Join The Guardian investigative journalist Amelia Gentleman and author and historian Colin Grant as they reveal the stories and experiences of the Windrush generation and the political scandal which recently…more

The long saga of prehistory is often forgotten, but our understanding of our past is changing. In the last decade, astounding archaeological discoveries have shed new light on those who…more

In 2016 Ben Aitken moved to Poland while he still could. It wasn’t love that took him but curiosity: he wanted to know what the Poles in the UK had…more

Age 7+ Join Andy Stanton, the awardwinning, bestselling author of the Mr Gum series, for an afternoon of ludicrous characters, surreal escapades and outrageous wordplay. Welcome to the last days…more

From locked rooms and crumbling towers to ghostly presences and sinister forces, gothic fiction is having a resurgence. Join novelists Sara Collins and Laura Purcell as they discuss what compels…more

Headlines and news reports of prisons leave us with a boiled-down narrative of goodies and baddies – violent offenders, neglectful mothers and incurable psychopaths if you read one paper, or…more

VENUE & TIME CHANGE: Please note, due to high demand for tickets for this event, it has been moved to the Kings Hall to allow more people to attend and…more

6.45–7.45pm. Pay What You Decide The first public performance of ILF 2019 Apprentice Poet in Residence Shash Trevett’s specially commissioned twelve poem sequence inspired by David Jones’ In Parenthesis. Shash…more

Every generation has looked up from the Earth and wondered at the beauty of the Moon. 50 years ago, three Americans became the first to do the reverse – with…more

Award-winning historian, biographer and broadcaster Tom Holland examines the long history of Christianity and explores just what it was that made it so revolutionary and disruptive, how completely it came…more

Featuring a sparkling cast of artists, writers and historical figures including Winston Churchill, Daisy Fellowes, Salvador Dalí, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Eileen Gray and Edith Wharton, with the…more

In the 1950s a young Irish woman, Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), emigrates to New York in search of work and a new life. When a family tragedy draws her back…more

Age 12-18 Join ILF Apprentice Poet in Residence Genevieve Carver and her band, The Unsung, for a musical poetry workshop. Write poems in response to live music and learn to…more

2nd PERFORMANCE ADDED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND. In 2016 Ben Aitken moved to Poland while he still could. It wasn’t love that took him but curiosity: he wanted to know…more

John Ruskin, born 200 years ago this year, was the greatest critic of his age: a critic not only of art and architecture but of society and life. His writings…more

Today, the options and freedoms on offer to LGBTQ+ people living in the West are greater than ever before. But is same-sex marriage, improved media visibility and corporate endorsement all…more

BAFTA award-winning broadcaster, journalist and writer Kirsty Wark talks about her latest novel The House by the Loch and balancing the demands of fiction writing alongside a job built upon…more

Age 12-18 Work with experienced spoken word performer, slam winner and theatre director Chris Singleton to discover the most dynamic and exciting ways to take your poetry from page to…more

In late 1300s Egypt, an obscure school teacher, Ibn al-Furat, began writing a history book. Resourceful in filling the work with letters, documents, poems and anecdotes from Arab, Persian and…more

Former SAS corporal and the only man to escape death or capture during the Bravo Two Zero operation in the 1991 Gulf War, Chris Ryan turned to writing thrillers to…more