Highlights
16th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Michael Pollan – The Mind-Altering Power of Plants
Exploring the culture and science of three mind-changing molecules Michael Pollan is here to completely rethink our relationship with what we call ‘drugs’.
GO TO EVENT8th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Free Online - BST
Emma Barnett- It’s About Bloody Time
Emma Barnett, Woman’s Hour presenter, comes back to 5×15 for an unmissable conversation with interviewer Rosie Boycott
GO TO EVENT12th July 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
July 5×15 with Lionel Shriver and Nick Crane
Jack Guinness and Hollie McNish
Join us in July for a special celebration of poetry, prose and human ingenuity.
GO TO EVENT29th June 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
From Nashville — Music Talks
Hunter Kelly with Willie Nelson
Country megastar Willie Nelson joins Hunter Kelly for an intimate conversation about his life in music and his new book, Willie Nelson’s Letters to America.
GO TO EVENT30th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Why Our Brains Make Habits Stick
Russell Poldrack, Professor of Psychology, Stanford
Why are bad habits so hard to break—and how can evidence-based strategies help us change our behaviour more effectively?
GO TO EVENTFeatured Events
24th June 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - BST
The Changing Face of Female Leadership
Hillary Clinton, Greta Thunberg, and more
What is different when women lead? Hillary Clinton, Greta Thunberg and others discuss women’s role in shaping the future....
25th June 2021 - 1:00 pm
Free Online - EST
Pride: A TIME Summit
Billy Eichner, Hayley Kiyoko, Casey McQuiston, and more
Join TIME for the second annual Pride Summit as we convene leaders, activists, and storytellers to share essential perspectives on identity, creativity, and inclusivity, as well as the path toward equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community....
27th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
John Green – The Anthropocene Reviewed
John Green in conversation with Dan Howell
The legendary author of The Fault in Our Stars joins us to review different facets of the human experience – from the QWERTY keyboard to sunsets – on a five-star scale....
28th June 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - BST
140 Artists’ Ideas for Planet Earth
Brian Eno, Rob Hopkins, Kostas Stasinopoulos, Carolina Caycedo & Rosie Boycott
Bringing together artists and thinkers to discuss the climate emergency. With Brian Eno, Rob Hopkins, Kostas Stasinopoulos, Carolina Caycedo & chair Rosie Boycott...
28th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
How the World’s Greatest Investors Win
William Green In Conversation With Hannah MacInnes
William Green joins us to share lessons from the world’s most legendary investors, including Warren Buffett and John Templeton....
28th June 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Words of Desire
Emma Cline, Garth Greenwell, and Ottessa Moshfegh
As summer heats up, the celebrated authors Emma Cline, Garth Greenwell, and Ottessa Moshfegh discuss the fiction and politics of passion with the New Yorker staff writer Alexandra Schwartz....
29th June 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
From Nashville — Music Talks
Hunter Kelly with Willie Nelson
Country megastar Willie Nelson joins Hunter Kelly for an intimate conversation about his life in music and his new book, Willie Nelson’s Letters to America....
30th June 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Why Our Brains Make Habits Stick
Russell Poldrack, Professor of Psychology, Stanford
Why are bad habits so hard to break—and how can evidence-based strategies help us change our behaviour more effectively?...
30th June 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
Audible Original Letters from Camp
Jamie Lee Curtis in Conversation with Lisa Birnbach
Jamie Lee Curtis in conversation with New York Times-bestselling author Lisa Birnbach on the new season of Curtis’ hit Audible Original podcast Letters from Camp....
4th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Humankind: a Radical New History of Our Species
Philippe Sands Meets Rutger Bregman
Philippe Sands meets Rutger Bregman, one of the greatest young thinkers of our time, to hear a new story of human nature that places our capacity for kindness, not selfishness, at its heart....
5th July 2021 - 6:00 pm
Online - BST
The Ever-Changing Brain
David Eagleman and Brian Eno
Join us for an evening of dazzling insights, ideas and anecdotes as Eagleman takes us on a tour of the astonishing plasticity and interconnectedness of our brains....
5th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Gordon Brown – Seven Ways to Change the World
In Conversation With Tom Fletcher
It is time for a new era of global order. From inequality to the climate crisis, the former Prime Minister joins us with authoritative solutions to the greatest challenges of our age....
