2025 Festival Event

2:00 pm
book now

Renaissance Women

Roxanna Panufnik, Rachel Morris and Daisy Dunn

Roxanna Panufnik is a renowned composer; her work Coronation Sanctus was commissioned by HM King Charles and her exceptional pieces are regularly performed for the BBC Proms.

Rachel Morris is a British Paralympic sportswoman. She is a double gold medal winner, first as a handcyclist in 2008 and then as a rower in the women’s single sculls in 2016.

Dr Daisy Dunn

Dr Daisy Dunn is an award-winning classicist and author. She recently published The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World through the Women Who Shaped It, a radical review of the stories we thought we knew of the ancient world.

Tickets cost £12 / £18 / £20 depending on the event.
There is a 25% saving on all festival books pre-ordered with event tickets.

Other events on the same day

3:00 am

Emily Howes -

The Painter’s Daughters

Debut novelist Emily Howes discusses the family life of eighteenth-century artist Thomas Gainsborough with the acclaimed writer and critic Antonia Senior.

3:00 am

Laurie Bristow -

Kabul: Final Call

Sir Laurie Bristow, the last Ambassador to Afghanistan in 2021, will meet award-winning Afghan journalist Zahra Joya to discuss events in Afghanistan, why it still matters and what should be done.

2:00 pm

Tomiwa Owolade -

This is Not America

Tomiwa Owolade argues that the debate about race and racial injustice is dominated by American viewpoints. Instead, we need a new conversation about race in British life today.

4:00 pm

Nigel Biggar -

Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning

Professor Nigel Biggar’s bestselling analysis of the British Empire provoked extensive debate. In his defence of the empire, he faces challenging questions about colonialism.

4:00 pm

Gill Johnson -

Love From Venice

Gill Johnson discusses her memoir, which recaptures the lavish opulence of Venice during the 1950s and her time there as a young woman, in conversation with journalist Rory Ross.

6:00 pm

Miriam Margolyes -

Oh Miriam!

Miriam Margolyes discusses her memoir 'Oh Miriam!' with fellow actress Patricia Hodge and shares all sorts of stories – both published and unpublished.

8:00 pm

Laura Cumming -

Thunderclap

Art critic Laura Cumming discusses her book 'Thunderclap', a memoir about a life in art, a father and daughter and the great artists of the Dutch Golden Age.

2025 Festival Schedule

SUN – 21 SEPT 2025

4pm

6pm

10.00am

11.30am

12n

2pm

4pm

6pm

12n

2pm

4pm

6pm

ST MARY’S BARNES

MICHAEL HESELTINE

A printed festival programme is available at the Barnes Bookshop, 98 Church Road.