the launch of a special edition of Guernica, the online magazine of art and politics. The issue was created in par...
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Translation In Play And Practice from 2014-01-23T12:31:02
Translation threads its way into so much of our lives that we sometimes forget to notice it. In this event at Free Word Centre, Asymptote, the international journal of literary translation, celebra...
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What Sort Of Story Is Climate Change? from 2013-12-11T13:19:16
Climate change is described by many as one of the most urgent and important stories of our time, but it can also seem difficult, confusing - even boring. The last great surge of media attention occ...
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Translation Slam from 2013-12-04T11:41:29
Daniel Hahn moderates a competitive translation duel between former Free Word Translators in Residence Ollie Brock and Rosalind Harvey. Each was asked to translate the same first few pages of a Spa...
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Whose Voices Are Heard from 2013-11-20T17:22:42
Are we losing trust in our society? Kicking off a new series of debates at Free Word Centre, 'Whose Voices are Heard?' looks at trust and authority, and asks if there is a crisis of trust between y...
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Poems on the Biosphere - an introduction from 2013-11-11T16:44:14
Ruth Padel introduces a series of poems exploring our relationship with the natural world, and explains why nature, and our connection to it, is one of poetry's abiding themes.
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There Came a Wind Like a Bugle from 2013-11-08T18:01:04
Ruth Padel reads Emily Dickinson's "There Came a Wind Like a Bugle", as part of Poems on the Biosphere, a collection of poetry curated by Ruth Padel for Free Word exploring our changing relationshi...
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The Forest, the Corrupt Official and a Bowl of Penis Soup from 2013-11-08T15:57:21
Ruth Padel reads her poem about painting, corruption and the destruction of the environment. Part of 'Poems on the Biosphere', a collection of poetry curated for Free Word by Ruth Padel exploring o...
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Reframe panel discussion from 2013-10-28T16:21:40
Jason Dittmer chairs a panel discussion for the launch of Reframe, an exhibition of comic artworks exploring contemporary attitudes to Europe. Panelists include Algerian artist Soumeya Ouarezki, Tu...
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Reviewing Translation from 2013-10-03T12:56:11
Why does translated literature get so little attention in the press? Books editor of the Guardian, Claire Armitstead, talks to award-winning translator Daniel Hahn about the tricky relationship bet...
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Audrey Niffenegger on Writing in a Digital Age from 2013-06-18T16:16:25
The best-selling author of 'The Time-Traveler's Wife' draws on her experiences as a writer and visual artist to consider the intersection of art, technology, and the future of the written word. Thi...
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Tired of Being Black? A Child's-Eye View of Literature from 2013-05-22T10:47:36
Gabriel Gbadamosi's novel 'Vauxhall' and Colin Grant's memoir 'Bageye at the Wheel' both feature child narrators who act as go-betweens between black and white worlds. In an evening at the Free Wor...
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Ronnie McGrath reads surrealist poetry from 2013-04-30T14:29:32
Ronnie McGrath joins us on May 9th for the Caribbean Literary Salon, in conversation with Kerry Young and Kevin LeGendre about his time in Jamaica and how it has influenced his writing. In the next...
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Kerry Young on writing Jamaica and working longhand from 2013-04-30T10:48:16
Kerry Young is the author of 'Pao' and 'Gloria', two novels which explore the history of 20th Century Jamaica through the eyes of Pao, a young boy who comes to the island following the Chinese Civi...
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Kerry Young reads from her new novel "Gloria" from 2013-04-12T16:37:08
Kerry Young was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to a Chinese father and mother of mixed Chinese-African heritage. Here she reads from her new novel, "Gloria", set in Jamaica in 1938, when a violent act ...
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Untranslatable Words from 2013-02-27T11:04:32
Every language has unique words untranslatable into other tongues, which can speak volumes about the character of the cultures they come from.
At our Migration Stories event, our Translato...
Editing Matters: The Long Haul from 2013-02-05T15:19:38
'Editing Matters' is a series of podcasts from The Literary Consultancy and Free Word, for writers who want to further develop their manuscripts.
Each week, we'll be looking at different a...
Editing Matters: Journey to the Final Draft from 2012-12-19T17:42:44
'Editing Matters' is a series of podcasts from The Literary Consultancy and Free Word, for writers who want to further develop their manuscripts.
Each week, we'll be looking at different a...
Editing Matters: The Myth of the Lone Writer from 2012-12-11T12:37:28
'Editing Matters' is a series of podcasts from The Literary Consultancy and Free Word, for writers who want to further develop their manuscripts.
Each week, we'll be looking at different a...
Editing Matters: First Drafts from 2012-12-04T17:49:39
'Editing Matters' is a series of podcasts from The Literary Consultancy and Free Word, for writers who want to further develop their manuscripts.
Each week, we'll be looking at different a...