7th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Hard Choices – What Britain Does Next
Jack Straw Meets Peter Ricketts
How can we prosper in a world more dangerous than ever? Join the former foreign secretary and one of Britain’s most experienced diplomats for lessons for an uncertain future....
8th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Free Online - BST
Emma Barnett- It’s About Bloody Time
Emma Barnett, Woman’s Hour presenter, comes back to 5x15 for an unmissable conversation with interviewer Rosie Boycott...
11th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Brian Greene – Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe
In Conversation With Robin Ince
Drawing on myth and religion, science and art, the bestselling author of The Elegant Universe joins How To Academy to explore humankind’s search for purpose in the vastness of the cosmos....
12th July 2021 - 7:00 pm
Online - EST
July 5×15 with Lionel Shriver and Nick Crane
Jack Guinness and Hollie McNish
Join us in July for a special celebration of poetry, prose and human ingenuity....
13th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Vaxxers – The Inside Story of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine
Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green In Conversation With Robin Ince
Join two of the leading scientists behind the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, marking this historic moment for science and humanity....
14th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Kate Mosse – How to Write a Novel
In Conversation with Dorothy Koomson and Alexis Kirschbaum
Held in partnership with the Women’s Prize for Fiction, join two award-winning, bestselling authors and Bloomsbury’s publishing director for a unique masterclass in writing and publishing....
16th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
Michael Pollan – The Mind-Altering Power of Plants
Exploring the culture and science of three mind-changing molecules Michael Pollan is here to completely rethink our relationship with what we call ‘drugs’....
19th July 2021 - 6:30 pm
Online - BST
The Authority Gap
Mary Ann Sieghart Meets Cherie Blair
Why do we still take male authority more seriously – and what can we do about it? Mary Ann Sieghart and Cherie Blair explore the pervasive gender bias at work in our everyday lives....
24th September 2021 - 7:30 pm
Online - BST
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Notes on Writing
In Conversation With Nesrine Malik
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the bestselling author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun, reflects on writing and and storytelling in an event chaired by Nesrine Malik....
International Highlights
UPDATE
As all talks are currently online only, we are incorporating Unmissable talks organised outside the UK in the UK section so you don’t have to look in two sections. When live talks start to happen again we will revert to UK and International....
Museums and Galleries
Free Online
Gareth’s Posh Mesopotamian Beer Drinking
The British Museum's #CuratorsCornered Series
When we presented Gareth Brereton with the task of choosing the best ostentatiously decorated, otherwise mundane object, he went straight to ancient beer, but posh ancient beer.
The Frick Collection’s Cocktails with a Curator
Every Friday at 5:00 p.m., join The Frick Collection for happy hour as a Frick curator (remotely) offers insights on a work of art with a complementary cocktail. Bring your own beverage to this virtual event.
Free Online
Meditation & Mindfulness: Plum Blossoms
Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art
Meditation helps us build a relationship to a place of inner quietude. To contribute to a sense of calm in this uncertain time, we are offering free 30-minute online meditations three times each week led by DC-based meditation teachers. These free sessions are appropriate for
Curator Chats Series: The Significance of African Americans in Sports
With Dr. Damion L. Thomas
Damion Thomas discusses experiences that sparked his interest in researching the history of African Americans in sports, and some of his favorite objects in our Sports: Leveling the Playing Field exhibition.
Theatre, Opera and Concerts
Free Online
Berliner Philharmoniker
Various Artists
Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall presents a variety of free concerts in the upcoming weeks and months....
Online
Phantom Of The Opera at the Royal Albert Hall-25th Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before....
Festival Highlights
7th July 2021
Online
Vogue Forces of Fashion 2021
Anna Wintour, Pat McGrath, John Galliano and More
As we slowly reemerge from the last year or so, it will be the place to celebrate fashion’s welcome return—and to understand more clearly how fashion is transforming to reflect our new and very different world....
Unmissable Long Reads
Long-Buried Secrets: The Serial Killer and the Detective
Michael Wilson
For decades, a string of killings of teenage girls haunted suburban New Jersey. A local investigator began to wonder: Could there be a link to a series of infamous Times Square murders?
