SATURDAY, 14 JUNE, HEDINGHAM CASTLE
Renaturing - Chloe Dalton & James Canton in conversation with William Sieghart, 10 - 10:45 am
In this conversation aptly named after James Canton’s new book, Canton and fellow author, Chloe Dalton, describe their different approaches to nature writing. The uncharacteristic life circumstances of COVID-19 allowed Dalton, a high-flying political consultant, to take in and raise a hare. This chance decision enabled her to see a completely different kind of life through the eyes and rhythms of the animal, an experience she documented in her book, Raising Hare. Canton’s book, Renaturing, in comparison, was not the product of serendipity but a conscious search for how to reframe the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, to a human scale. In this session, we will discover how their experiences – of nature and writing - have intersected.
This event is co-produced with Essex Book Festival.
AI: Scourge or Salvation? - Susie Alegre & Marcus du Sautoy, 11:15 am - 12:30 pm
In this panel discussion between experts on different sides of the debate, Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician and AI optimist, will discuss the advantages, risks and potential of AI with Susie Alegre, international human rights lawyer. Alegre’s books, Freedom to Think and Human Rights, Robot Wrongs, have sounded the alarm on technology’s dangerous encroachment on human rights while Sautoy’s recent book, The Creativity Code, states a strong case for AI’s potential to unlock human creativity.
Don’t believe the hype! - Ben Lewis (moderator: Alice Sherwood), 2 - 2:45 pm
Ben Lewis, one of the UK’s top experts on art fraud – of all varieties - will tell us how art world hype, misguided notions of trust and the very nature of art objects create an industry ripe for chicanery and profiteering, the single most famous example being the case of Salvator Mundi, a painting whose disputed attribution to Leonardo da Vinci led to it becoming the most expensive painting ever sold (US$450.3M). Through his book, The Last Leonardo: The Secret Lives of the World’s Most Expensive Painting, and his podcast, Art Bust, Lewis reveals the dysfunctional world of museums, galleries, auction houses and collectors that make up today’s art market.
Democracy in Crisis - Jonathan Sumption, 3:10 - 3:55 pm
Jonathan Sumption, the eminent jurist and historian, muses about the crisis of democracy in the face of recent political and legal challenges, by way of introducing his newest book, The Challenges of Democracy and the Rule of Law, a compilation of essays analysing the manifold threats to democracy – from the vulnerabilities of international law and complexities of human rights legislation to the defence of freedom of speech and deepening suppression of democracy activism in Hong Kong.
This event is sponsored by Wild Search.
Invitation to a Banquet - Fuchsia Dunlop, 4:20 - 5:05 pm
The leading authority on Chinese gastronomy within the English-speaking world, Fuchsia Dunlop was the first Westerner to train at the prestigious Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine and has been studying and writing about Chinese food ever since. Despite being the first truly global cuisine, Chinese food has the distinction of being one of the world’s best-loved culinary traditions and one of the least understood. That’s why Fuchsia’s writings and award-winning cookbooks have done so much to enrich our understanding of Chinese cooking. Her most recent book is Invitation to a Banquet (2023), recounting the history and regional traditions of Chinese cooking through a series of iconic dishes.
This event is supported by the Hong Kong Society.
Pub Grub - Luke Wright (spoken word), 5:30 - 6:15 pm
If you’ve never attended a spoken word event, Luke Wright will win you over to the art form with his electrifying performance, his fourth at EA Festival. (It’s worth noting that Luke is the only performer that has appeared at every EA Festival since the event’s inception in 2021.) What with poems that combine acid social commentary with aching moments of poignancy, Wright’s performances are unforgettable experiences that fizz with verve and charisma. At this year’s EA Festival, Luke will perform poems from his new book, Pub Grub.
SUNDAY, 15 JUNE, HEDINGHAM CASTLE
Which Jesus? - Catherine Nixey in conversation with John Lloyd, 10:30 - 11:15 am
Following on from her award-winning book, The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World, Catherine Nixey has dared to topple yet more sacred cows in her new book, Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God. It is one of the most fun and scintillating books about religious history ever written, if the waterfall of effusive reviews is to be believed. Making the case that there were diverse and contradictory depictions of Jesus in play during the first millennium, Heresy is exactly the kind of book that we savour at EA Festival. In the words of The Economist, ‘The best non-fiction kindles interest in a subject that you were not interested in before. Catherine Nixey achieves that in Heresy . . . It tells a moreish intellectual story and shakes up your understanding of Western history. At the same time, somewhat improbably, it supplies at least one good joke per paragraph; you have to keep turning back to enjoy them again.’
Class Matters - Aaron Reeves & Sam Friedman (moderator: Rowan Pelling), 11:45 am - 12:30 pm
The co-authors of Born to Rule, one of 2024’s most acclaimed non-fiction books (selected by The Economist and The Times as one of the best books of the year), unpack the rich trove of data underpinning their landmark analysis of how merit, self-presentation, legitimacy and class reproduction, among the British elite, have evolved during the past 125 years.
Living Forever - Venki Ramakrishnan, 2 - 2:45 pm
The public intellectual and Nobel-Prize-winning scientist, Venki Ramakrishnan, addresses one of the most fundamental questions of human biology, why do we die and does death serve a major biological purpose? By way of his most recent book, Why We Die, Ramakrishnan will explain the latest scientific understanding of exactly why we age and how we might prevent it, including the most promising, recent efforts to extend lifespan by altering our natural biology. He will also muse on the ramifications of increased longevity: What will it mean and what will happen if people start living longer? And, most important, how can we increase our chances of living long, healthy and fulfilled lives?
Life, Death and Getting Dressed - Rebecca Willis, 3:15 - 4 pm
A former Vogue editor (but not one covering fashion) explains what’s behind the welter of emotions associated with our wardrobes. Body image, status, sexism, class, comfort, and tribal belonging: these are just some of the issues that swirl around our clothes. In her acclaimed book of the same title as this event, Rebecca Willis undertakes a kaleidoscopic analysis of our clothing choices, drawing on neuroscience, patriarchy and fashion industry business models, in order to unpack our hang-ups and help us find liberation, instead of frustration, inside our closets.
Writing Nature - Richard Mabey, 4:30 - 5:15 pm
The father of nature writing in modern Britain, Richard Mabey, will describe the zig zags and through-lines of a writing career that has yielded a stupendous oeuvre. Since his first book, Food for Free, was published in 1972, Richard has authored 35 books of diverse species - biography, memoir, compendia, cookbooks and diaries – in many cases prefiguring many of today’s environmental prescriptions, for example, foraging, rewilding, natural remedies and marginal landscapes. How has Richard’s perspective on writing and nature shifted since his career began? How about the public’s attitude towards nature and environment? What are his greatest concerns and preoccupations these days? These are just some of the questions that we will ask Richard during this fireside-style chat.
This event is co-produced with Essex Book Festival.