Our second BookTalk event of 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of British author J. G. Ballard’s death, with an event on his iconic novel High Rise (1975). This event will bring together experts on contemporary literature, science fiction and urban design to discuss some … Continue reading Cardiff BookTalk event: High Rise by J.G. Ballard, Monday 1st April 2019
Following on from last year’s diverse BookTalk schedule, we are pleased to announce our first event of the year, which will draw on themes from literature and film. We will begin this year’s BookTalk schedule in the Science Fiction genre, with discussion of Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life, and Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, 2016), the film based on Chiang’s novella.
BookTalk will be joined by four expert speakers to discuss Story of Your Life and its film adaptation:
Dr Orestis Palermos is a Lecturer in Philosophy at Cardiff University. Orestis works at the intersection of philosophy of mind, epistemology and philosophy of science. He is interested in the way philosophy can impact the design of emerging technologies.
Dr Catherine Laing is a Lecturer in Language and Linguistics at Cardiff University. She is interested in psycholinguistics – how language is manifested in the mind – particularly in relation to how children and adults learn language.
Jenifer Millard is a Postgraduate Researcher in the Galaxies Department of the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University. Her research focuses on exploring dust in galaxies, throughout space and cosmic time. She is also co-host of a bi-monthly astronomy and space podcast called Awesome Astronomy, where she discusses the latest news, debunks conspiracy theories, debates the greatest dilemmas facing modern astronomy and space travel, and interviews anyone she can get her hands on, from astronauts to engineers to scientists.
Matthew Allen is an astrophysicist, working in education and science engagement, to excite and educate people about all things space! He first became amazed by astrophysics and space by watching and reading sci-fi, so he now hopes to inspire other people in the same way!
The speakers will present and there will be plenty of opportunity for audience questions and discussion. You may want to read Story of Your Life or watch Arrival prior to this event.
As usual, the main event will be preceded by a reception with tea, coffee and biscuits at 6.30pm in Cardiff University’s School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ.
All welcome! Book your free tickets via Eventbrite by clicking here.
Our BookTalk schedule for 2018 will begin with The Facts of Life, a graphic novel and memoir by Bristol artist and writer, Paula Knight, which “thoughtfully challenges the societal notion that to live a life without children is to live a lesser life” (Aminatta Forna, writer).
Following on from our last event celebrating Harry Potter’s 20th anniversary, the next BookTalk of the year will continue the focus on contemporary children’s literature with a discussion of Mark Haddon’s prizewinning novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