The Deep Sea Is Filled with Treasure, but It Comes at a Price
Elizabeth Kolbert
We’ve barely explored the darkest realm of the ocean. With rare-metal mining on the rise, we’re already destroying it.
The Rise of Black Homeschooling
Casey Parks
Often underserved by traditional schools, Black families are banding together to educate their children, sometimes with an unexpected funding source: the Koch family and other conservative donors.
The Dark, Democratizing Power of the Social-Media Stock Market
Caroline Lester
BitClout collapses everything—art, humor, personhood—into money, laying bare just who, and what, we are willing to pay for.
What Will My Son Remember of This Horrible Year?
Alejandro Zambra
What will my son remember of this horrible year? I ask myself this question every day, and although I sometimes reply blithely, almost with joy, that he will remember nothing, more often I just feel disconcerted.
The Joy of Crossing Paths with Strangers
Clare Sestanovich
Now that the pandemic is winding down, there are a lot of plans to make. Still, it’s the unplanned encounters that I miss most.
How to Negotiate with Ransomware Hackers
Rachel Monroe
Kurtis Minder finds the cat-and-mouse energy of outsmarting criminal syndicates deeply satisfying.
The Native Scholar Who Wasn’t
Sarah Viren
More than a decade ago, a prominent academic was exposed for having faked her Cherokee ancestry. Why has her career continued to thrive?
Burnout: Modern Affliction or Human Condition?
Jill Lepore
As a diagnosis, it’s too vague to be helpful—but its rise tells us a lot about the way we work.
Is Mars Ours?
Adam Mann
Should we treat other planets like natural resources or national parks?
Unmissable Podcasts
Africa’s Oldest Burial
The Science Hour
Maria Martinon-Torres and a team from Kenya and Germany used techniques from paleontology and forensic science to reveal his story from the fragile remains....
Humor Us
Hidden Brain
The average four-year-old child laughs 300 times a day. By contrast, it takes more than two months for the average 40-year-old adult to laugh that many times. This week, we talk with behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker of Stanford University about why so many of us fall off a “humor cliff” as we become adults....
Elizabeth Gilbert Meets Julia Cameron – The Path to Higher Creativity
How To Academy Podcast
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has inspired millions to realise their passions – including Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. Coming together for this podcast, they show us the path to a creatively-fulfilling life....
Dr Gabor Maté on Why We Are All Addicts
Feel Better Live More
In conversation with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Dr Gabor Mate talks about how we now live in a culture that doesn’t meet our human needs....
Derren Brown – How To Be a Little Happier
Learn how to think differently and overcome anxiety in a difficult world with the legendary star of stage and screen....
The Quarantine Tapes 155: Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth has spent the pandemic living alone and she tells Paul about gifts she has found in that experience. She shares a poem she wrote on the subject for a friend and talks about what it means to savor the small things nicely done....
Israel Story – Ep. 1: Faking It
Mishy Harman and Ira Glass
From our relationship with Ira Glass to priceless antiquities all the way to coveted sick passes – Israeli stories that are anything but real. In our very first episode, the Israel Story team delves into the realm of fakes, forgeries, and mimicry. Three stories, from different periods and places, of people pretending to to be something they are not....
The Portal
Eric Weinstein
The Portal is an exploration into discovery, including conversations with thought leaders....
Revisionist Revisited: A Good Walk Spoiled
Malcolm Gladwell
Golfers everywhere love to hate this episode. Since its debut in Season 2, the subject of golf ignites Malcolm's Twitter feed like no other. Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell's journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood....
Normal People, The How To: Academy, The Ultimate Top 100 Classical Music Hits and the Virtual Great Wall of China
Lockdown Culture With Ed Vaizey by Country and Town House
Our Culture Editor Ed Vaizey is finally taking to the airwaves, recording from his bedroom, to give you his tips for staying in touch with all things cultural, highbrow, lowbrow and everything in between....
How to Fail: Mo Gawdat on how to cope with anxiety in a time of Coronavirus
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day and Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer for Google [X], talk about how to handle negative thoughts, how to practise gratitude and the concept of 'committed acceptance', working out what you can actively do to make life better....
