There's an incredible range of events on at this year's Bradford Literature Festival, with a bit of something for everyone. You can find the full line-up of events here but we will be picking out highlights throughout the Festival. Here's our choices from this weekend...
FRIDAY JUNE 30
Haunted: Ghost Stories at Bolling Hall
Bolling Hall Museum, 11pm £6
Reputedly Bradford's most haunted building, Bolling Hall aims to live up to its billing tonight with an evening of ghost stories from the Bradford area followed by a terrifying midnight tour of the Hall. Cripes!
SATURDAY JULY 1
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World
David Hockney Building, Bradford College, 11.45am £3
Aimed at children age five and up, this fun interactive reading by the author of the acclaimed book of the same name is sure to provide positive role models for the pint-sized feminist in your family.
The Reality Behind Dystopian Futures
Norcroft Centre Auditorium, University of Bradford, 12pm £6
This uncomfortably topical session tackles the question: could the catastrophic futures common in dystopian novels ever become a reality? A panel including dystopian novelists Sarah Govett and E.J. Swift alongside science writer Oliver Morton will attempt to find out, looking particularly at climate change and existential threats to the Earth.
SUNDAY JULY 2
The Grimm Mash-up Show
City Park, throughout the day (10am, 1.15pm, 3pm) FREE
Entertaining and scaring generations of children, Grimm's fairy tales are timeless classics. They'll be brought to life throughout the day in City Park with an interactive performance adventure featuring Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood and many more. There'll be other themed events in City Park between shows, including a free screening of Shrek on the big screen at 11.30am.
Historical Tour: Bradford Crime Scenes
Sets off from Bradford Police Museum, 10am £8
Regular visitors to the T&A website will be unsurprised to learn that Bradford has played host to all manner of grisly crimes down the years, and this tour led by Martin Baines of the Bradford Police Museum will take you to where it happened. The focus is on high-profile Victorian crimes, from unsolved deaths at the Midland Hotel to the 'Humbug Billy' poisonings, that helped inspire some of the 19th century's best crime writing.
Wonder Woman: From Amazon Warrior to UN Ambassador
Norcroft Centre Auditorium, University of Bradford, 10.15am £6
Last year the United Nations raised eyebrows when they announced that Princess Diana of Themyscira - a fictional character better known as Wonder Woman - was their new honorary ambassador for women. With her often-skimpy outfits and tendency to solve problems using violence, is she really a good role model for women and firls around the world? An expert panel including comics writer Leah Moore discuss Wonder Woman's origins and continued cultural significance.
Game of Thrones: Myths & History
Small Hall, University of Bradford, 12 noon £6
Many fans of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga and the TV phenomenon it spawned will tell you - often at length, in the pub - that part of the series' enduring appeal is how its fantasy universe is based surprisingly closely on real-world medieval history. This event takes a closer look at the real-world inspiration for fictional Westeros with historian Carolyne Larrington and fantasy writer Tom Huddleston.
Loyal Enemies: Britain's First Muslims
Advanced Technology Centre, Bradford College, 2.15pm £6
Britain's first Muslims were converts from Christianity. Britain's first mosque was opened by William Abdullah Quilliam - born William Henry, the son of a Methodist preacher. At a time when tensions were high between the British and Ottoman empires, they experienced much of the same hostility as Muslims in Britain today. This panel discussion, chaired by journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, offers an insight into the past, present and future of Islam in Britain.
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